More than 120 entrepreneurs from the Republic of Moldova and Belarus took part in the Moldovan-Belarus Business Forum, which took place in Minsk earlier this month.
The participants were welcomed by Moldovan Prime Minister Pavel Filip and Belarus Deputy Prime Minister Mihail Rusi.
In his speech, Pavel Filip pointed out that Belarus is among the main trading partners of the Republic of Moldova, positioning itself in ninth place. The volume of trade between the countries increased by over 10% between January and September 2017 and is expected to reach $200 million by the end of this year.
At the same time, the prime minister said the Business Forum was an effective platform for deepening commercial-economic cooperation, which will facilitate the initiation of new joint projects, and encouraged entrepreneurs to establish direct contacts and new partnerships.
Pavel Filip said his government was focused on the economic development of the country and on enhancing the competitiveness of the economy, and highlighted recent measures to improve the business environment and reduce red tape in Moldova.
In turn, Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Mihail Rusi said Moldova and Belarus shared a common goal to increase the volume of trade between the two countries. "This means new jobs and higher revenues to state budgets to solve social problems. We see a reliable partner in the Chisinau authorities as well as in the business environment of the Republic of Moldova," the Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister said.
The forum was followed by a series of bilateral meetings between economic agents from both countries.
The European Union supports both Moldova and Belarus in private sector and trade development through projects funded under its EU4Business initiative aimed at building up small and medium-sized enterprises across the Eastern Partnership region.