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Belarus and Czech Republic are ready to carry out more than 40 joint economic projects, says Deputy Foreign Minister Huryanaw

Belarus and the Czech Republic are ready to carry out more than 40 joint projects in the machine-building, power generation and oil refining industries, Belarusian Deputy Foreign Minister Alyaksandr Huryanaw told reporters in Minsk on Friday following a meeting of the Belarusian-Czech Commission for Economic, Industrial, Scientific and Technical Cooperation.

Mr. Huryanaw expressed hope that the projects would involve foreign direct investment and not just the export and import of goods and services.

The commission discussed, among other issues, the possibility of using cooperation between Belarus and the Czech Republic as a "bridge" between the European Union and the Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia, he said.

Czech Deputy Industry and Trade Minister Milan Hovorka described the meeting as very productive and noted a huge potential for bilateral cooperation in the machine-building, machine-tool and power generation industries. By combining their efforts, the two countries could successfully enter the markets of third countries, he said, adding that bilateral trade was approaching $500 million a year.

Mr. Hovorka said that the government of the Czech Republic was doing its best to inform Czech businesspeople about the advantages of the Customs Union for foreign companies and was interested in the liberalization of bilateral trade.

When asked whether the Czech Republic was concerned that the possible toughening of the European Union's economic sanctions against Belarus might damage Czech companies, Mr. Hovorka said that the commission above all dealt with economic issues, which he said were part of the dialogue between the EU and Belarus. //BelaPAN