The Belarusian city of Gomel is developing twinning and partnership ties with 17 cities and districts of Russia, Ivan Borodinchik, Chairman of the Gomel Council of Deputies, told BelTA as he attended the 9th meeting of Belarusian and Russian sister cities in Mogilev. Ivan Borodinchik emphasized that Gomel actively develops friendly and mutually beneficial economic ties with foreign partners, and the priority is placed on Russian partners. Gomel cooperates with the city halls of its twin cities, implements projects in different areas. Gomel has twinning and partnership agreements with Russia's Bryansk, Protvino, Samara, Kursk, Surgut, Rostov-on-Don, Armavir, Anapa, Kaliningrad, Ulyanovsk, Voronezh, Omsk, Magnitogorsk, Kurgan, and also with Vasileostrovsky District of Saint Petersburg, Cheryomushki District of South-Western Administrative Okrug of Moscow and Krasnoselsky District of Moscow. Ivan Borodinchik noted that Gomel's trade with Russia went up by more than 6% in 2016. The city's exports rose by 6% to total $519.3 million. The imports increased by 6.7% to $465.5 million. Gomel had a trade surplus of $53.8 million. The city's major exports to Russia are milk and dairy products, machinery and equipment, chemical products, and other goods. Ivan Borodinchik stressed that over 74% of the Gomel's export to Russia goes to the twin cities. Most of the products (36.1%) are sold to Moscow and Moscow Oblast, with 23.6% to Bryansk Oblast. Last year, Gomel-based enterprises took part in over 30 expos and fairs in Moscow, Bryansk, Saint Petersburg, Samara, Yekaterinburg, Novorossiysk, Kazan, Kursk and other Russian cities. Gomel also cooperates with Russian partners in education, science, technologies, and culture. The twinning ties contribute to the strengthening of the trade and economic relations. Ivan Borodinchik pointed out that during the meeting of sister cities of Belarus and Russia in Mogilev, there was a productive discussion of the cooperation plans. The 9th meeting of Belarusian and Russian sister cities marked the Day of Unity of Peoples of Belarus and Russia. Read full text at: http://eng.belta.by/economics/view/belarus-gomel-maintains-twinning-partnership-ties-with-17-cities-districts-of-russia-100105-2017/ If you use BelTA’s materials, you must credit us with a hyperlink to eng.belta.by.