OREANDA-NEWS. March 26, 2010. Sweden is interested in expanding contacts with Belarus in all the fields, from culture and healthcare to economy, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Sweden to Belarus Stefan Eriksson told reporters in Gomel.

“Belarus is geographically close to us, it is almost our neighbor, and to some extent you are a Baltic Sea state, like we are,” the diplomat emphasized.

Stefan Eriksson held talks with Chairman of the Gomel Oblast Executive Committee Alexander Yakobson. The sides pointed out to the close collaboration between several universities of Gomel and Sweden. For instance, Gomel State University carries out joint theoretical physics research with Stockholm University. The contacts were established in medicine, too. Alexander Yakobson invited the Swedish Ambassador to attend Gomel Economic Forum scheduled for 20 May.

The diplomat took part in the opening of the exhibition “Swedish women inventors”. The exposition presents over 50 inventions and innovations made by women. The target audience of the exhibition is high school pupils and students, women and homemakers who are starting a business or just want to do so. The event is aimed to promote innovative entrepreneurship, encourage women to unlock their potential and creativity, raise the prestige of engineering sciences among girls.

The exhibition will stay open until 23 April. It is the first time the exposition has been exhibited abroad. After Minsk it will travel to Ukraine and the Baltic states, Stefan Eriksson said.