Krasnodar Krai is a key region in southern Russia where Belarus must establish a foothold. This was stated by President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko during a meeting with the Governor of Krasnodar Krai, Veniamin Kondratyev, as reported by a BELTA correspondent.
"The formula is simple and the reason is clear why we were persistently interested in your visit to Belarus. Kuban is Kuban – it is the breadwinner, a leading region of the Russian Federation in all respects," noted Alexander Lukashenko.
The President recalled that Belarus actively develops cooperation with various Russian regions. And the main thing, he emphasized, is to implement all agreements, and there are many of them. "This is our principle: if we agree, we must fulfil. And recently we have come to the conclusion that we need to identify key regions in Russia from which we can work in neighbouring regions and so on. We consider Kuban a key region where we must 'land'," stated the head of state. "This is not just about bringing in equipment and selling it. We want to create a certain hub with you. We are ready to create several such large centres across Russia and jointly produce equipment there, train your people if it is needed for this. We are ready for this."
For example, in northern Russia, St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region serve as such a region for Belarus. Cooperation with Africa is developing on the same principle. Here, Belarus considers Zimbabwe and Equatorial Guinea as hubs for working on the continent, the President cited examples.
"Cooperation with you can proceed in all directions. You know this perfectly well. This includes agriculture, mechanical engineering, and the same elevators. Our policy is not to rush into something grand and new (because it involves large sums of money and 'catch up and overtake' is not our principle), but to develop what we know how to do. We have a school of tractor manufacturing. Why not develop it? Russia, for example, is huge – God grant we satisfy the demand. The same applies to combine harvester manufacturing, BELAZ trucks. We are trying to develop these areas where we have experience, practice, competencies, and people. Therefore, if Kuban needs anything, we will agree and will definitely do it," assured Alexander Lukashenko.
The President also noted that Belarus can supply passenger vehicles with various types of engines. However, the Belarusian side has one request: the vehicles must be serviced properly and on time. If such servicing is not possible locally, the Belarusian side is ready to assist by sending its specialists or organising training for personnel in the region.
"Because it will be like in Saint Petersburg," the Head of State remarked. "We started to investigate, and I asked: what about other regions of Russia? Our buses are not catching fire. In other regions of Russia, they are not. So why are they burning in St. Petersburg? Because some private company, people who have never seen buses, took over the maintenance. You know what maintenance entails: it's not just about tightening a bolt on time – pre-trip inspections must be constant. And none of this was done. Naturally, there were leaks, spills, and so on. Something smoked somewhere, and immediately in the media: 'Oh, it caught fire!' Therefore, if there are no people who can reliably service the equipment, we will do it ourselves, and for less money than you would organise it. But if such people exist – please. If not – we are willing to train them."
Belarusian construction companies are also interested in cooperation with Krasnodar Krai. They could participate in the design and construction of social facilities and institutions.
"Everything we agree upon, we will certainly fulfil," the President concluded.
In a conversation with journalists, the Governor of Krasnodar Krai noted that the region is purchasing MAZ buses from Belarus. These are models that use gas engine fuel, which are more environmentally friendly. "We say that the south of Russia is an environmentally friendly region. Public transport running on traditional fuel might already be a thing of the past. And we are talking not even about today, but about tomorrow. I am confident that we will replace public transport in an evolutionary way as much as possible. This includes buses manufactured in Belarus," said Veniamin Kondratyev.
He also specifically emphasized interest in electric buses, which was also discussed at the meeting with the Head of the Belarusian State. "We have now discussed with the President the overall possibility of transitioning public transport in Sochi as a pilot project. Because Sochi is a pearl of Russia. We will now calculate and understand. And then, perhaps, public transport will run not on gas engine fuel, but on electricity at all. These are the very new horizons that are very important to implement," the governor said.
Following the results of last year, trade turnover between Belarus and the Krasnodar Territory increased by 60% and amounted to almost $557 million. The results of the first seven months of this year also show positive dynamics: mutual trade exceeded $337 million, an increase of 24.8%.
belta.by