5 March 2010
Belarus’ Foreign Ministry: Belarus should boost export of high-tech products
MINSK, 5 March (BelTA) – The government bodies of Belarus should intensify the work on increasing the export of high-tech products. The relevant statement was made at a session of the Foreign Ministry of Belarus on 4 March, BelTA learnt from the press service of the Foreign Ministry. The session highlighted Belarus’ foreign trade in 2009 and prospects and objectives for 2010 amid the global financial crisis. Foreign Minister Sergei Martynov presented a report on this problem. The participants of the session discussed the report with the heads of Belarusian government bodies, exporters and Belarusian ambassadors. Attending the session were Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus Vladimir Andreichenko and Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Kobyakov. The Belarusian exporters should get a foothold in their present markets and start regular supplies to new countries. The session praised the measures that helped organize the deliveries of Belarusian goods to new markets in 2009. But these measures were not effective enough to restore the pre-crisis export volumes. The participants of the session shared their opinions on the situation and stressed the importance of sector, territorial and national export strategies in exploring new markets. The session pointed out the role of an efficient commodity distribution network abroad and reliable service maintenance of Belarusian export deliveries. The session also highlighted the problems of export promotion including the crediting and insurance of export transactions and leasing. The establishment of assembling ventures abroad was named as one of promising projects for Belarusian companies. The intergovernmental commissions for trade and economic cooperation should step up their activities in order to boost the foreign trade. The Belarusian companies should take an active part in international exhibitions and fairs and make business visits to new countries and regions. The session also criticized the imbalance in the foreign trade and stressed the vital importance of import substituting projects, especially those that can provide quick return on investments or reduce the consumption of energy and raw materials and increase the production efficiency. The session once again highlighted the necessity to improve the efficiency of foreign and marketing departments of the companies. These agencies should employ highly skilled specialists, who can speak foreign languages. The session stressed the need to pursue aggressive marketing and a policy of flexibility to preserve and develop the present markets and enter new ones.БЕЛТА