Russia's Leningrad Oblast sees a huge potential for increasing trade with Belarus, Deputy Prime Minister of Leningrad Oblast - Chairman of the Committee on Agro-Industrial and Fishery Complex Oleg Malashchenko said on the air of the Belarus 1 TV channel on 3 December, BelTA has learned.

"Belarus is the main partner of Leningrad Oblast. The trade rose by 18% in 2022 over 2021 and amounted to $837 million," Oleg Malashchenko said.

According to him, at their meeting Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko and Governor of Leningrad Oblast Alexander Drozdenko discussed the ways of reaching $1 billion in trade. "We hope that we will hit the goal this year," Oleg Malashchenko said. “We are exploring new avenues of cooperation. Compared to the previous year, the trade in engineering goods has already increased by 50%. Last year, we received a little more than 100 units. This year we already subsidized the purchase of 139 units for agriculture. The produce line-up has expanded. Previously, we bought only tractors. Today these are also forage and grain harvesting equipment, attachments for plowing the land back into circulation. The machine-building industry of Belarus is working at a faster pace and produce worthy samples."

Touching upon the topic of cargo transshipment, he noted that the load on the ports of Leningrad Oblast has increased significantly. "The Baltic states have shown themselves from the worst side; they acted in the unsportsmanlike spirit. When someone tries to shut themselves to a partner, they will not be able to entice the partner back," Oleg Malashchenko added. “I am sure that this will give a tremendous impetus to our cooperation. The prospects for work and cooperation are great. The world is waiting for quality products."

He also lauded the cooperation in agriculture. Despite the difficult climate, this year Leningrad Oblast harvested the first milling wheat thanks to the seeds brought from Belarus.

"We have always stayed together. Today we are convince that there is no closer partner than Belarus, It will never let you down, no matter what difficult situations you are in. Our friendship has been tested over the years. We are convinced that by lending a shoulder to each other, we can create good products, grow stronger and be reckoned with," Oleg Malashchenko summed up.