Lukashenko: ambitious, energetic actions are needed in the cooperation between Belarus and Mordovia
In the cooperation between Belarus and Mordovia, ambitious energetic actions and breakthrough projects are needed. This was stated by the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko on October 20 during a meeting with the head of the Republic of Mordovia of the Russian Federation Artem Zdunov, as reported by a BELTA correspondent.
The head of state noted that this current, already his second meeting with the head of the Russian region provides an opportunity to outline new plans and milestones for bilateral cooperation, especially since the joint work has already been established quite well and there are prospects for interaction. "In the economy, we need ambitious energetic actions. And, of course, worthy breakthrough projects," said the President. According to him, the trade turnover between Belarus and Mordovia in 2024 amounted to just over $130 million and "this is far from the limit considering the industrial base" of both sides.
Separately, the President focused on key areas of cooperation that require special attention. These are, first, the development of production cooperation. "We really need this - both Russia and Belarus, - especially after the incomprehensible flight of well-known investors from us," noted Alexander Lukashenko.
From the Belarusian side, the head of state proposed to maximize the potential of already implemented joint projects in the field of wagon building, microelectronics, and elevator production. For example, in Belarus, there is a demand for cable and wire products from Mordovia. One example of effective joint work is the production of insulation materials from the raw materials of the Belarusian "Naftan" by the company "Leader-Compound" from Mordovia. The President also noted the presence of good production ties between other enterprises in the country and the Russian region.
"Mordovia is one of the leading regions of Russia in terms of the share of innovative products in the volume of industrial production. We also take pride in our scientific potential and strive to make the most of our developments in production. We talk a lot about this and outline specific plans for innovations. Therefore, let's establish cooperation between specialized institutes in the field of information technologies, training IT specialists, and joint work on software products, artificial intelligence (which is fashionable now). We will share experiences," proposed the President.
Secondly, Alexander Lukashenko emphasized the relevance of interaction on the supply of agricultural machinery. "Mordovia and Belarus have a lot in common in the agricultural sector. Like us, you are almost completely self-sufficient and are oriented towards supplies beyond your region, including for export. I am confident that Belarusian agricultural machinery can become a good support for further increasing the potential of Mordovia's agrarians," said the head of state. The President noted that the current situation in the Russian market, which is the main one for Belarus, is generally complicated. "We see problems in this market. We understand that they cannot be solved unilaterally. We also need to add in this direction and, as people say, push hard," believes the Belarusian leader.
The head of state indicated Belarus's readiness to offer consumers of domestic agricultural machinery in Mordovia "interesting tools" for its acquisition and operation. "We have the capacity to meet the needs of Mordovia practically across the entire range of agricultural machinery, including using flexible financing mechanisms," he said.
Moreover, there was a discussion about expanding the opportunities for training local young specialists in the agricultural sector to work on Belarusian agricultural machines. In some universities in the region, good conditions have already been created for graduates to master domestic equipment, with its samples placed in specialized classrooms, which enhances the quality of the educational process with an emphasis on practical activities. Given the constant increase in the complexity of agricultural machinery, Belarus, according to the President, is ready to make efforts to train not only future mechanics in Mordovia but also engineers who will later scale these skills.
Separately, anotherthird area of cooperation - pharmaceuticals was discussed at the meeting. The President noted the possibility of establishing interaction between the Belarusian State Medical University and the Mordovian State University in terms of training and retraining specialists, which is especially relevant considering the opening of the Federal Center for Biotechnology and Medicine in Saransk at the beginning of this year.
The proposal from the Belarusian side regarding pharmaceutical technologies also concerned the organization of the production of medicines from the portfolio of the Promomed group of companies at the production facilities of "Belmedpreparaty", whose main production site is located in Saransk. "I think we can achieve certain results here, especially since you are familiar with our enterprises and our products," said Alexander Lukashenko.
Speaking about the development of humanitarian cooperation with this Russian region, the head of state proposed to make an emphasis on joint work in the field of film production. "You know how to do this. We would be very interested in exchanging experience and providing personnel assistance. We are currently paying great attention to cinematography. Cinema is the most important of the arts, as a classic once said," said the Belarusian leader.
The President shared that there is an idea to shoot a multi-part film about Lee Harvey Oswald. As is known, in the 1960s this American came to the Soviet Union and lived in Minsk for almost two and a half years, working as a lathe operator at the Minsk Radio Plant named after Lenin. "We would be very interested in this and could provide our services, venue, and engage in finding funding for this, I am sure, very interesting film," emphasized Alexander Lukashenko.
Confidence that such a film will be in demand now is given by the fact that the topic of the assassination of John Kennedy and the involvement of Lee Harvey Oswald in this remains relevant and interesting in American society even today. "This topic was actively raised by the current President of the United States, Donald Trump. If we shoot this film in time, it will be timely, the film will be relevant," pointed out Alexander Lukashenko.
The President did not rule out that representatives of the film industry from both sides might propose other topics for film creation. "In the Belarusian-Russian direction, many common themes can be found from history, which are very useful for us as well," the head of state is confident.
"In short, we are ready and open for cooperation with a very good, kind people who live on your wonderful land - Mordovia," summarized Alexander Lukashenko.
For his part, Artem Zdunov thanked for the warm welcome, the opportunity to summarize the interim results and set new tasks two years after reaching previous agreements. "We arrived prepared. To date, 60 enterprises from Mordovia are operating in the Republic of Belarus, implementing joint projects. 20 are present here (as part of the delegation. - Note from BELTA). These are owners and managers of enterprises who make decisions," he said. "We see certain growth, but we are still very cautious about it. Because the potential is much higher. My colleagues understand that we need to refine and push this issue further."
Among the main guidelines in the development of cooperation with Belarus, the head of Mordovia named cooperation, joint sales in foreign markets, and ensuring service maintenance. "Five enterprises from Mordovia already have dealer centers on the territory of Belarus. This is a matter of trust, quick service. First of all, this is the cable industry, semiconductors, and lighting technology industry," he said.
Artem Zdunov also noted that the visit of the delegation coincided with the Week of Parental Love, which is taking place in Belarus. In this regard, he emphasized the importance of raising the younger generation in the spirit of traditional values: "For us, these are now principled things. Everything we repair, build, and do is for future generations. Here, the question is simply about the physical presence of our future generation. About birth rates and demographics. And the second question is about raising our descendants. The brightest impressions after visiting the Brest Fortress. We grew up on all this. But for the first time in our lives, such an opportunity has appeared. Our children need to be raised together in a unified paradigm."
As for the trade and economic cooperation between Belarus and Mordovia, from 2020 to 2023, the highest volume of trade turnover was in 2023 - $161.6 million. Last year it amounted to almost $134 million, while Belarusian exports nearly reached $39 million, increasing by 3.7% compared to 2023.
From January to August of this year, the trade turnover amounted to about $64 million. The main exports from Belarus included ethylene polymers, machines and devices for lifting, moving, loading, or unloading, meat, and poultry by-products. The main imports included insulated wires, cables, aluminum, and copper wire.