BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 19. Belarus aims to double its trade turnover with Azerbaijan in the field of light industry, Chairperson of the Bellegprom Concern, Tatyana Lugina, said in an exclusive interview with Trend on the sidelines of a business meeting between the concern’s delegation and representatives of Azerbaijan’s business community in Baku.
"We reviewed the cooperation with our Azerbaijani partners in terms of trade turnover in the light industry sector between our countries. As part of diversifying export supplies from Belarusian light industry enterprises, we have planned to work more systematically on this market in 2025 and to promote our products through marketing tools.
Despite certain achievements, the current trade turnover in light industry stands at around $5 million, which remains relatively low and has significant potential for growth. Of course, we would like to at least double this figure. However, even a 20-30 percent annual growth would already be considered a success. We need to meet more regularly, strengthen cooperation, and actively promote our products. For Belarusian light industry to be properly represented in the market, there should be dedicated retail stores offering a broad range of Belarusian goods in one place,” she said.
Lugina emphasized that Azerbaijan is a growing market with steady demand, particularly for high-quality textiles.
“Traditions such as tea gatherings, large family get-togethers, and a strong sense of home comfort hold a special place in Azerbaijani society. That is why our textiles can meet these expectations in terms of both quality and relevance — and can help win and strengthen Azerbaijani consumers’ loyalty to Belarusian products.
We are placing particular emphasis on linen, as linen products are in high demand across global markets. Leading international brands — Turkish, Indian, Italian, French, Belgian — offer similar products, but at significantly higher prices. Our products have a competitive price advantage. Therefore, we need to rethink our approach to market presence: promote ourselves more boldly, actively advance our products, and develop our own retail network here,” the Bellegprom head added.
According to Lugina, the primary objective now is to find partners for establishing joint trade enterprises — specifically, to open stores specializing in linen products and a dedicated linen trade center in Baku.
“This would allow us to showcase a wide range of Belarusian linen products — from home textiles to clothing. We are actively working on this direction at the moment. Another key focus is the promotion of our technical textiles, particularly products from Mogotex. We are confident that these products can also carve out a niche in the Azerbaijani market.
We already have many years of experience working with several Azerbaijani sewing enterprises that produce uniforms and workwear for various government and industrial sectors. Unfortunately, in recent years, these ties have somewhat weakened, and cooperation has become less active. However, we are committed to restoring and expanding this partnership — through negotiations, business contacts, and, most importantly, by leveraging the strengths of both our countries,” the Bellegprom head added.
According to her, the goal is to establish sustainable cooperation, including in the production of clothing for various sectors in Azerbaijan.
“We are talking about garments that could be manufactured in Azerbaijan using Belarusian fabrics and then used, for instance, in the oil refining sector, the military, customs services, or the construction industry. Today, we discussed this entire range of issues and have already outlined the first steps — both in terms of intentions and further development of potential cooperation.
We also presented the products of our porcelain factory. I understand that Azerbaijan today is a country with significant tourism potential. Business contacts are rapidly developing here, and many business meetings are held. The country has a large number of modern and historical hotels, resorts, and health centers. Therefore, restaurant and tableware, as well as textiles for the hospitality sector, are also of interest and in high demand. We presented this area of production as well,” Lugina said.
She reminded that a memorandum of cooperation was signed between the Bellegprom concern and the Azerbaijan Small and Medium Business Development Association.
“This document opens up new opportunities for industrial cooperation, technology exchange, the creation of joint ventures, and the promotion of products in both markets. As I mentioned earlier, although the association unites businesses from various sectors, we agreed with its leadership that in the coming weeks, companies from this business community related to the light industry — both commercial and manufacturing — will be selected.
We are talking about companies operating in areas such as leather, footwear, haberdashery, textiles, garment production, as well as retail outlets engaged in the sale of clothing and related products. This targeted approach will allow us to build more focused cooperation and begin working on concrete formats of collaboration,” said the head of Bellegprom.
She also noted that, following the negotiations, the Belarusian company Mogotex signed a fabric supply agreement with the Baku Sewing House.
In conclusion, she announced the upcoming traditional national exhibition of light industry goods, scheduled for the first ten days of October.
“It will take place at the newly opened international exhibition center BelExpo in Minsk. The venue will offer extensive exhibition space, and we would be pleased to welcome representatives of Azerbaijan’s light industry — possibly as part of a unified national stand or in another suitable format,” said Tatyana Lugina.