Belarus and Ukraine plan to strengthen economic cooperation
Against the backdrop of Russian sanctions against Ukraine, the Belarusian Foreign Ministry and the leadership of the country’s regions began preparations for the Second Forum of Regions of Belarus and Ukraine, which will be held in October this year in Zhitomir.
As BELTA reports, the first meeting of the Belarusian-Ukrainian working group on interregional and cross-border cooperation took place in Zhitomir. From the Ukrainian side, the leaders of the Kyiv, Zhitomir, Chernigov, Rivne, Lviv and Volyn regions took part in the work of the group.
“A discussion took place on the functioning of checkpoints on the Belarusian-Ukrainian border. Representatives of the regions and chambers of commerce and industry made proposals for the further development of interregional cooperation with a view to signing specific agreements during the forum,” the statement says.
The first Forum of Regions of Belarus and Ukraine took place in October 2018. The presidents of both countries took part in it. More than 110 agreements and agreements on partnership and cooperation have been concluded between the regions of Belarus and Ukraine. In addition, during the forum, Belarusian and Ukrainian companies signed contracts worth $101 million.
Over the eight months of 2018, Ukraine took second place among all trading partners of the Republic of Belarus in terms of trade turnover and exports, fourth place in terms of imports, trade turnover with Ukraine increased by 23,7% and amounted to $3,7 billion, Belarusian exports increased by 23,5% , imports from Ukraine - by 24,4%.
Belarus and Ukraine plan to strengthen economic cooperation.