Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Karankevich outlined promising areas for cooperation between Belarus and Russia’s Mordovia as he met with Head of the Republic of Mordovia of the Russian Federation Artem Zdunov in Minsk on 20 October.
“Your repeated visit to our country as head of the Republic of Mordovia with the delegation of Mordovia underscores your commitment to consistently deepening the partnership with Belarus,” Viktor Karankevich said as he addresed the head of the Russian region.
According to the deputy prime minister, in 2024 the trade reached about $130 million, which does not reflect the full potential of trade and economic cooperation. “I believe that we can significantly increase this figure both through mutual trade and the development of industrial cooperation, especially since we have all the opportunities for this. Given Mordovia’s high share of innovative products in the total industrial output and the successful development of the pharmaceutical industry, it seems promising to work out bilateral cooperation projects, primarily joint import-substituting manufactures,” he said.
Viktor Karankevich suggested expanding cooperation in such areas as pharmacology, rolling stock manufacturing, microelectronics and lift production. “Our business entities have already established strong ties for mutual supplies. Belarusian enterprises purchase large volumes of insulated, copper and aluminum wire. Belarus supplies Mordovia with a wide range of mechanical engineering, woodworking, chemical and light industry products, agricultural raw materials and food products,” the Deputy Prime Minister said.
An effective mechanism for warranty and post-warranty maintenance and repair of Belarusian equipment has been established. A multifunctional center for the sale and technical support of Belarusian agricultural and utility equipment successfully operates in Mordovia.
A training center for users of Belarusian agricultural equipment was opened in 2024 at Mordovia State University’s Institute of Mechanics and Power Engineering, dedicated to teaching the operation, maintenance, and repair of these machines. “Potential areas for partnership include interaction between IT institutes, co-development of software and AI systems, and inter-university cooperation to train IT specialists,” Viktor Karankevich added.
He expressed confidence that the parties can identify areas of mutual interest in agriculture and public utilities. “These areas have great potential for the development of cooperation,” the deputy prime minister noted. “It is also important to advance cooperation across the entire spectrum of humanitarian areas: science, education, culture, art, sister-city ties, cinematography. I believe it is important to cultivate respect for common history, honor traditions, and join efforts in the patriotic education of the younger generation. We must create opportunities for our youth to communicate, establish bilateral contacts, and travel between our countries, integrating these exchanges into joint events and long-term projects.”