St. Petersburg governor upbeat about cooperation with Belarus

May 5, BPN. St. Petersburg delegation discussed “new trade formats” for Belarusian goods during its visit to Minsk in April, St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov told a Russian regional TV channel.

St. Petersburg and Belarus “are linked by close positions and mutually beneficial cooperation,” while the economic aspect ” is still developing,” he noted. Belarusian producers may participate in trade fairs and a Belarusian mall may open in St. Petersburg, the official added.

In 2022, St. Petersburg purchased nearly 900 buses, 100 trolleybuses, about 1,000 tractors and mini-loaders from Belarus and plans to open a service center for Belarus-made vehicles, Beglov said. City officials have also finalized plans for a fleet of 400 electric buses with the first Belarusian-made electric bus to be exhibited at SpbTransportFest in the second half of May, he added.

Trade between Belarus and Russia hit a record $2.2 billion in 2022, Alaksandr Łukašenka told Beglov at their April 20 meeting in Minsk. The trend continued in January and February, he added, noting a 40-percent increase in trade and a 70-percent increase in Belarusian exports.

Belarusian envoy to Russia Dźmitryj Krutoj saw Beglov in St. Petersburg a week before the latter’s visit to Minsk to discuss the participation of Belarusian carmakers in St. Petersburg’s municipal transport overhaul.