Belarus raises $2.2bn in foreign investments in Q1 2010

In Q1 2010 Belarus raised $2.2 billion in foreign investments including $1.4 billion in direct investments. In the period under review, the volume of foreign investments was up 1.9% over the same period last year, Deputy Economy Minister of Belarus Andrei Tur said at a session of the Council for Entrepreneurship under the aegis of the President of Belarus.

According to Andrei Tur, in 2009 Belarus raised more than $4.8 billion in direct investments, which is the volume of the investments raised for the past four years. The main foreign investors in Belarus are the Russian Federation, Austria, Cyprus, Switzerland and other countries.

The Deputy Economy Minister also noted that at present Belarus has created good regulatory conditions for the work of foreign investors. They have privileges to operate in Belarus’ free economic zones and small towns.

Andrei Tur stressed that it is important not only to increase investments but their quality and structure. Belarus needs investment capital to bridge a technology gap, he underscored.

Source: belta.by