International cooperation and trade

In order to create a favorable international trade and investment climate for the national economy the Republic of Belarus has signed 38 bi- and multi-lateral interstate and intergovernmental agreements on trade and economic cooperation and 23 agreements on mutual protection of investments.

The basic criteria in concluding bilateral agreements are:

1.The needs of Belarus which can be satisfied through improving external economic relations

2. Working out a conceptual perspective of development and establishing economic relations with foreign countries with regard to the blocks of countries (EC, East Europe, the USA, Canada, the CIS, South- East Asia, etc.), the level of economic integration with them.

3. Basic areas of trade and economic cooperation.

Special attention is paid to the conclusion of bilateral agreements on mutual protection of investments, for even the most advanced degree of integration with any country cannot ensure legal order, protection and guarantees required by investors. The expansion and improvement of the legal base can play a positive role in effective attraction of foreign capital in case of appropriate economic conditions. It is proved by figures: investors from Germany, the USA and Poland are putting their resources into the Belarusian economy most dynamically- investment agreements with these states were signed in the first place.

Ties of Belarus with the World Trade Organization (WTO), the multilateral structure which occupies a central place in regulating the contemporary system of international trade and economic relations, are of the uppermost importance for the republic.

The period from 1997 to 2000 is decisive in including the Republic of Belarus into the WTO. Of particular importance for the future of Belarus is the step-by-step development of mutual relations in all fields- in politics, trade, finance, science, education, culture- with the European Union (EU). The beginning of the legal realization of widescale cooperation with the EU was laid down in 1995 by signing an agreement on partnership and cooperation between the Republic of Belarus and European Union.

The Republic of Belarus regards the European Union as its closest neighbor and major trading partner.

Foreign trade in Belarus traditionally develops in two basic perspectives: eastern- with the CIS, and western- with distant foreign states.

The regional structure of foreign trade in Belarus is fairly diverse. The republic preserves trade relations with all the countries of the Commonwealth and with 138 distant foreign states.

Russia still remains the basic trading and economic partner of the Republic of Belarus. Its share makes up 51.8% of the total volume of foreign trade of the republic and 78.2% of trade with the CIS countries.

The Ukraine is the second largest trading partner of the republic- 11% of the total volume of foreign trade and 16.6% of trade with the CIS countries.

The third place among the trading and economic partners of the republic throughout the outside world and the first place in trade with distant foreign countries belongs to Germany- 6.4% of total trade turnover and 19.1% of trade turnover with distant foreign countries.

In export the basic partners of the republic are Russia, the Ukraine, Poland, Latvia, Germany, Lithuania, Kazakhstan, Egypt.

In import the “trio” of basic partners of the republic- Russia, the Ukraine and Germany- prevails.

The “trio’ of leaders is followed by Poland, Lithuania, the USA, Netherlands and Italy. The main trading partners are still Russia, Ukraine, Germany, Poland, the USA, Lithuania, Italy, Latvia, Kazakhstan, Moldova, the Netherlands, Great Britain, France, Brasil.

Development of export potential, improvement of the structure of export and import, rational use of external financing are the main perspectives for the republic.

Zhores Ivanovich Alfyorov, an eminent scientist, was born in Vitebsk in March 1930. His work laid the foundation for the modern era of computers and information technology. Alferov received a doctorate in physics and mathematics from the A.F Ioffe Physico- Technical Institute, and later became director’s of the institute. In the 1950s he tried to develop fast microelectronic components which made from semiconductor heterostructures. Alferov and his research team developed the first practical heterostructure electronic device in 1966. Then they pioneered the first heterostructure laser, which both Alferov and Helbert Kroemer of Germany proposed independently in 1963. Such devices used later in communications satellites ,bar-code readers, cellular telephone communications, and many other products. In 2000, together with Herbert Kroemer, Alferov awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics.

Date: 2016-04-22; view: 1150