Belarus’ envoy discusses cooperation with Russia’s KAMAZ amid sanctions

December 5, BPN. Dźmitryj Krutoj, the Belarusian ambassador to Russia, has discussed ties and import substitution amid sanctions with Sergey Kogogin, the CEO of the KAMAZ truck plant.

Krutoj, a former economy minister, is visiting Russia’s Tatarstan from December 4 to 6.

The discussion focused on the implementation of the road map detailing previous agreements on cooperation, the Belarusian embassy said.

In November 2021, Alaksandr Łukašenka said he did not generally oppose a potential merger of Belarusian MAZ (Minsk Automobile Plant) and Russian KAMAZ, but would not agree to MAZ becoming an auxiliary plant of KAMAZ.

He suggested setting up a MAZ-KAMAZ joint venture without dealing with ownership issues. He said he expected Russia to extend loans to MAZ.

The Russian government discussed a link-up between KAMAZ and MAZ’s spinoff, the Minsk Wheeled Tractor Plant (MZKT), a few years ago, but the Belarusian leader blocked the plan for fear that the Russian company sought to take over MZKT, a manufacturer of special military vehicles.