Twinning ties between Venezuela and Belarus regions will boost cooperation between the two countries

July 17, Vitebsk / Olga Bogacheva - BELTA /. The establishment of sister city ties between Venezuelan states and Belarusian regions will give an impetus to the bilateral cooperation of the two countries. This was stated today at a meeting with the leadership of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Americo Diaz Nunez, BELTA correspondent reports. According to him, Venezuela's sphere of interest covers all sectors of the Belarusian state: culture, sports, tourism, and economy. In particular, Venezuela is interested in establishing closer relations with Belarusian educational institutions from all regions, exchanging youth and children's delegations, creative groups, artists, and performers. In the economic sphere, the creation of joint ventures is attractive. "In order to activate our partnership, we have already visited two Vitebsk enterprises, where we studied the possibility of capital investment," Americo Diaz Nunez noted. "To date, 69 joint agreements in various fields have been signed between Venezuela and Belarus. Meanwhile, the level of cooperation between the two countries can be much higher," the ambassador emphasized. The trade turnover between Belarus and Venezuela in 2008 increased by 298% compared to 2007 due to export growth and amounted to $173.3 million. Belarusian exports increased by more than 305%, reaching $173.1 million. Imports amounted to $147 thousand (a six-fold decrease). The balance for Belarus was positive, amounting to over $172 million. In January-April 2009, Belarusian exports to Venezuela doubled compared to the same period in 2008. Imports were practically non-existent. -0-