Investments forum

2008

On the 9-10th of October the 6th international investment forum «Investments for business and region development» was held in Vitebsk in the building of Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee.

It was organized by:

  • Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee;
  • Vitebsk Regional Marketing Center.

This year the forum greeted delegations from 12 countries. The delegations presented Byelorussian and foreign production enterprises, commercial and financial structures, embassies, consulates, trade delegations of the accredited in Belarus countries. They were:

  • embassies and trade delegations of the Russian Federation, the Polish Republic, the Slovak Republic, the Republic of Bulgaria, the Azerbaijani Republic, the Republic of Latvia, the Republic of India;
  • representative of German economics in the Republic of Belarus;
  • the management of Krasnodar Territory (Russia);
  • business delegations from Sweden, Poland, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Estonia;
  • bank structures working in Belarus;
  • investment, juridical and consulting companies, centers of entrepreneurial activity support;
  • representatives of municipal and district executive committees of Vitebsk region, authorities from other regions of Belarus;
  • business representatives from regions of Belarus and other countries.

During the forum there were:

  • an exhibition of investment projects and suggestions of Vitebsk region;
  • a conference «About the advantages of inter-regional economic collaboration»;
  • visit of a free economic area «Vitebsk» and small-scale enterprises of Vitebsk region: joint limited liability company «Fortex — water technologies», limited liability company «Aliansplast», foreign sole proprietorship «VIK — animals’ health».

Among the forum participants there were:

  • employers’ and entrepreneurs’ association, Regional employers’ and entrepreneurs’ union, Minsk capital association of entrepreneurs and employers;
  • International juridical company «ARZINGER & PARTNER», «Consulting center «BKC», Limited liability company «Agrocapitalconsult»;
  • «KORDTRADE s.r.o.» (the Czech Republic), «VAIDE» (Latvia), «STARS met» (Latvia), «Torsystem Butzbach Sp» (Poland), Limited liability company «Aleksopring» (Estonia);
  • Unitary enterprise «Capital construction of Vitebsk» and others.

This year Vitebsk region presented on the forum more than 160 investment projects covering different sectors of the national economy: building and producing of building materials, woodworking, energy industries, energy conservation, food industry, agriculture, recycling, transport, ecology, tourism, service industry and others.

On the 9th of October the functioning of the forum began at 9.30 a.m. with signing of the agreement about collaboration between private joint-stock company «BTA Bank» (Kazakhstan) and the organs of government of Vitebsk region. At the same time the exhibition of investment projects began its work. Ceremonial opening of the forum took place at 10.30 a.m. After that representatives of embassies, trade delegations, business delegations and guests of the forum had the opportunity to get acquainted with investment projects and proposals presented on the stands by enterprises of Vitebsk regions; as well as with presentations of bank structures, free economic area «Vitebsk», centers of entrepreneurial activity support, embassy of the Slovak Republic, Czech enterprise «KORDTRADE s.r.o.».

At 14.00 the conference «About the advantages of inter-regional economic collaboration» was held in the large conference hall of Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee. The representatives of embassies of the Republic of Bulgaria, the Slovak Republic, the Russian Federation, the Polish Republic, business delegation from Sweden shared their experience in the sphere of investments and their proposals about possible economic collaboration.

Speakers suggested the following topics:

  1. «Investment potential of Vitebsk Region»;
  2. «Trade and economic cooperation between Russia and Belarus. The ways of development»;
  3. «Prospects of trade and economic cooperation between the Republic of Belarus and the Slovak Republic»;
  4. «Foreign investments in the bank sector of the Republic of Belarus»;
  5. «Opportunities and prospects of the first private international bank („BTA Bank“) »;
  6. «Official instruments of stimulating external trade and investment attraction: German experience»;
  7. «Trade and economic relations between Poland and Belarus»;
  8. «Mutual investments are the way to increase the commodity turnover of the countries from different integration communities»;
  9. «The order of signing of an investment agreement with the Republic of Belarus»;
  10. «Increase of small towns’ investment attraction: combined initiatives of businesses»;
  11. «From the experience of international collaboration realization in the sphere of tourism».

During the forum the ambassador of the Slovak Republic made a suggestion about collaboration between regions of the Slovak Republic and Vitebsk Region. The ambassador of the Azerbaijani Republic is interested in the project of modernization of Mark Shagal’s Museum in Vitebsk. Also his attention was attracted to the project of canning shop reconstruction and the production activity of the enterprise «Polymerbeton».

Readiness to investment attraction for market infrastructure development (building a hotel in Vitebsk or Polotsk) was expressed by the representatives of Swedish business delegation.

The delegation of the entrepreneurs from Latvia was interested in the projects devoted to tourism and recreation. Besides among their interests there was also development of their own production on the territory of Belarus.

The representatives of Byelorussian business showed a great interest in new building grounds and real estate presented on the forum.

On the 10th of October the representatives of the delegations from Latvia, Russia, Sweden, Estonia, Poland, Belarus, Indian embassy visited free economic zone «Vitebsk», where they learnt the directions of the administration activity, terms of organization of joint enterprises and peculiarities of business placing on the territory of the free economic area.

These topics were especially interesting for the representative of the juridical company from Estonia and the members of Swedish delegation.

Joint limited liability company «Fortex — water technologies» producing water-purifying equipment was especially interesting for the representatives of Swedish delegation and Indian embassy.

As a whole the results of the forum prove positive dynamics of international economic relationship development in the region:

  1. the majority of towns and regions took park in the forum;
  2. the readiness of the representatives improved;
  3. a greater practical interest is shown by the representatives from Baltic countries.

As a disadvantage revealed during the organization of the forum the coincidence of its period of holding with the one of the same event in Mogilev Region can be marked.