The Minsk Oblast Executive Committee and the government of Russia’s Arkhangelsk oblast have signed an agreement on trade, economic, scientific, technical and cultural cooperation, it was learned from representatives of the Economy Committee of the Minsk Oblast Executive Committee.

A delegation of the Minsk Oblast Executive Committee led by Deputy Chairman Vasily Kozakevich is in the Arkhangelsk oblast on a visit now. The sides have agreed an action plan for promoting mutually beneficial relations in 2009-2013 and have discussed possible joint projects.

In January-October 2009 the trade between the Minsk oblast and the Arkhangelsk oblast amounted to $1.34 million, 37% as against the same period of last year. The Minsk oblast exported $1.04 million (34.4%) worth of goods and imported $0.3 million (49.6%) worth of goods. The foreign trade surplus equaled $0.74 million. The Minsk oblast exported meat and poultry semi-finished foods, suitcases, ladies’ bags, salt, chloride, carbonated mineral water. The major imports were tallow oil, timber, acyclic spirits and their derivatives.

All in all, the Minsk oblast administration trades with 71 regions of the Russian Federation, with 37 agreements on social, economic, scientific and cultural cooperation signed with 33 of them. The tightest relations are maintained with Moscow, Saint Petersburg, the Moscow and Smolensk oblasts. The exports are primarily shipped to the Central, Northwestern, Siberian, and Volga federal districts.

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