24 June, Lida /Elena Stasyukevich - BELTA/. Regional contacts are becoming a crucial component of the development of foreign economic relations. This opinion was expressed today to journalists by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Belarus to Lithuania and Finland, Vladimir Drazhin, who is taking part in the sixth regional presentation-exhibition "Lida-Region-2011", BELTA correspondent reports. "The Lida region is currently leading in the Grodno region in terms of trade development with Lithuania. Many projects are being implemented here, which provide opportunities for both production and sales," the interlocutor noted. He reported that in the near future, it is planned to create a number of new joint ventures both in Lithuania and Belarus, which will further develop bilateral relations. "Today, we are observing a unique situation where the development of regional relations allows for an increase in foreign trade volume by approximately 30-40%. In the first five months of this year, the volume of foreign trade turnover between Lithuania and Belarus increased by almost 70%. Analysis shows that the absolute majority of foreign economic cooperation indicators are growing precisely due to the development of relations between regions," said Vladimir Drazhin. He added about the importance of the agreement on small border traffic coming into force in the near future. Lida is also included in the 50-kilometer visa-free zone. Vladimir Drazhin noted that the Lithuanian side is primarily interested in joint projects in mechanical engineering, construction, and in the service sector: roadside services, trade, and the hotel business. He emphasized that the current economic situation has not halted the bilateral cooperation process. Evidence of this is the fact that in the first quarter of the current year, the volume of Lithuanian investments in Belarus increased threefold, amounting to almost $30 million. -0-

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