Belarus, Russia to give manufacturers equal status as part of common industrial policy

MINSK. March 13 (Interfax) - The implementation of a unified industrial policy by Belarus and Russia will make it possible to equalize the national status of the two countries' manufacturers, which, among other things, will give Belarusian businesses access to government subsidies in Russia, the Belarusian ambassador to Russia, Dmitry Krutoi said on Tuesday.

"The formation of the legal foundation for the unified industrial policy is already being finalized. We are essentially equalizing the status of Belarusian manufactured products with local products in Russia and vice versa. We will give our producers access to all the government programs of the two countries and all financial instruments of support," Krutoi was reported as saying by state news agency BelTA at a meeting of the high-level group of the Union State Council of Ministers.

The countries will soon begin implementing the decree on the unified industrial policy, he said. "We have a valid agreement on mutual recognition of manufacturing processes," Krutoi said.

"Separately, we have agreed approaches to cooperation in critically important sectors - microelectronics and machine tool manufacturing - and here there are separate intergovernmental agreements and roadmaps that are also being successfully implemented," Krutoi said.

He also said that 24 projects have begun to be actually implemented under a targeted Russian government loan of 105 billion Russian rubles intended to finance the creation of manufacturing facilities in Belarus to replace imports.

"If these projects are successful, the credit line of 105 billion Russian rubles will be increased," Krutoi said.