Cooperation between Belarus and Mordovia requires ambitious, energetic actions and breakthrough projects. This was stated by President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko on October 20 at a meeting with the Head of the Republic of Mordovia of the Russian Federation, Artyom Zdunov, as reported by a BELTA correspondent.
The Head of State noted that his current, second meeting with the head of the Russian region provides an opportunity to outline new plans and milestones for bilateral cooperation, especially since joint work is already well-established and there are prospects for interaction. "In the economy, we need ambitious, energetic actions. And, of course, worthy breakthrough projects," the President said. According to him, the trade turnover between Belarus and Mordovia in 2024 amounted to slightly more than $130 million, and "this is far from the limit, considering the industrial base" of both sides.
The President separately focused on key areas of cooperation requiring special attention. Firstly, this is the development of industrial cooperation. "We need this very, very much – both Russia and Belarus – especially after the incomprehensible flight of well-known investors from us," Alexander Lukashenko remarked.
On the Belarusian side, the Head of State proposed to maximize the potential of joint projects already being implemented in the fields of wagon building, microelectronics, and elevator production. For example, Mordovia's cable and wire products are in demand in Belarus. One example of effective joint work is the production of insulating materials from raw materials of Belarusian "Naftan" by the company "Lider-Compound" from Mordovia. The President also noted the existence of good production ties between other enterprises of the country and the Russian region.
"Mordovia is one of Russia's leading regions in terms of the share of innovative products in industrial production. We are also proud of our scientific potential and strive to maximize the use of our developments in production. We talk about this a lot and are outlining specific plans for innovation. Therefore, let's establish cooperation between relevant institutes in the field of information technology, training IT specialists, in joint work on software products, and artificial intelligence (which is trendy now). We will share our experience," the President proposed.
Secondly, Alexander Lukashenko emphasised the relevance of cooperation in the supply of agricultural machinery. "Mordovia and Belarus have a lot in common in the agrarian sector. Like us, you are almost entirely self-sufficient and focused on supplies outside your region, including exports. I am confident that Belarusian agricultural machinery can be a great asset for further enhancing the potential of Mordovia's farmers," the Head of State stated. The President noted that the situation on the Russian market, which is the main one for Belarus, is generally challenging. "We see problems in this market. We understand that they cannot be solved unilaterally. We also need to step up in this direction and, as they say, put our backs into it," the Belarusian leader believes.
The Head of State indicated Belarus's readiness to offer consumers of domestic agricultural machinery in Mordovia "interesting tools" for its purchase and operation. "We have the capacity to meet Mordovia's needs across almost the entire range of agricultural machinery, including through flexible financing mechanisms," he said.
Furthermore, the discussion covered expanding opportunities for training local young agricultural specialists to operate Belarusian agricultural machinery. Some universities in the region have already created good conditions for graduates to master domestic equipment, with samples placed in specialised classrooms, which enhances the quality of the educational process with an emphasis on practical activities. Given the constant increase in the complexity of agricultural machinery, Belarus, according to the President, is ready to make efforts to train not only future machine operators in Mordovia but also engineers who will later scale these skills.
Separately, another, third area of cooperation was discussed at the meeting – pharmaceuticals. The President noted the possibility of establishing cooperation between the Belarusian State Medical University and Mordovian State University in the training and retraining of specialists, which is particularly relevant given the opening of the Federal Centre for the Development of Biotechnology and Medicine in Saransk at the beginning of the current year.
The Belarusian side's proposal concerning pharmaceutical technology also involved the organisation of production of medicinal products from the portfolio of the Promomed group of companies at the Belmedpreparaty production facilities, with the group's main production site located in Saransk. "I believe we can achieve certain results here, especially since you are familiar with our enterprises and our products," said Alexander Lukashenko.
Speaking about the development of humanitarian cooperation with this Russian region, the Head of State suggested focusing on joint work in the field of film production. "You know how to do it. We would be very interested in exchanging experience and providing personnel assistance. We are currently paying great attention to cinematography. Film is the most important of the arts, as a classic once said," the Belarusian leader stated.
The President mentioned a plan to shoot a multi-part film about Lee Harvey Oswald. As is known, in the 1960s, this American came to the Soviet Union and lived in Minsk for almost two and a half years, working as a turner at the Minsk Lenin Radio Plant. "We would be very interested in this and could offer our services, facilities, and assistance in finding funding for this, undoubtedly fascinating, film," emphasised Alexander Lukashenko.
The confidence that such a film will be in demand now is reinforced by the fact that the theme of John F. Kennedy's assassination and Lee Harvey Oswald's involvement in it remains relevant and of interest in American society to this day. "This topic was actively raised in the United States of America by the current President Donald Trump. If we make this film in time, it will be timely and relevant," noted Alexander Lukashenko.
The President did not rule out that representatives of the film industry from both sides might propose other themes for film creation. "We can find many common themes in history within the Belarusian-Russian context, which are very beneficial for us as well," the Head of State is confident.
"In short, we are ready and open for cooperation with the very good, kind people who live in your beautiful land – Mordovia," concluded Alexander Lukashenko.
In turn, Artyom Zdunov thanked for the warm welcome, the opportunity to summarize interim results and set new tasks two years after the previous agreements were reached. "We have come prepared. To date, 60 enterprises of Mordovia operate in the Republic of Belarus, implementing joint projects. 20 are present here (as part of the delegation. - BELTA's note). These are owners, heads of enterprises who make decisions," he said. "We see some growth, but we are still very restrained about it. Because the potential is much higher. My colleagues understand that we need to work on this issue further, to push it through."
Among the main guidelines in the development of cooperation with Belarus, the head of Mordovia named cooperation, joint sales in foreign markets, and provision of after-sales service. "Five enterprises of Mordovia already have dealerships in Belarus. This is a matter of trust, quick service. First of all, this concerns the cable industry, semiconductors, and lighting industry," he said.
Artyom Zdunov also noted that the delegation's visit coincided with the Week of Parental Love, which is being held in Belarus. In this regard, he drew attention to the importance of raising the younger generation in the spirit of traditional values: "These are fundamental issues for us now. Everything we repair, build, do is for future generations. This is about the physical existence of our future generation. About birth rates and demographics. And the second issue is about the upbringing of our descendants. We have the brightest impressions after visiting the Brest Fortress. We grew up on all of this. But for the first time in my life, I had such an opportunity. Our children must be raised together in a unified paradigm."
As for the trade and economic cooperation between Belarus and Mordovia, the largest volume of trade for the period since 2020 was recorded in 2023 - $161.6 million. Last year, it amounted to almost $134 million, and Belarusian exports reached almost $39 million, an increase of 3.7% compared to 2023.
For January-August of this year, the trade turnover amounted to about $64 million. Exports from Belarus mainly included ethylene polymers, machines and devices for lifting, moving, loading or unloading, meat and edible offal of poultry. Imports were mainly insulated wires, cables, aluminum and copper wire.