An expanded-participation meeting of the board of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus reviewed the ministry’s performance in 2016, the press service of the ministry reported.
The meeting gathered members of the government, representatives of the Belarus President Administration, the National Assembly, the National Bank, heads of the national government agencies, region executive committees and Minsk City Hall, heads of concerns and major exporting enterprises.
Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei presented a report that outlined ways to carry out the priority tasks for 2017 set by the head of state. The meeting discussed in detail the situation with the supplies of Belarusian products, the key markets and exports, evaluated the performance of assembly plants, the product distribution network, and the government officials assigned specific tasks. The participants emphasized progress in the effort to remove trade barriers with the European Union, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. They stressed the importance of ensuring favorable conditions for the supplies of Belarusian goods within the framework of EEU agreements with third countries.
The meeting pointed to the positive experience of using credit and financial instruments for export support. Note was taken of the MFA’s intention to contribute to the development of e-commerce, to improve the efficiency of the exhibition and fair activities. The heads of the Belarusian diplomatic missions in Russia, Slovakia, Egypt and Georgia analyzed the results of bilateral trade and economic cooperation. Specific examples were cited to illustrate specific problems of promoting export to various markets. Ways to improve foreign trade strategy of different industries and enterprises were analyzed. At the end of the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Mikhail Rusy set goals to boost foreign trade, promote the implementation of the national export development strategy and the agreements reached during the top-level visits. Particular emphasis was placed on the well-crafted strategy of participation in exhibitions and efficient HR policy to achieve the export promotion objectives. (BelTA/Business World Magazine)