October 21, Smolensk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA/. More than 150 organisations of the Vitebsk region of various forms of ownership have their representative offices in the cities of the Smolensk region. This was reported to a BELTA correspondent by the Chief of Staff of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, Aleksei Matyushko, on the eve of the signing in Smolensk of an action plan for the implementation of the agreement between the Administration of the Smolensk Region (Russian Federation) and the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee (Republic of Belarus) on trade-economic, scientific-technical and cultural cooperation for the coming year. Among those successfully operating in the Russian market, the interlocutor named SOOO "Belvest", OJSC "Vitebskiye Kovry", SOOO "Marko", "KIS", LLC "Alyansplast", LLC "PO "Energokomplekt", OJSC "Vitebskaya Broiler Factory", SOOO "Vitkonprodukt". Enterprises of the concern "Myaso-Molochnye Produkty" (Meat and Dairy Products) work on a permanent basis with 19 companies located in the cities of the Smolensk region, with which timely settlements, equipment loans are guaranteed, and sales logistics across Russia have been established. Taking into account the proximity and contacts with organisations in the Smolensk region, goods are supplied to the neighbouring market that are more difficult to deliver to other regions of Russia. These include mineral and drinking water, medicinal and veterinary preparations, door and window units, bakery products, potatoes, and vegetable preserves. At the same time, it is necessary to change the structure of supplies, as Smolensk companies are oriented towards purchasing semi-finished products: meat, chilled milk, flax fibre, butane, believes Aleksei Matyushko. He also did not rule out an intensification of the export of construction services in the fields of civil and road construction, but noted that there are negative examples of untimely payment by Smolensk customers for supplied building materials and services rendered within the framework of Russian federal programmes. Foreign trade turnover for January-August 2011 between the Vitebsk and Smolensk regions amounted to $151.2 million (growth rate – 126%), including exports – $100.9 million (growth rate – 118%), imports – $50.4 million (growth rate – 145%). Over 10 years, the товарооборот (trade turnover) between the Smolensk and Vitebsk regions has increased sixfold.