17 May, Vitebsk /Sergey Kochetov - BELTA/. Public associations of industrialists from Belarusian and Russian regions will discuss prospects for their activities, issues of interaction and cooperation within the framework of the Customs Union of Belarus, Russia and Kazakhstan at a joint meeting on 19 May in Vitebsk. This was reported to a BELTA correspondent by the Vitebsk Regional Union of Employers. More than 60 people will take part in the event, including heads of business associations from Vitebsk, Grodno, Smolensk, Kaluga and Moscow regions, directors of enterprises from Belarusian and Russian regions, as well as representatives of the business community of Daugavpils (Latvia). It is planned that an agreement on cooperation and interaction between the Vitebsk Regional Union of Employers and the Kaluga Association of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs will be signed at the meeting. Participants of the joint meeting will also familiarise themselves with the production organisation and development prospects of the open joint-stock company "Vitebskiye Kovry" (Vitebsk Carpets), on the basis of which business communication between representatives of Belarusian and Russian enterprises will be organised. The Vitebsk Regional Union of Employers (VOSN) is the largest non-profit association of employers in the Pridvinye region, with over 250 enterprises and organisations as its members. The association was established in 1999. Currently, the industrial output of enterprises - members of VOSN accounts for more than 70% of the total production volume of enterprises in the region. -0-

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