Sergei Sidorskiy: Belarus and Ukraine achieve great progress in increasing bilateral trade in 2004-2005

Energetic activity of Ukraine’s ambassador in Belarus Piotr Shapoval was one of the factors fostering the growth of bilateral trade in 2004-2005, prime minister of Belarus Sergei Sidorskiy said August 17 at a meeting with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Belarus Piotr Shapoval. The meeting took place in view of the expiry of the diplomat’s term in office.

The head of Belarusian government noted that in the course of several last years the countries made great strides in economic integration. In 2004 the trade turnover hit USD 1 billion level while in 2001 it was USD 300 million. Economic integration is the most important thing in the relations between the two states, Sergei Sidorskiy said. “Various political trends cannot shake economic foundation which we have established”, he added.

Belarus-Ukraine turnover in 2004 was USD 1,085 billion, up by 53.7 per cent against 2003. The index jumped by 68.4 per cent over the first seven months of 2005 to USD 786,8 million, including exports – USD 403,8 million (77.7 per cent growth), imports – USD 383 million (59.7 per cent growth). Belarus exports oil products, tractors, lorry trucks, polymers, refrigerators, potash fertilizers and synthetic fibre. The republic mainly imports carbon steel, jet engines, cyclic hydrocarbon, ferroalloys, articles from metal, oil-cakes, maize.

Today the countries strive to organize proper energy overflows in boundary regions of Belarus and Ukraine. The parties are discussing the prospect of building a power line from Rovensk nuclear power plant to supply Belarus with energy.