A working visit of a PAO Gazprom delegation headed by Deputy Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee Vitaly Markelov took place in Minsk and Zhodino. The key events of the itinerary were a conference on interaction with Belarusian enterprises involving Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Viktor Karankevich and a tour of manufacturing sites of leading machine-building enterprises. The delegation familiarized itself with the capabilities of BelAZ Company in Zhodino where particular interest was shown in the production of mining haul trucks, including those powered by liquefied natural gas. The guests also visited the bus plant of OAO MAZ where they were presented with the current model range of gas-powered vehicles and the enterprise’s advanced products.
During the conference involving Viktor Karankevich, Vitaly Markelov, and the heads of leading Belarusian enterprises a wide range of matters related to industrial cooperation were considered. “Our cooperation in the last few years after the signing of the Memorandum on cooperation at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum is already yielding results. The main market for Belarusian gas-powered vehicles is the Russian Federation. This is why the development of cooperation with Gazprom is a strategic area of interaction for Belarusian enterprises and for the Republic of Belarus as a whole,” noted Viktor Karankevich.
Participants of the conference discussed the prospects of supplying a wide range of Belarusian products to meet needs of Gazprom’s daughter enterprises: electrical equipment produced by OAO METZ named after V.I. Kozlov, special road-building machinery made by the holding company Amkodor, gas-powered excavator graders from the joint venture Syvatovit as well as optoelectronic systems from OAO Peleng.
Cooperation between the two countries has long gone beyond the energy sector and has become full-fledged industrial cooperation, noted Vitaly Markelov. “Today Belarusian enterprises participate in Gazprom’s projects not only in the segment of gas-powered vehicles but also in the areas of specialized machine-building and instrument-making,” he emphasized.
During the conference the sides confirmed their commitment to further expanding cooperation ties.
A separate item on the agenda was the preparation for the St. Petersburg International Gas Forum 2026. Belarusian enterprises expressed their readiness to take an active part in the exhibition and business programs of the forum.
