What the President discussed with governors of Bashkortosrtan and Khabarovsk Krai

The Palace of Independence was open seven days a week, as two Russian governors came to negotiate cooperation with Belarus. Equipment, food, construction - the potential is still enormous, even taking into account what the parties are already doing.

Two Russian governors worked in the Palace of Independence this week. They discussed various topics with the President and also made agreements.

The first to arrive on February 3 was the head of Khabarovsk Krai Dmitry Demeshin. He became the head of the region in September 2024. This is his second visit to Belarus, but negotiations with the President of Belarus took place for the first time. Alexander Lukashenko immediately noted: "I thought that although you are not geographically close, this does not mean that you are strangers. We are spiritually close."

Dmitry Demeshin, taking the opportunity, congratulated Alexander Lukashenko on behalf of all Russians on his convincing win in the presidential election, pointing out that the residents of Russia see the great trust of the Belarusian people to their leader.

The volume of mutual trade in 2024 was a record for the five-year plan, but this is far from the full potential. The Far East is also aircraft manufacturing and shipbuilding.

Dmitry Demeshin:

"Russia is not interested in becoming technologically dependent on China after getting rid of its technological dependence on the West. We need to diversify our industrial line, so industrialization on the part of Belarus is extremely important for us."

Mutual trade was also discussed with the head of Bashkortostan, Radiy Khabirov, in Minsk more than once. The parties actively cooperate in the field of mechanical engineering, are happy to assemble Belarusian tractors, urban equipment, and Ufa Tram and Trolleybus Plant has significantly updated its fleet at the expense of Belarusians.

Alexander Lukashenko: "We are ready to continue working with you in the areas that we have, in the production of equipment. We plan to open a production and service center in Ufa for the production of AMKODOR equipment. Equipment will always be needed, especially for such a huge Russia. It is necessary to satisfy demand, so we must first work together on assembly, and then develop joint production of equipment similar to AMKODOR in technology."

An important result of the visit is the decision to create a Bashkir-Belarusian investment cluster. For this, there is a large territory where several technology parks with a number of enterprises can be located. Preferences are promised even more than in classic free economic zones.