BelAZ dump truck service center will be opened in Karaganda (Kazakhstan). The relevant agreement was reached during a working visit of a delegation of Minsk Oblast led by Governor Boris Batura to Karaganda Oblast on 11-13 August, Chairman of the Economy Committee of the Minsk Oblast Executive Committee Dmitry Pavlovich told media.

Karaganda Oblast uses over 200 Belarusian dump trucks. Keeping in mind the growing market of this equipment in Kazakhstan, there are prospects of expanding BelAZ supplies and there is a need for service maintenance of the vehicles in the region. “That is why, besides all the agreements reached during the visit, Akim of Karaganda Oblast Baurzhan Abdishev agreed on allocating a land plot for the construction of a service center for BelAZ vehicles,” Dmitry Pavlovich said.

Today a joint company KazBelAZ operates in Karaganda that specializes in assembling Belarusian dump trucks with 45t payload. The Belarusian delegation took part in the official ceremony of commissioning the first vehicle assembled at the joint company.

The estimated needs of Karaganda Oblast in this type of vehicles makes up 30-35 vehicles per year. With this the Akim of the oblast expressed big interest in producing such vehicles in Karaganda to meet Kazakhstan’s needs, including vehicles of bigger payload (for instance, 90 tonnes). That means the KazBelAZ project will continue developing. Taking into account the potential of the Single Economic Space and the Customs Union, the project has great prospects, the representative of the Minsk Oblast Executive Committee said. “If we implement the project as we have agreed, it will be the first so-called locomotive in our relations, which is likely to pull other areas including mechanical engineering, agriculture,” he said.

Minsk oblast has a lot to offer its Kazakhstani partners. For instance, during the visit a dealer contract was signed to provide service to OAO Amkodor equipment. The parties discussed supplies of equipment for Kazakhstan dairies, considered the exports of Belarusian foodstuffs.

The delegation of Minsk Oblast was on a return visit to Karaganda Oblast. In April 2013 Belarus welcomed Akim of Karaganda Oblast Baurzhan Abdishev. The latest visit contributed to the implementation of the outlined agreements and a search of new cooperation areas. The delegation comprised heads of a number of Minsk Oblast companies, including BelAZ and Amkodor. The parties signed an action plan on cooperation between Minsk and Karaganda Oblasts for 2013-2015. The document will include events envisaged for the development of cooperation in industry, agriculture, healthcare and education.