A.Lukashenko: Belarus, Tatarstan should step up efforts to develop cooperation

Belarus and Tatarstan should look for new opportunities to develop cooperation, Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he met with President of Russia’s Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov. The enhancement of cooperation in innovation and investment seems to be the main vector of interaction. The head of state remarked that Tatarstan is a crucial partner for Belarus in Volga Federal District of the Russian Federation. The bilateral trade was close to $1.3 billion in 2018. An important cooperation project to make gas engine equipment by MAZ, MTZ, Amkodor, BelAZ in close cooperation with Tatarstan’s holding company Raritek relies on the principles of applying cutting-edge technologies and innovations. Almost 200 gas-fueled buses were assembled in the past two years. Another project envisages the manufacture of four- and six-cylinder gas engines for MTZ tractors and Amkodor vehicles jointly with Minsk Motor Plant. "These examples demonstrate that we have chosen a path of partnership, not a path of competition", the Belarusian leader emphasized.