The governor of Bryansk region, the deputy governors of Kaluga and Kaliningrad regions, the speaker of the State Assembly of Bashkortostan arrived in the Gomel region to say kind words to their friends and partners. The day before, the participants of the delegations got acquainted with the industrial and economic potential of the region, sketched plans for cooperation. We can say that the anniversary passed in a commercial style.
Today, the Gomel region is Belarus in miniature. A highly developed industrial region, where not only republican companies operate, but also world-class companies. The modern “portrait” of the region was presented to the guests in figures by the chairman of the Gomel regional executive committee Ivan Krupko:
- Over the past 15 years, the volume of industrial production and agricultural products has increased by almost one and a half times, retail trade – three times. Last year, products worth 25,000 rubles were produced per inhabitant of the region. This is the highest rate in the country. At the same time, half of the products produced are exported. Foreign trade relations are conducted with nearly 90 countries. Despite low soil fertility and often unfavorable climatic conditions, rural workers achieved annual harvests of cereals and legumes with maize with a total weight of more than one million tons. For the construction industry, building affordable housing remains a priority. Over the past five years, the housing stock has increased by 2.5 million square meters. This means that almost one in eleven families has celebrated a housewarming party in the past five years.
A big plus for the economy of the Gomel region is industrial cooperation with Russian regions. A striking example is the joint venture Bryanskselmash, which produces forage and grain harvesters and other agricultural equipment. Last year, production volumes here increased by 156%, or 2.5 times in monetary terms. Bryansk Region Governor Alexander Bogomaz noted that history itself linked Bryansk and Gomel regions:
- We are border regions, and therefore we are bound by centuries-old traditions of good neighborliness. Many of our people have relatives in both regions, families are being created. Personally, my cousin lives here and my uncle, a colonel in the Soviet army, is buried. These connections allow people to feel at home as if they were at home, and the border between our regions is only on the map.
The border regions cooperate in various fields. For example, in Bryansk, a pilot project for the construction of a residential building was implemented, which was put into operation by the workers of the Gomel House Construction Plant. The experiment was successful – there are prospects for its continuation. And in the Kaluga region, thanks to Belarusian builders, thousands of square meters of comfortable housing, kindergartens, schools and utility infrastructure have appeared. Emphasis was placed on this by the deputy governor of the Russian region:
- A long-term cooperation agreement has been in force for more than 20 years between the government of the Kaluga region and the regional executive committee of Gomel. Relationships grow and grow stronger. We have established effective cooperation in the field of nuclear medicine, in particular with the Republican Scientific and Practical Center for Radiation Medicine and Human Ecology, located in Gomel.
The Gomel region is a highly developed industrial region, where world-class companies operate
The Gomel region is also a reliable partner for the Kaliningrad region. This was stated by Deputy Prime Minister Ilya Barinov, noting that after the imposition of sanctions, the main market in his region is Belarusian.
- Now the volume of business relations is increasing, – said Ilya Barinov. – Thus, despite the pressure of sanctions, we will strengthen and expand our cooperation in construction, agriculture, health, youth policy and the humanitarian sphere. We see endless possibilities.
Chairman of the State Assembly of the Republic of Bashkortostan Konstantin Tolkachev stressed that the Gomel region is a strategic partner for Ufa. And there are prospects for the development of interaction:
- Given that our cooperation is mainly on the economic level, perhaps, in this context, our interparliamentary communications have not developed intensively enough. I think it’s time to close this gap and make them as active as possible.
The trade turnover of the Bryansk and Gomel regions amounted to 300 million dollars last year. This is one and a half times more than in 2021.
So, already in June in Ufa, at the forum of regions, the Gomel Regional Council of Deputies and the State Assembly of Bashkortostan will sign a cooperation agreement. The draft agreement has been developed and preparatory approvals are underway, taking into account the laws of both countries. The delegation of Bashkortostan also expressed its interest in the joint development of the scientific and technical potential of the regions. The guests visited the free economic zone “Gomel-Raton”, the technopark “Korall”, the engineering and manufacturing company “MIRTEK-engineering”.
Direct speech
Ekaterina Zenkevich, chairwoman of the Gomel Regional Council of Deputies:
- The share of the Russian Federation in the region’s foreign trade turnover amounts to more than 70%. At the end of last year, exports to Russia increased by more than 50%. 526 companies from our region supply their products there in various industries.
