MINSK, April 15. /TASS/. Russian investors in Belarus are interested in projects in logistics, oil and gas refining, while Belarusian investors in Russia are looking for projects in machinery and equipment manufacturing, Minister of Economy of Belarus Yurt Chebotar said at a meeting between the Prime Minister of Belarus Roman Golovchenko and the Prime Minister of Russia Mikhail Mishustin in Moscow.
"Russian investors in Belarus are interested in projects in logistics, oil and gas refining, as well as financial services. Belarusian investments in Russia are focused on the production of machinery and equipment," Chebotar was quoted by the press service of the country’s Ministry of Economy.
According to him, Russia is a key economic partner and source of finance for Belarus. "Russian investments in Belarus totaled $5.1 bln last year, up nearly a third from 2022. The number of entities with Russian capital in our country reached 2,260. Belarus' investments in Russia over the past five years have grown by 45% and their volume is comparable to Russian investments in the republic," he added.
In turn, Prime Minister of Belarus Roman Golovchenko noted that the economies of Russia and Belarus demonstrate a significant margin of safety. "Our countries have shown serious resilience in these difficult conditions. The margin of safety that has been formed in our economies is quite significant," he said.
The Belarusian Prime Minister stated that both countries are working extremely well "both internally and externally, despite all the challenges that both Russia and Belarus face." He noted that both countries' GDPs have grown by the end of 2023. Golovchenko recalled that mutual trade in goods and services between Belarus and Russia last year exceeded $53 bln, rising by 6.5%.
"These positive trends continue this year. Based on the results of two months, we also see an increase in trade turnover, even compared to the successful similar period of last year," Golovchenko said.