Lukashenko: Cooperation with Russia's Tomsk Oblast is of great interest to Belarus

MINSK (BelTA) – The potential of Russia's Tomsk Oblast is of great interest to Belarus, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he met with Governor of the Russian region Vladimir Mazur, BelTA has learned.

"Tomsk Oblast is one of the promising Siberian partners for us. The significant raw materials, industrial, tourism, and intellectual potential of the region is of great interest to us," the president said.

Last year, the trade between the parties surged by 47 % to total almost $23 million. In the first half of the year, growth was almost 30 %.

"But obviously, this is extremely small. The trade should be at least two to three times greater. The growth points are many," the head of state noted. "I would like to emphasize that we are absolutely open to a substantive discussion in all areas of cooperation. You can be absolutely sure that if we make commitments we will honor them 100 %. I assure you that our agreements will be fulfilled 100 % or even above it."