Penza, 11 April 2013. PenzaNews. President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko and the governor of the Penza region Vasily Bochkarev outlined the main directions of bilateral cooperation in the course of negotiations held in Minsk on Thursday, April 11.

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“Belarus is one of the regionally closest neighbors and partners of Russia in terms of important joint projects. It is very important to create conditions for mutually beneficial cooperation,” Vasily Bochkarev addressed Alexander Lukashenko.

The President of Belarus expressed the view that the partnership should not be based only on trade.

“We should go towards creation of joint companies, which is practiced in many Russian regions. This is especially relevant in favorable conditions created in the framework of the Customs Union and the Common Economic Space. One of the most important areas of cooperation in this regard is industrial cooperation,” he said.

Alexander Lukashenko reminded a number of examples of successful cooperation launched in Penza in 2012, such as production of tractors and development of lift equipment.

In his opinion, Belarus and the Penza region have good prospects for cooperation in agriculture, including livestock, crops and processing of agricultural products.

“We are ready to share our experience and implement joint projects in this sphere,” Alexander Lukashenko said, adding that Belarus intends to cooperate with Penza region in transport, construction and other industries.

“In fact, there are many more opportunities for fruitful collaboration,” he stressed.

As the press service of the government of the Penza region told news agency “PenzaNews,” they also discussed the prospects for cooperation in the field of light industry, in particular, the development of joint textile, clothing and footwear enterprises.