BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

23/03/2007

Belarus, Russia lift restrictions in bilateral trade

MINSK, March 23 (Itar-Tass) - Russia and Belarus are lifting restrictions in bilateral trade with an intergovernmental agreement on trade and economic cooperation signed in Minsk on Friday.

They also signed an intergovernmental agreement on sugar supplies in 2007-2008 and two protocols on indirect taxes.

Trade between Belarus and Russia stood at a record of nearly $20 billion last year, Belarussian Prime Minister Sergei Sidorsky said at a Friday meeting of the Union State's Council of Ministers.

"The Union State government contributed to that," he said.

Belarussian exports grew by nearly 20%, while Russian exports enlarged by approximately 30%, Sidorsky said. He hopes that positive tendencies will prevail this year, as the year-to-year trade growth reached 57% in January.

Russian hydrocarbons are not the only source of trade growth, the premier said, adding that the delivery of high-tech products increased by 63%.

"The Belarussian border is still open for Russia, and vise versa," Sidorsky said. "Much has been done to ensure the equality of citizens."

Source:

http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=11367066&PageNum=0