A delegation from Kazakhstan visited Verkhnedvinsk. How will this affect the region's economy?

Representatives of the city of Kapchagay covered 5 thousand kilometers to congratulate the rural workers of the district on their professional holiday and establish mutually beneficial contacts.

Kapchagay is located near Almaty on the shore of a reservoir 100 km long and 25 km wide. The city is young – it celebrated its 45th anniversary in September; at one time, it was created as a production zone near the former capital of Kazakhstan. Today, it houses a hydroelectric power station, 16 large enterprises, including those producing building materials, and two rural districts where special attention is paid to crop production (in Kapchagay, the climate contributes to this – 365 sunny days a year). The delegation of the Verkhnedvinsk district, led by the chairman of the district executive committee, Igor Markovich, had the opportunity to see all this firsthand in September of the current year at the invitation of the Akim of Kapchagay. The friendship began a few months earlier when representatives of the Belarusian and Kazakh regions met in Volokolamsk, Moscow region.

– We talked and realized that we have a lot in common: in education, culture, preservation of traditions, respect for the older generation, and heroic past. For the 45th anniversary of Kapchagay, we signed a memorandum of cooperation, which opens up great opportunities for both sides. We were convinced of this during our visit to Verkhnedvinsk now, – noted Natalya Nosova, head of the state institution "Department of Physical Culture, Sports and Tourism of the city of Kapchagay."

The acquaintance with the Belarusian region lasted several days. The program for the foreign guests was very busy. The Kazakhs met with the district's active members, visited leading enterprises, including OJSC "Invets," "Verkhnedvinsk Butter and Cheese Factory," ChUP "Uzhitsa-Agro," and State Forestry Institution "Verkhnedvinsk Forestry," and saw the sights and tourist infrastructure. As noted by the head of the delegation, Deputy Akim of Kapchagay Akhtamberdy Kalkabay, this is his first visit to Belarus, and he was surprised and impressed by many things.

– Especially the robotic dairy farm in "Uzhitsa-Agro" is an example of modern innovations and technologies. It's a good approach that both raw materials and production are in one district, meaning fresh milk is sent directly from the stall complex to the dairy plant, – Akhtamberdy Narmanovich shared his impressions. – In Kazakhstan, agriculture is in private hands, there is no state-owned sector, while you have joint-stock companies, the government can coordinate and provide assistance, I liked that. At "Invet", the calf pens caught my eye, they might be useful for us. As for the dairy plant, it turned out that its cheeses are exported to Kazakhstan, but I think there is an opportunity to increase supply volumes.

Overall, as the guests noted, Belarusian products are familiar in Kazakhstan, and they have been in high demand for the last two years. There are specialized stores, and there are always queues there. Our goods have long proven themselves as high-quality and natural; people know that Belarus is a country that cares about the quality of food and the health of its citizens. In addition to food products, Kazakhs gladly buy Belarusian knitwear and linen products. In short, there are opportunities for expanding mutually beneficial cooperation, which is also facilitated by the rapprochement of our states at a high level, particularly within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union. However, regional contacts and twin-city relationships between settlements are no less valuable. They help not only to establish economically beneficial relations but also to understand each other's mentality and age-old traditions. For example, in Kaskelen, it is customary to include an honorary citizen of the city in any delegation, which turned out to be the Honored Worker of Agriculture Amangeldy Bespayev. And the guests saw the profound honor and respect we have for rural workers when the best machine operators, milking machine operators, engineers, zootechnicians, economists, accountants, and others involved in this year's rich harvest were honored on the stage of the Verkhnedvinsk Culture House. The Verkhnedvinsk residents' successes were congratulated not only by the Kazakhs but also by their Russian brothers, represented by the head of the Sebezhsky district, Leonid Kursenkov. And also by the main assistants – the residents of Novopolotsk, represented by the Chairman of the Novopolotsk City Executive Committee, Dmitry Demidov. Thanks from the Chairman of the Regional Executive Committee and the Minister of Agriculture of Belarus to the workers were presented by the Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Agriculture and Food of the Regional Executive Committee, Vladimir Mashero.

Olga Maslovskaya. Photos by Anton Stepanishchev. "Vitebskiye vesti".