Novosibirsk Oblast of Russia is interested in selling nuclear fuel to Belarus, said Novosibirsk Oblast Governor Vasily Yurchenko as he met with Vice Premier of Belarus Sergei Rumas in Minsk on 30 May.

Vasily Yurchenko said: “We are capable of supplying more conventional products and new ones. We would like to get a decision made so that OAO Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrates Plant should be the basic supplier of fuel for the nuclear power plant that you have started building in Belarus”. The enterprise supplies fuel to many power plants. “We would like these products to work for the benefit of the Belarusian economy, too,” said the Governor.

Vice Premier of Belarus Sergei Rumas remarked, the arrival of the Novosibirsk Oblast delegation to Minsk on the eve of President of Russia Vladimir Putin’s visit was symbolical. “During the first foreign visit of the President of Russia to Belarus the entire range of bilateral cooperation matters will be discussed and priorities in our relations will be determined,” remarked the Vice Premier.

Novosibirsk Oblast, Russia is a major trade partner of Belarus among Russian regions of Siberia and Far East. In 2011 Belarus-Novosibirsk Oblast trade amounted to $200 million, 73.5% up on the year. Vice Premier of Belarus Sergei Rumas stressed: “Now it is important for us to keep up the pace, to determine cooperation priorities for the next few years”.

Novosibirsk Oblast supplies electric drives for BelAZ rock haulers. A new project for using modern electric drives for Belarusian trolleybuses is being organized. An agreement has been reached with Minsk Tractor Works (MTZ trademark). An MTZ delegation will visit Novosibirsk Oblast. A site for starting assembling Belarusian tractors will be chosen. Last year 2,500 MTZ tractors were sold to Novosibirsk Oblast. “But we have very large-scale programs for agriculture modernization. We provide support to agricultural manufacturers in renewing their vehicle fleet. This is why we are interested in getting more Belarusian tractors,” said the Governor. Vasily Yurchenko added other major international mechanical engineering companies contact them with proposals. “But your products are as good while your price to quality ratio blows competition out of the water. We should work together, change the mentality of some consumers because we know that in 5-6 years we will depend on spare parts of foreign vehicles. Our economy is tightly related to the Belarusian one, therefore supplies of Belarusian products are more promising,” believes Vasily Yurchenko. It is also important to sell tractors with a set of various mounted tools and tillage machines.