The economic forum in Vitebsk gathered participants from 22 countries
The VIII International Economic Forum "Innovations. Investments. Prospects" in Vitebsk gathered a record number of participants, with delegations from 22 countries arriving in the regional center.
At the opening of the forum, the Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, Nikolai Sherstnev, emphasized that the event is designed to widely showcase the achievements and successes in the development of cities and districts of the Vitebsk region, present the industrial and scientific potential, and propose the most promising areas for mutual cooperation. "Each district of the Vitebsk region has similar opportunities for joint activities, considering its industrial and raw material potential, location, and availability of specialists," said the governor.
The head of the region noted that the region is focused on creating fundamentally new industries, high-performance jobs, and deep modernization and technical re-equipment of existing enterprises. To this end, in 2018, the initiatives of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee to include the territories of certain enterprises in Orsha, Polotsk, and Novopolotsk within the boundaries of the "Vitebsk" free economic zone were supported, and a program for the comprehensive development of the Orsha district was approved, providing state support for innovative projects and developments.
This year, an automotive logistics terminal began operating in the Orsha district, which is the first phase of the largest project in the republic for the construction of a multimodal industrial and logistics complex. Opportunities are being created for the delivery and processing of cargo by road, rail, and air, as well as for the construction of new production facilities with a special legal regime for servicing investors.
For six districts of the Vitebsk region, 211 sites have been designated for investment projects in the sphere of tourism, recreation, and health improvement.located in the most picturesque and ecologically clean places of the Vitebsk region.
The forum presents interesting projects for cooperation. Among them are proposals for joint activities from the first cluster in the pharmaceutical sector in the republic, the creation of an industry laboratory for the application of additive technologies in the light industry from the Vitebsk Technological University. Taking into account the available raw material resources in the region, projects for the comprehensive processing of wood, from chip production to the release of sulfate pulp, are proposed for implementation on the territory of the FEZ "Vitebsk".
The Chairman of the regional executive committee spoke about large investment projects that are already being implemented in the region. By the end of the year, a plant for the production of metal sheet and tinplate will be commissioned in the Miory district. Here, the implementation of the country's first project on the terms of public-private partnership for the construction of an international cardiology center is planned. Work has begun on the formation of an agro-industrial holding, which involves the integration of agricultural production on the principle of "from field to counter". The development of the concept and strategy for its development is carried out with the participation of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus.
"The noted initiatives and measures of the Vitebsk region are aimed at forming new types of regional economic management, effective use of their industrial, agrarian, tourist and natural resource potential, increasing exports, and strengthening the interaction between science and business," added Nikolai Sherstnev.
He expressed confidence that the forum platform will give a new impetus for mutually beneficial cooperation.
The main May economic event
the region is gaining momentum every year, for example, in 2018, 42 delegations from 14 countries took part in the forum.
The two-day forum program includes the signing of cooperation agreements between the regions of the oblast and foreign regions, the work of exhibition expositions, demonstration sites, a business contact exchange, the WorldSkills youth competition for professional training and qualifications, and the conference "The Role of the Education System in Innovative Developments".
It is planned for forum participants to visit enterprises and facilities in the region. For the first time, a foreign pavilion of goods, services, and projects will be organized at the forum, where foreign partner regions will present their best companies and their developments. Food products of Vitebsk Oblast enterprises, which are in constant demand abroad, will be presented separately.