MEB members meet Belarus Ambassador
Some 20 Monaco Economic Board members were at the Hotel Hermitage on 2nd February to meet H.E. Mr Pavel Latushka, Republic of Belarus Ambassador to France and Monaco, accompanied by Advisor to the Belarus Embassy in France, Vladimir Malevich. The two diplomats were there to talk about their country’s business and tourism assets.
Presentations, videos and discussions with MEB members made for a very instructive session. A former USSR state, Belarus is still relatively unknown on the international stage. Yet the country is a key agricultural player (cereals, potatoes, vegetables, sugar beet, flax, beef and milk), and ranked 3rd in the world for butter and milk powder.
Industry represents 32.7% of GDP, mainly in machine tools, agricultural equipment, fertilisers and chemical products. The figure for the services sector is 50%.
Logically, Belarus remains closely tied to its big Russian neighbour which supplies all its energy needs and absorbs 40% of exports. However, Minsk is on a quest to develop trade with other partners, such as the European Union and China, an opening of its economy that could turn into opportunities for entrepreneurs in the Principality.
