Vitebsk region is ready to restore full-scale cooperation with the Republic of Crimea in all areas, taking into account historically established ties, as well as new opportunities opening up at the current stage of regional development.
Vitebsk region is ready to restore full-scale cooperation with the Republic of Crimea in all areas, taking into account historically established ties, as well as new opportunities opening up at the current stage of regional development.
This was stated by the Chairman of the Regional Executive Committee, Alexander Subbotin, during a working meeting with the Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Crimea – Permanent Representative of the Republic of Crimea to the President of Russia, Georgy Muradov.
— I hope that this meeting will mark the beginning of a joint path based on our common historical heritage. We have plenty to work on together, from developing economic contacts to restoring and expanding humanitarian ties, — emphasized the head of the region. He hopes that during the current visit, the mutual desire to cooperate will be "embellished" with concrete proposals and details of future joint projects in various fields. Moreover, in the near future, there will be an opportunity to discuss them during the Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia, which will be held in Grodno in July this year, as well as at the International Festival "Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk" — Alexander Subbotin extended a formal invitation to the Crimean delegation directly at the meeting. A significant event for establishing and expanding economic interaction will be the traditional International Economic Forum in Vitebsk, scheduled for autumn, noted the Deputy Chairperson of the Regional Executive Committee, Anzhelika Nikitina. She also proposed developing twin-town relationships at the district level, creating an appropriate contractual framework for this purpose.
As Georgy Muradov noted, the transport and logistics sector can become a key area of economic cooperation. Today, it is critically important for Belarusian companies to overcome the disruption in supply chains, establish new procurement channels, and ensure uninterrupted industrial production by reorienting the supply channels for components. For this purpose, the developed port infrastructure of Crimea can be utilized, where the issue of capacity utilization currently persists. The economic entities of the Vitebsk region can be provided with the opportunities of 8 ports, including Kerch, Feodosia, etc., which are currently being transferred to the Federal Agency for Maritime and River Transport of Russia. This ensures the shortest access to the markets of North African and Middle Eastern countries, as well as access to Iran and a number of other states.
Undoubtedly, one of the most in-demand areas of cooperation can be tourism, including health and cultural-educational tourism.
The possibilities for expanding cooperation were discussed in more detail during a series of working meetings between the delegation of the Republic of Crimea and the heads of departments of the regional executive committee, the administration of Vitebsk, and organizations of the region.
