Belarus proposes joint production of medical drugs with Israel, Minister of Agriculture and Food of Belarus Mikhail Rusy said at a business forum, Belarus-Israel, on 20 June.

“We propose our Israeli counterparts to consider the creation of a joint drug-manufacturing company in Belarus. This field is rather interesting and promising,” Mikhail Rusy.

He added that Belarus and Israel see great prospects of cooperation in large and small-scale power engineering. A team of Israeli experts are expected to come to Belarus soon. A delegation of Belarusian gas workers are set to visit Israel later.

Israeli investors are interested in the purchase of Belarusian agricultural companies. Israeli businessmen also see good prospects of cooperation in rural tourism, and in humanitarian and cultural areas.

Chairman of the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Mikhail Myatlikov, in turn, praised close ties between Belarusian and Israeli businessmen. Representatives of Belarusian companies and organizations are set to visit the 13th international timber and furniture industry, TIMBER-2011, and the 28th international food and drink exhibition, ISRAFOOD-2011, in Tel-Aviv in autumn 2011. Apart from that, specialists and top managers of Belarusian roadbuilding companies are set to partake in a specialized conference in Israel. The conference will be organized by the National Roads Company of Israel and the Transport Ministry of Belarus.

The forum is organized by the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food of Belarus, the Israeli Embassy in Belarus and the Belarusian Embassy in Israel. The event takes place simultaneously with the second session of the Joint Belarusian-Israeli committee for trade and economic cooperation. The Israeli delegation is headed by Tourism Minister of the State of Israel Stas Misezhnikov. The delegation brings together businessmen operating in the fields of IT-technologies, tourism, legal services, consulting, as well as representatives of the companies that propose Belarus their experience in crop growing in negative climate conditions with minimal energy consumption.

Belarus and the State of Israel established diplomatic relations on 26 May 1992. Over the last five year the Israeli export has been dominating in the bilateral trade, which amounted to an annual $23-27 million. The main Belarusian exports to Israel are petrochemicals, metal products, milk, concentrated cream, casting forms, ice-cream, fish, caviar, chocolate and goods of light industry. Belarus’ major imports from Israel are drugs and pharmaceuticals, foodstuffs, fruits and juices, insecticides, and herbicides.