OREANDA-NEWS. February 12, 2009. The trade between Belarus and the Kaliningrad oblast increased three times in 2008 to reach US459 million, Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Andrei Kobyakov said during a session of the Belarusian-Russian council for long-term cooperation, reported the Official website www.government.by.

“We were planning to increase the trade to US 170 million in 2008. But in fact we got US 459 million. This is a record high volume,” the Vice-Premier said. This year Belarus needs to increase exports to the Kaliningrad oblast and balance mutual trade so that a foreign trade balance is equal to zero, Andrei Kobyakov said.

Andrei Kobyakov said that partnership relations between Belarus and Kaliningrad oblast are becoming stronger in all areas. The parties have agreed their joint actions on further cooperation at a time of the economic crisis. They are also set to expand industrial cooperation and increase deliveries of Belarusian equipment. Moreover, a plan of action in 2009 is expected to be approved, too.

The Kaliningrad oblast would like to contribute to the development of logistics in Belarus, Kaliningrad oblast Governor Georgy Boos noted during a session of the Belarusian-Russian Council for Long-Term Cooperation.

“We are interested in taking part in the work to develop logistics in Belarus, as it was decided by the presidents of both the states. The country has no sea access, and the Kaliningrad oblast can provide Belarus with this access,” Georgy Boos said. For instance, Belarus may transport potash fertilisers via the Kaliningrad oblast.

According to the Governor, the Kaliningrad oblast is interested in supplies of Belarusian construction materials, wood, machinery and foodstuffs. The two sides need to set up trade and logistics centres in the Kaliningrad oblast and Minsk, develop the tourism.

Belarusian export to Kaliningrad oblast increased 7.8% up to US 95.6 million in 2008; import was up six times to US 363.6 million. Belarus had a foreign trade deficit of US 268 million. The growth of the deficit was due to the supplies of crude oil, oil products, and soybean oil from the Kaliningrad oblast, which accounted for 85% of the total export.