Customs Union brings economies of Kazakhstan and Belarus closer, view

The visit of the Gomel oblast delegation to the Atyrau region once again proved this fact. Head of the delegation- deputy governor of the Gomel oblast Boleslav Pirshtuk told Kazinform correspondent about the economic relations between Kazakhstan and Belarus and further frame for bilateral collaboration. Belarus and Kazakhstan are situated far away from each other. Nevertheless, there are lots of Belarusian companies working in our country. Indeed. I would like also to add that the countries hold high-level and regional meetings. The Customs Union definitely gave an impulse to the development of economic cooperation. The union is acknowledged as a strong organization though all its benefits were not yet used to the utmost. But, the sales between the two nations grow year after year. What could you say about the total commodity turnover? The countries reached the USD 1 bln milestone in sales, though it's no way a limit. It is noteworthy, the turnover keeps on growing. For example, the Gomel and Atyrau regions signed an agreement to bring our ties closer. What spheres Belarus and the Gomel oblast are interested in? We buy a lot in Kazakhstan. First of all, we purchase products of iron and steel companies, a wide range of chemical fertilizers. What attracts Kazakhstani business in Belarus? To my thinking, first of all products of Belarusian manufacturers are associated with farm products, goods and furniture of wood-working companies. Our country boasts good farm machine industry development, that's why we have occupied our niche in Kazakhstan by setting up the harvesters' assembly plant. It is a joint venture. It supplies not only harvesters but also a wide range of farm machines to Kazakhstan. We know the Kazakh farm companies need our machinery and technologies. And we are ready to share our practice. We have the common problems, first of all, the lack of young specialists in the country. In my opinion, it would be great to set up joint rural enterprises. Their products could be promoted both in Kazakhstan and Belarus. There are lots of untapped reserves in the industrial sector, specifically, in oil industry. The Atyrau region is the heart of Kazakhstan's oil and gas industry. We also produce oil but I'm even embarrassed to pronounce the volume of extraction, that is 2 mln tons per year. The same time, the Belarusian oil refineries annually process up to 23 mln tons of oil. Naturally, we process the imported raw material and sell derivative products. It is a great opportunity and field for tuning up bilateral cooperation. Small and medium-sized business prospers in Kazakhstan thanks to the participation of President Nursultan Nazarbayev. But we should also pay attention to the development of cultural ties.

Thank you for the interview.