Saint Petersburg Governor Valentina Matviyenko will visit Belarus on 21 December, it was learned from the Council of Ministers Office.

While in Belarus Valentina Matviyenko is expected to meet with Prime Minister of Belarus Sergei Sidorsky. A session of Belarus-Saint Petersburg Business Cooperation Council will take place.

The press service of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry told, the delegation also includes Vice Governor Mikhail Oseyevsky, heads of Saint Petersburg committees, heads of companies and organizations.

Representatives of business circles will negotiate specific avenues of cooperation at ministries and concerns of Belarus, will visit several companies and organizations.

The session of the Business Cooperation Council will table results of the trade and economic cooperation as well as the fulfillment of agreements between the governments of Belarus and Saint Petersburg in 2009.

There are plans to discuss areas of cooperation between research institutions of Belarus and Saint Petersburg, in particular, those supervised by the State Committee for Science and Technologies, the Education Ministry and the Committee for Science and Higher Education of Saint Petersburg, R&D associations of Belarus and Saint Petersburg.

In addition, the sides plan to consider results and prospects of cooperation for the sake of promoting manufacturing cooperation ties, setting up joint assembly enterprises, dealerships and service centers, sales of transport, municipal and road construction machines, processing industry products, food and consumer goods as well as the development of the distribution network of Belarusian companies in Saint Petersburg, establishment of a chain of Belarusian corner shops and plans for exhibitions and fairs.

In January-October 2009 Belarus-Saint Petersburg trade totaled $802.3 million (fourth one among regions of Russia), down by 1.8 times in comparison with the same period of last year. Belarus’ export amounted to $465.9 million (third), down by 1.6 times, Belarus’ import - $336.4 million (fifth), down by 2.1 times. The foreign trade surplus totaled $129.5 million, 220% up on the same period of last year.

www.belta.by