BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

29/11/2006

Luzhkov Talks Toys and Trucks With Belarus

By Simon Shuster
Staff Writer

Mayor Yury Luzhkov took time out Tuesday from his weekly city government meeting to host a delegation of Belarussian officials and said that country's supply of cheap materials and construction vehicles would help Moscow's building boom.

"Construction materials are the most important factor in resolving Moscow's shortage of living space," Luzhkov said, adding that Belarussian metals and heavy machinery were "appealing and cheap."

Luzhkov also promised to build a "logistics center" in the city to facilitate trade with Belarus.

Luzhkov and city government officials were meeting with Belarussian officials at the third annual Moscow-Belarus cooperation forum, which coincided with President Vladimir Putin's appearance at the CIS summit in Minsk.

The head of the Belarussian delegation, Prime Minister Sergei Sidorsky, meanwhile, was eager to promote his country's exports of children's goods, and brought along a selection of toys and children's clothes for city officials to peruse.

"Every year, the variety and quality of children's clothing and toys multiplies several times" in Belarus, Sidorsky said.

He added that Belarussian children's goods worth 8 billion rubles ($300 million) would be sold in Moscow next year.

Not to be outdone, Luzhkov said that in 2007, which the city has designated the Year of the Child, his administration would allocate an extra 10 billion rubles for children's healthcare and services for young mothers.

Trade between Moscow and Belarus grew by 20 percent this year, reaching $7 billion, Luzhkov said.

Source:

http://www.moscowtimes.ru/stories/2006/11/29/019.html