Tiraspol, July, 23. /Novosti Pridnestrovya/. Over the six months of this year foreign trade turnover with the Russian Federation increased by 18% compared with the first half of 2018. According to the PMR State Customs Committee statistics, Russia remains the main trade partner of the republic with a share of 35.5% in the total trade turnover of Pridnestrovie.
Trade with Ukraine decreased in comparison with last year's figure by 40%. At the same time, the import of goods from the neighboring state decreased almost twice (by 47%), while exports decreased by 17%.
“This and a number of other factors have affected the overall indicators of the republic’s foreign trade, which has decreased by 6% compared to last year’s level,” the SCC notes.
The main reason for the negative dynamics was a 42% decrease in exports of metals and products from it. This is due to both the Ukrainian sanctions and the introduction of American duties on steel and aluminum, which led to an imbalance in the metallurgical industry of the PMR. As a result, compared with the first half of 2018, the volume of exported products of such a budget-forming enterprise, as Moldavian Metallurgical Plant OJSC, decreased by 45%. The press service of the State Customs Committee reported that in the republic as a whole, imports of metals and products from it had decreased by 86% since the beginning of the year, and exports - by 66%.
It is noted that in the first half of 2019, the share of import and export operations with the CIS countries amounted to 75% in the total turnover of Pridnestrovie. With foreign countries – to 25%. At the same time, the structure of foreign trade with the states of the Eurasian Economic Union and the European Union was 40% and 20% respectively.
“Over the reporting period, 142 Pridnestrovian enterprises carried out exports to various countries. While a quarter of them sold their goods to the European Union market and 27% - to the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union,” the SCC reported.
It should be noted that strengthening the position of Pridnestrovie in the world market is one of the policy priorities for the expansion and strengthening of foreign trade activities of the PMR, enshrined in the Development Strategy of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic for 2019-2026.
