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Trade between Russia and Belarus up by 9% in 9 months of 2022 to $30.5 bln — ministry

Dmitry Volvach was speaking at a meeting of a high-level group of the Council of Ministers of the Union State, which took place in Minsk

MOSCOW, November 23. /TASS/. Trade turnover between Russia and Belarus increased by 9% in the first 9 months of 2021 and reached $30.5 billion, Russia’s Deputy Economic Development Minister Dmitry Volvach said on Wednesday.

In the first nine months of the year the volume of Russian imports from Belarus increased by 14.6%, he said as quoted by his ministry’s press service.

Volvach was speaking at a meeting of a high-level group of the Council of Ministers of the Union State, which took place in Minsk. The Russian part of the delegation was headed by Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Aleksey Overchuk, the Belarusian part - by the Ambassador of the Republic of Belarus to Russia Dmitry Krutoy.

The meeting’s agenda included topical issues of cooperation in the industrial sector, as well as search for joint solutions in the field of industrial software, increasing the supply of glass products, lumber, elevator equipment, medicines and medical products.

The parties paid special attention to creating an agreement on the recognition of electronic digital signatures, which is necessary for a common space of trust between Russia and Belarus.

In the future, this agreement can be taken as the basis for legal support for the mutual recognition of electronic digital signatures with other countries, as well as within the framework of international associations with the participation of Russia and Belarus.

"At this stage, the organizational, technological and legal requirements for the recognition of electronic digital signatures are being finalized, based on the provisions of national legislation and decisions taken within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union. We are at the final stage of concluding an agreement," said Dmitry Volvach as quoted by the ministry's press service.

"In our opinion, it is advisable to conduct a pilot project using a limited list of interested companies, providing them with the opportunity to exchange shipping documents exclusively in electronic form. This solution will allow us to analyze the process of using electronic digital signatures and will make it possible to eliminate the shortcomings that have arisen in the operation of the entire system even before the signing of the main agreement," he said.

The high-level group of the Council of Ministers of the Union State will hold its next meeting in the first quarter of 2023, the Economic Development Ministry’s press service said.