Brest Oblast is set to sign agreements on cooperation in trade, economy, science and in social and cultural affairs with Russia's Voronezh Oblast and Stavropol Krai at the 6th Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia which will take place in St. Petersburg on 16-18 July, BelTA learned from the foreign economy department at the Brest Oblast administration.
The documents will be signed by Brest Oblast Governor Anatoly Lis, Voronezh Oblast Governor Aleksandr Gusev and Governor of Stavropol Krai Vladimir Vladimirov. The delegations of the regions are set to discuss mutual cooperation. In preparation for the forum the business entities of Brest Oblast and residents of Russia signed commercial contracts worth about $65 million.
The Brest Oblast delegation to the 6th Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia will include senior officials of the regional administration, the regional council of deputies and also Baranovichi city council of deputes, and representatives of educational and cultural institutions. They will participate in the plenary session of the forum, thematic sections.
Brest Oblast has concluded 26 interregional agreements with entities of the Russian Federation and more than 40 twinning agreements with cities and districts. The region maintains economic and trade cooperation with 77 regions of Russia. In 2018 the foreign trade with Russian regions amounted to $2.1 billion, which accounted for nearly 53% of foreign trade of Brest Oblast (up by 2.3% over 2017). The Belarusian region posted a surplus, with export to the Russian Federation amounting to $1.6 billion (70.4% of exports).
Major export items were dairy and fish products, gas stoves, plastic toys, furniture, tiles, paints, varnishes. Almost a third of exports is bound for Moscow Oblast, more than 19% for Moscow, about 9% St. Petersburg and more than 5% Smolensk Oblast.
Brest Oblast is home to more than 350 companies and organizations with the participation of investors from Russia.
