Reduce the pressure
Unprecedented in terms of scale and aggression, the external pressure to which Belarus and Russia were subjected last year should have led, according to the plan of Western politicians, to the collapse of economies and, in particular , Of the industry. Due to the sanctions, the production and logistics chains were broken, which initially had a negative impact on the work of enterprises. But the presidents of Belarus and Russia immediately took a whole series of measures to compensate for the negative consequences. As a result, the collapse of the economy and the collapse of industry did not occur in the Union State. Countries have risen to the challenge. And all the obstacles, on the contrary, have opened a window of opportunity to deepen cooperation. The best confirmation of this is the record figures for trade turnover. It hit the $50 billion mark for the first time. In previous years, Belarus had a negative trade balance with the Russian side, which sometimes reached seven billion dollars. And at the end of 2022, for the first time, it received a positive trade balance. In other words, exports of goods and services exceeded imports. According to economist Valery Bainev, the parties have built a fairly effective model of cooperation.
– The key impetus for the development of integration between Belarus and Russia was the adoption in 2021 of the decree of the Supreme State Council, which approved the main areas of work until 2023 and 28 trade union programs . It is an unprecedented set of documents in terms of depth, mainly on sectoral interaction, which covered almost all areas with emphasis on the economic component. It is about creating solidarity markets, building a unified policy in these areas, developing unified or harmonized rules according to the union program. And the events of 2022 have proven the correctness and timeliness of the decisions taken by heads of state.
According to our experts, industrial cooperation is a key aspect of trade and economic relations between Belarus and Russia
Valery Baynev notes that the adoption of allied programs significantly increases the stability of the economies of Belarus and Russia to external influences.
– Work on the programs has been carried out for several years, and their implementation should continue at a more dynamic pace, since by January 1, 2024 there should be a functioning single economic space between Belarus and Russia. Many activities have already been carried out in the framework of the implementation of 28 Union programmes. Key decisions have been taken to harmonize customs legislation, introduce a unified indirect tax administration system, and the unification of regulations in key sectors of the economy is underway. All this contributes to the growth of mutual trade.
Two-way cooperation
Experts note that integration within the framework of the Union State means new economic opportunities for both countries: a single market for goods and services, equal conditions for labor resources and the creation of common scientific and technical poles. But the key aspect of trade and economic relations between Belarus and Russia is industrial cooperation. It is this kind of cooperation that gives a good integration effect. Import substitution projects are actively developing. In November last year, an intergovernmental agreement was signed to provide Belarus with a loan for such projects worth 105 billion rubles. The Belarusian Ministry of Industry has announced that the projects are ready to start.
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p class=””>- A special place is occupied by projects for the production of products with a high degree of localization within the framework of the Union State. For example, in BelAZ it is planned to modernize production and increase the production of heavy mining equipment, in Amkodor it is planned to expand production capacity for the production of machinery for the wood industry on its own base of elements, which are among the most high-tech in mechanical engineering, the ministry said. – Several projects are planned to be implemented in the field of machine tool development. The highest priorities are in Gomel and Vitebsk to create lines of gear cutting machines and high-performance multifunctional machining centers. Passports have been approved for the 16 promising import substitution investment projects.
Ring for the Giants
An example of how Belarus and Russia jointly solve the problems of technological independence. BelAZ is implementing a large-scale project to create circular rolling production in Orsha. It is expected that it will provide full import substitution of ring blanks both for BelAZ’s own needs and for other companies in Belarus and Russia. The introduced rolling technology will make it possible to obtain high-quality billets of solid rolled and shaped rings from steels of various grades with an outer diameter of up to three meters and a weight of up to three tons with a high quality and minimal tolerance for further processing. By the way, such blanks are not produced in Belarus today. Meanwhile, they are in demand not only in the domestic market, but also in the Russian market of aircraft engine building, nuclear power, shipbuilding, rocket technology, mechanical engineering …
- As part of the project, production and administrative buildings have been built, engineering networks are being built, the interior finishes of the premises and the foundations of the equipment are being built. It is expected that already this year, the unique high-tech equipment of the automated line for the manufacture of ring blanks will begin to arrive in Orsha. Investments in the project will amount to about 200 million rubles, the company said. – The creation of a circular rolling complex will be an additional step for BelAZ on the way to ensuring the technological independence of products from imports. The new production plant is expected to reach its nominal capacity in 2025.
Until the point
About 400 agreements and about 650 interregional agreements have been signed between Belarus and Russia. More than two thousand organizations with the participation of Russian capital are operating in Belarus today. Interregional cooperation has intensified considerably. Last year alone, Belarus was visited by more than 70 delegations from different levels of Russia.
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