MAKHACHKALA, April 2 – RIA Dagestan. April 2 is celebrated as the Day of Unity of the Peoples of Belarus and Russia. Dagestan and Belarus demonstrate that unity can be both meaningful and mutually advantageous. The two regions are actively expanding cooperation across cultural, economic and social domains. Two recent visits by Dagestani delegations headed by Prime Minister Abdulmuslim Abdulmuslimov have marked significant progress along this path.
First Visit: Cultural Exchange
Dagestani delegation led by Prime Minister Abdulmuslimov traveled to Minsk in October 2023 to participate in events marking the 100th anniversary of Rasul Gamzatov, Dagestan's People's Poet. During the working visit, Abdulmuslimov met with Belarusian Culture Minister Anatoly Markevich to discuss international cultural exchange, recognizing the unique and long-developed cultural heritage of both republics.
Talks with Alexander Rumak, Belarussian Commissioner for Religious and Nationality Affairs, covered interregional dialogue, interethnic relations, the Dagestani diaspora in Belarus and joint events to strengthen unity among residents of both nations.
As part of the Rasul Gamzatov Days celebrations, the delegation attended a musical and theatrical performance at the Grand Hall of the Belarusian State Philharmonic.
Second Visit: Business Mission
Dagestani delegation toured several leather, textile, and yarn production enterprises over several days in February 2025, aiming to strengthen and expand cooperation between Dagestan and Belarus. The delegation also visited the Great Stone Industrial Park, situated 25 kilometers from Minsk. The Park is a key hub in the economic belt of the Silk Road, serving as a communication link between Europe, the CIS, and Russia. It represents a joint Belarus-China project. Park management expressed hope for developing partnership relations and productive, mutually beneficial cooperation with Dagestan.
Prime Minister Abdulmuslimov met with Inessa Korotkevich, Chairwoman of Belkoopsoyuz (Belarusian Republican Union of Consumer Societies), during the working visit. The talks focused on the prospects of opening a Belarusian Trade House in Dagestan—a topic previously raised in bilateral meetings. Abdulmuslimov expressed Dagestan's interest in importing Belarusian goods, including natural-fabric clothing, furniture, consumer goods and select food products. Cooperation in wool production and processing was also on the agenda.
Dagestani delegation toured Minsk Leather Production Association, a leather manufacturing enterprise and voiced interest in establishing direct contacts to maximize bilateral cooperation. Abdulmuslimov also visited Polessye JSC, the largest light industry enterprise in Belarus and the CIS and a textile sector flagship. Director General Viktor Voytovich praised the quality of Dagestani wool and expressed readiness to collaborate. A preliminary agreement was reached for Dagestan to supply wool to Polessye—either washed or in top form—for yarn production.
Signing of the 2025–2028 Action Plan
An action plan for 2025–2028 was subsequently signed to implement the Agreement between the governments of Belarus and Dagestan on trade, economic, scientific, technical and socio-cultural cooperation. The signing took place at Belkoopsoyuz headquarters in Minsk, with Rizvan Gazimagomedov, Deputy Chairman of the Government of Dagestan and Inessa Korotkevich, Chairwoman of Belkoopsoyuz, affixing their signatures.
The plan includes more than 20 major initiatives: attracting residents to Dagestan's preferential economic zones, facilitating increased shipments of various product categories, organizing direct and reverse business missions, conducting joint online and offline scientific research by educational institutions, participating in forums and exhibitions, and holding traveling exhibitions and cultural events, among others.
Joint Project on School Uniform Production
The meetings and discussions led to tangible results: Dagestan and Belarus have initiated a collaborative effort to manufacture school uniforms. As part of this partnership, a Belarusian company produced an initial batch of over 13,500 student vests using wool sourced from Dagestan. Schools across Dagestan have already acquired more than 10,200 of these vests, with prices ranging from RUB 650 to 850 each and have requested an additional 6,000 units.
At a session of the Interdepartmental Coordination Headquarters for Wool Market Development, Deputy Prime Minister Rizvan Gazimagomedov observed that the collaboration was steadily progressing. In 2025, over 300 tons of domestically produced wool, worth RUB 18.55 million, were sent to Belarus, with an additional 100 tons scheduled for shipment shortly.
Reciprocal Visit and Strengthening of Cooperation
A delegation from Belarus, led by Belkoopsoyuz Chairwoman Inessa Korotkevich, visited Dagestan in July 2025. In Makhachkala, the delegation convened with Prime Minister Abdulmuslim Abdulmuslimov to take stock of the results from the earlier Dagestani mission to Belarus and to identify promising cooperation areas aimed at improving the standard of living for residents of both regions.
Additionally, a business meeting took place among Dagestani agricultural producers and Belarusian companies, during which the Belarusian side discussed opportunities for sourcing agricultural goods from Dagestan.
