Belarus and Syria are reaching the level of industrial cooperation - A. Lukashenko

July 26, Minsk /BELTA/. Belarus and Syria are moving to the level of industrial cooperation. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko stated this in an interview with the Syrian newspaper "Al-Watan," according to a BELTA correspondent. According to Alexander Lukashenko, significant progress has been made in cooperation between the two countries in the economic sphere over the past period. Syria has become one of the main foreign markets for Belarusian trucks. Since 2001, about 5,000 MAZ vehicles have been sold in the Syrian market. Belarus has begun supplying Syria with metal, instruments and equipment, tires, synthetic fibers, dry milk, and other products. In turn, Belarus has started importing phosphates and aluminum tape from Syria, along with traditional fruits and vegetables, and textiles. Currently, the parties have begun working on a number of important projects in the field of mechanical engineering for both countries. This includes the creation of assembly plants for trucks, buses, and other equipment using Belarusian technologies, the export of which could also be established in neighboring countries of the region. "In other words, we are already moving to the level of industrial cooperation, which brings our countries even closer. The implementation of these projects goes beyond simple commercial transactions and requires finding mutual compromises and non-standard solutions. In my opinion, the barriers to the development of bilateral cooperation include the need to optimize trade routes, which will reduce the cost of goods delivery, as well as the improvement of trade legislation to ensure a larger volume of mutual trade benefits and preferences, and some customs regulation issues. But all of this is quite surmountable. The main thing is that we have the desire for it," Alexander Lukashenko emphasized.