The delegation of Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee visiting Smolensk

The delegation from Vitebsk region, Belarus, officially visited our region. Within the framework of this visit Governor Alexey Ostrovskiy held a working meeting with the Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee Alexander Kosinets. The meeting discussed particular issues of cooperation between the Smolensk and Vitebsk regions.

Alexander Kosinets noted that the close location could have caused greater competition among the organizations and enterprises of the same industry from Smolensk region and from the Republic of Belarus, including educational institutions. Instead, the regions have chosen active cooperation and mutual assistance.

The Belarusian colleagues also visited the office of the Embassy of the Republic of Belarus in Smolensk.

On that busy day, our partners from Vitebsk met with the representatives of Smolensk business community.

The foreign trade turnover between Belarus and Smolensk for the first nine months of 2013 amounted to 3,539,627.2 thousand US Dollars (with the growth of 2.2 times compared to the nine months of 2012), including :

- export – 2,744,489.1 US Dollars (with the growth of 7.6 times compared to the nine months in 2012);

- import – 795,138,100 US Dollars (with the decrease of 3.3%)compared with the first nine months of 2012.

After laying flowers at the Eternal Flame in the Park of Heroes the Belarusian delegation went to the Cultural and Exhibition Center named after the Tenishevs, where the ceremony of signing the Action Plan on trade, economic, scientific, technical, humanitarian and cultural cooperation of Smolensk region of the Russian Federation and the Vitebsk region of the Republic of Belarus for 2014-2015.

The document was signed by the Governor of Smolensk region Alexey Ostrovskiy and the Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee Alexander Kosinets. The Action Plan involves assisting the stakeholders in implementing the joint investment projects and cooperation programs aimed at economic development of the Vitebsk and Smolensk regions. In fact it involves exchanging information at the investment sites on implementing investment projects on territory of the both regions. It also involves mutually beneficial expansion of trade activities between the Smolensk and Vitebsk regions.