MEETING OF CIS COUNCIL OF HEADS OF GOVERNMENT
Belarus, Turkmenistan consider supplies of Belarus’ agricultural equipment
 Belarus and Turkmenistan are considering cooperation prospects related to supplies of Belarusian agricultural equipment. President of Turkmenistan Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov stated at a meeting with the CIS heads of government in Ashgabat that Turkmenistan plans to reform the agricultural production and is interested in supplies of new agricultural equipment.
On November 21 Prime Minister of Belarus Sergei Sidorsky held talks with President of Turkmenistan Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov in a one-to-one meeting.
The President of Turkmenistan expressed confidence in a fruitful outcome of the session of the CIS Council of Heads of Government. He underlined that economic cooperation is of special importance for the two countries.
Belarus negotiates possible participation in gas extraction in Turkmenistan, Sergei Sidorsky says
Belarus has been negotiating its possible participation in the gas extraction in Turkmenistan, Prime Minister of Belarus Sergei Sidorsky told reporters.
According to him, Beltransgaz and other companies are involved in negotiations however no agreement has been reached yet.
On November 21 the Prime Minister of Belarus met with President of Turkmenistan Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov in Ashgabat. They discussed issues on cooperation in the oil and gas sphere. The Prime Minister noted that the issue on servicing oil wells was quite pressing in Turkmenistan. Belarusian companies have rich experience in this area. In the near future a representative office of a corresponding Belarusian company might be opened in Turkmenistan.
Sergei Sidorsky reported that Belarusneft offered to build a plant on methanol production in Turkmenistan. “The project of plant construction will give an opportunity to Belarus to anchor in this market,” he said. Belarus has presented the projects and is waiting for a response from Turkmenistan’s authorities.
This year Belarus to sell over 2,700 tractors to Turkmenistan
This year Belarus will sell over 2,700 tractors to Turkmenistan, Prime Minister of Belarus Sergei Sidorsky told reporters when commenting on a meeting with President of Turkmenistan Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov on November 21 in Ashgabat.
Next year Belarus plans to boost supplies of MAZ trucks to that country as well since Turkmenistan has been carrying out a programme on renovation of its agricultural facilities and vehicle park.
Speaking about the trade-economic relations between Belarus and Turkmenistan, Sergei Sidorsky stressed that the $70 million turnover was insufficient. “This figure prompts us to intensify negotiations on boosting Belarus exports,” he said.
According to Sergei Sidorsky, the meeting also focused on cooperation in the field of construction. In particular, opportunities of sending specialists of Belarusian design companies to Turkmenistan were discussed. The parties also considered prospects of cooperation in the petrochemical sphere.
CIS to devise strategy on food market development soon
A strategy on the CIS food market development will be devised in the near future. As Belarusian Prime Minister Sergei Sidorsky told reporters on November 22, issues relating to ensuring food safety of the CIS countries are especially urgent. It is connected with the world tendencies for grain and livestock product prices to go up.
In this conjunction, Sergei Sidorsky said, the CIS food programme should be adjusted to offer the member states proposals concerning forming the CIS single food market. On November 22 a session of the CIS Council of Heads of Government took a decision to set up a working group composed of the CIS Ministers of Agriculture and Foodstuffs to devise a strategy on the Commonwealth food market development.
According to Sergei Sidorsky, on November 22 the Belarusian side initiated discussion of the further development of the integration within the framework of the Commonwealth. As a result, the sides agreed to found a working group under the CIS Economic Council, which will present a concrete programme on the CIS further economic development in two-three months.
Moreover, the session focused on cooperation in the transport sphere and migration policy. On the whole, more than 30 important documents were discussed.
Representatives of all 12 CIS member states took part in the session.
On the initiative of the Belarusian side the next session of the CIS Council of Heads of Government will be held in Minsk in May 2008.
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A multifunctional trade and logistics centre as well as administration and business and expo centres of the Republic of Belarus will open in Kazakhstan. Their opening was discussed at the fifth session of the Belarusian-Kazakh trade and economic cooperation commission in Astana. The Belarusian delegation was led by Deputy Prime Minister Ivan Bambiza, the Kazakh delegation — Emergencies Minister Vladimir Bozhko, the press service of the Foreign Ministry told BelTA.