The delegation of the Astrakhan region showed interest in the activities of the residents of the Vitebsk Free Economic Zone

For the first time, an official working group from a Russian region, consisting of 10 people and led by the Minister of International and Foreign Economic Relations, visited Vitebsk. Representatives from the construction and road management sectors, industry, transport, natural resources, fish farming, and energy saving of the Astrakhan region came to the northern capital to learn about the economic potential of our region, exchange experiences, and establish business contacts. As reported by the Investment and Economic Department of the Vitebsk FEZ Administration, the guests held negotiations on cooperation issues, actively inquired about the FEZ policy, tax and customs preferences enjoyed by residents, and the conditions for doing business in Belarus. Presentations were prepared by resident enterprises, including "Bell Bimbo Plus" LLC and "Gratsiya", "Vitebsk Carpets" OJSC, "Display" Design Bureau, "Novmash" Vitebsk Machine-Building Plant CJSC, and "Pozhtekhnika" CJSC. The Russian delegation visited well-known Vitebsk industrial enterprises such as "Energokomplekt" Production Association, "Polymerkonstruktsiya" Unitary Enterprise, "Allianceplast" LLC, as well as the territory of Sector No. 1 of the free economic zone.

It is worth noting that there is successful experience in creating joint Belarusian-Russian enterprises within the FEZ, and Russian business entities alone are becoming residents, contributing to the economy of the Dvina region. A prime example of this is the JV "VIK – Animal Health". Long-term cooperation is maintained with many regions of the neighboring country, including the Moscow, Samara, Omsk, Rostov, Nizhny Novgorod, and Pskov regions, Krasnodar Krai, Mordovia, the Republic of Bashkortostan, and others. In general, the outcome of the visit to the Dvina region should be the preparation of an agreement on trade, economic, scientific, technical, and cultural cooperation between the Vitebsk region of the Republic of Belarus and the Astrakhan region of the Russian Federation.

Olga MASLOVSKAYA
"Vitebsky Rabochy"