Belarusian and Russian companies should enjoy equal operation terms on the markets of the two countries, said Russian Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov during the plenary session of the second Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia in Sochi on 18 September, BelTA reported. The official mentioned four components in the coordinated industrial policy of Belarus and Russia: efforts to increase trade through manufacturing cooperation, exploration of new industry segments as part of import substitution processes, expansion of R&D cooperation, and mutual investments. The Russian minister said it is possible to increase the trade turnover using the already explored markets by discouraging competition between Belarusian and Russian products. “It is necessary to come up with ways to jointly deliver merchandise. It can be done by specifying joint industrial output targets,” he said.
