ECONOMY The Times Thursday, October 18, 2012 5 Diverse variety of attractive offers made 14th International Investment Forum in Grodno sees over 40 projects offered to potential investors By Nikolay Efimov will take part in the forum, as well as representatives of Th e event is being held business circles. Th e within the framework of the economic event in Grodno 14th Republican Universal will be attended by minis- Fair Euroregion Neman-2012. tries and departments and Held for the fourth time, it by the diplomatic corps in aims to enhance co-opera- (from Armenia, Bul- tion between Grodno enter- garia, Hungary, , prises and foreign countries, China, Lithuania, ,

raising export sales and the Poland, Serbia, Slovakia and BELTA investment potential of the elsewhere). Businessmen At 14th Republican Universal Fair Euroregion Neman-2012 city, while promoting the and offi cials will arrive from around Grodno, including clude reconstruction of air struction of a river station on agreements on economic, implementation of invest- eight twin cities and cities those at the free economic separators for methanol the Neman and a river port trade and cross-border co- ment projects — conclud- which enjoy friendly rela- zone of Grodnoinvest and plant Grodno Azot JSC, pro- reconstruction. Potential in- operation, business develop- ing agreements and creating tions, as well as businessmen the tourist-recreational park duction of cardan shaft s for vestors are sought to develop ment and the attraction of joint ventures. from Germany, Italy, , of the Avgustovsky Canal. Belcard, reconstruction of the tourist and recreational foreign investments into the According to the Chair- Lithuania, Poland, Russia, According to Boris Kozelkov, cheese production at Milky park of the Avgustovsky Ca- regional centre. Th ree com- man of the Grodno City Finland and France. nine of over 40 investment World and construction of nal, part of which is located panies with foreign capital Executive Committee, Boris Th is year, the forum pro- proposals for the regional a tannery in Grodno. Retail in the Grodno. are already registered in the Kozelkov, this year, about vides online presentations of centre will be presented in and tourism facilities are also Th e last three forums re- free economic zone of Grod- 200 guests from 20 countries investment sites and projects industrial sphere. Th ese in- planned, such as the con- sulted in the signing of six noinvest. High quality contributes Dialogue of business circles German companies are larus as a diplomat. He stressed and opportunities,” he empha- to successful promotion very much interested the importance of further de- sised. in working with small velopment of small and me- Th e Head of the German businesses in Belarus, dium-sized enterprises (SMEs) Economic Representation in Belkommunmash new trolley-buses appear on notes the Ambassador in Belarus, which have great Belarus, Vladimir Avgustinsky, streets of Transnistria’s two largest cities Extraordinary and potential. mentioned that meetings and Plenipotentiary of German companies are discussions in Minsk will drive Germany to Belarus, H.E. ready to share experience and forward business dialogue be- Mr. Wolfram Maas, on the knowledge with Belarusian tween our two countries. He Day of German Economy entrepreneurs. Th e Ambassa- believes that SMEs are an en- in Minsk dor asserted that, in Germany, gine for progress in investment Th e theme of the event SMEs account for over 95 per- co-operation and creation of was Small and Medium-Sized cent of the economy, with their GDP. He noted that, in Ger- Business — Challenges and Op- fl exibility allowing them to ad- many, small businesses account portunities for the Belarusian just to market conditions more for half of GDP (just 22 percent Economy. According to the easily, overcoming the crisis. in Belarus, although the trend Ambassador, the support of “It is important for us to have is growing steadily). He be- economic relations between a strong foundation for the fa- lieves that it is vital to see a true Belarus and Germany will play vourable development of SMEs, change, in order to raise SMEs’ a key role in his activities in Be- using this for new discoveries contribution to the economy. Having mutual interest

BELTA Azerbaijan to buy in the fi elds of physics, mathe- Fund under the President of New Belarusian trolley-buses recommended themselves at home and abroad Belarusian scientifi c matics, engineering and human Azerbaijan recently signed a co- Belkommunmash’s twelve fort. Th e event coincided with munmash boast large capac- equipment sciences. A joint committee has operative agreement with the new trolley-buses are running the foundation of the largest ity, seating 26 people, with 75 According to the Execu- been created to co-ordinate Be- National Academy of Sciences on the streets of the two largest cities in Transnistria — the standing. Th eir low fl oor gives tive Director of the Science larusian-Azerbaijani projects of Belarus and the Belarusian cities in Transnistria: 220th anniversary of Tiraspol ease of access, while air-con- Development Fund under the explains Mr. Babayev. He adds, Republican Fund of Funda- and Bendery. Eight will serv- and the 604th anniversary of ditioning, electronic panels President of Azerbaijan, Elchin “One day, co-operation be- mental Research, in Minsk. ice routes in Tiraspol, with the Bendery. with the date, a record keep- Babayev, Azerbaijan plans to tween Belarus and Azerbaijan Of course, Belarus and Az- remainder driving between Mr. Shevchuk underlines ing system of stops and pas- purchase various Belarusian will cover all areas of science.” erbaijan have been co-operat- Tiraspol and Bendery. that Transnistria residents sengers, as well as a descend- scientifi c equipment — in- He admires the fact that ing in the sphere of science for Yevgeny Shevchuk, Presi- deserve to travel in comfort ing platform for those with cluding for use in archaeology: Belarusian scientists have ex- several years already, imple- dent of Transnistria, took part and notes the good quality less mobility (or with prams), gamma spectrometers, lidar tensive experience in basic menting about two dozen joint in the solemn launch of the of Belarusian trolley-buses, enhance comfort. In future, systems and devices for clean- and applied research, noting, projects. In the near future, 10- new vehicles of public trans- which Transnistria people Wi-Fi is to be installed. ing archaeological fi ndings. “It’s very important that we 15 new projects are to launch port. With Prime Minister Pi- have called ‘21st century’ trol- It was stressed during the In addition, the Science strengthen the relationship be- — relating to basic and applied otr Stepanov and members of ley-buses. solemn ceremony that this is Development Fund under the tween the scientists of Belarus research. Some are connected the Government, he person- New transport vehicles only the fi rst step on the way President of Azerbaijan is to and Azerbaijan.” with creating absorbents and ally tested their level of com- manufactured by Belkom- to renewing the park. liaise with Belarusian scientists Th e Science Development water purifi cation systems.