India is interested in economic cooperation with Vitebsk Oblast in such areas as woodworking, water purification, pharmaceutics, and personnel training for oil processing industry. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of India to Belarus Sangeeta Bahadur made the statement as she met with representatives of the Vitebsk Oblast administration, BelTA has learned.

It was not the first time the Indian ambassador had come to the northern region of Belarus. She is familiar with some of the local enterprises. Representatives of the Vitebsk Oblast Executive Committee and the Vitebsk branch of the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, top officials of the free economic zone (FEZ) Vitebsk informed the ambassador about opportunities for establishing contacts not only in the sphere of culture, but economy as well.

Sangeeta Bahadur said: “On the whole, I am aware of relations between Indian companies and representatives of the Vitebsk Oblast private sector. But such meetings provide more specific information about individual projects, which Vitebsk enterprises and my compatriots are implementing here. We would like to submit a proposal for the sake of tighter regional interaction between Vitebsk Oblast and those states of India that have a similar industrial potential and for the sake of signing cooperation agreements at the official level. Vitebsk Oblast has well-developed spheres of economy that open up potential for mutually beneficial cooperation. Those are woodworking, water purification, flax industry, and pharmaceutics. We would also be interested in expanding the educational potential of young Indians and in offering education opportunities in Belarus to them not only of the medical variety.”

Vitebsk Oblast Deputy Governor Boris Yefremov told Sangeeta Bahadur about these branches of the Vitebsk Oblast economy. He mentioned that the oblast is rich in timber, this is why it can offer raw materials or ready-made products made of environmentally-friendly materials. Some Vitebsk Oblast enterprises focus on deep timber conversion and produce zero waste since byproducts are used to make wood fuel pellets. Vitebsk Oblast manufacturers of furniture, doors, and windows are ready to supply high-quality products to India.

Sangeeta Bahadur said she would pass on the word about these opportunities. “India is overpopulated and forests are often cut down in order to make space for housing construction. This is why our country constantly seeks high-quality products abroad, including wood or wooden goods. I think we could establish cooperation in this sphere. Moreover, smart cities are being gradually built in India. Their houses and buildings need windows, doors, and later on furniture made of environmentally-friendly materials,” the ambassador noted.

Vitebsk Oblast also boasts considerable flax reserves and could export flax. Sangeeta Bahadur had previously visited Orsha Linen Mill to get familiar with the potential of the enterprise. She suggested that India could buy flax linen from Vitebsk Oblast and could sell quality apparel in return. “Flax apparel suits our hot climate very well. We also prefer organic fabrics, this is why this sphere is also of great interest for cooperation,” the ambassador noted.

Vitebsk Oblast enterprises also make water purification equipment and offer custom-made turn-key projects and consequent maintenance after analyzing terrain peculiarities and water composition. The ambassador said that clean water is in short supply in India, many sources are depleted, and the government is looking for ways to resolve this complicated problem. Belarusian water purification equipment could be very beneficial for India. Sangeeta Bahadur intends to raise the matter when she meets with representatives of the Indian government.

As for higher education opportunities for young Indians in Belarus, Sangeeta Bahadur noted that the choice of post-Soviet countries has to do a lot with the traditions. Many Indians opt for Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine due to lower prices. Education in Belarus is much cheaper than in Europe, she said. “In my opinion, the quality of local education exceeds its cost. In other words, young people pay less here in order to get education of the European standard,” the ambassador noted.

Vitebsk Oblast Deputy Governor Boris Yefremov noted that not only medical education is available in the region. The Polotsk State University trains specialists for the petrochemical industry. “Our students do not always know that they can learn prestigious engineering specializations in Belarus. I believe we should contact the Belarusian embassy in India with a request for awareness-raising work. The embassy could perhaps create a series of videos to talk about universities of a specific region and the professions available there,” Sangeeta Bahadur suggested.

The ambassador was pleasantly surprised that companies residing in the free economic zone Vitebsk had established cooperation with Indian companies. One of India's largest manufacturers of packaging will operate in Vitebsk Oblast. It will use Belarusian manufacturing premises to work with a manufacturer of matches from Congo. The ambassador also learned that negotiations had been held on setting up a bank for FEZ Vitebsk resident companies using Indian capital but the matter had not been seen through to the end. Sangeeta Bahadur said: “For the sake of more successful cooperation with Indian companies I would recommend finding an intermediary in our country that knows Vitebsk Oblast and India's cultural traditions well. Some Belarusian businessmen I've talked to do not completely understand peculiarities of doing business with my compatriots. It is desirable to communicate via such helpers in order to properly present Vitebsk Oblast products in India.”

Sangeeta Bahadur also noted that other industries in Belarus and in Vitebsk Oblast could also be interesting for India. Those include information technologies and food industry, particularly production of chocolate and dairy products (cheese, yoghurt, infant formulas). Intercultural cooperation will also continue. Plans have been made to arrange a festival of Indian movies in Vitebsk and India's Day. The Belarusian side suggested that representatives of the private sector could also participate in it and could show the products Vitebsk Oblast can offer. The ambassador welcomed the idea and promised to help find Indian companies to participate in the event.

BELTA