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30.01.2013

State property sales can attract $2.5bn to Belarus in 2013

MINSK, 30 January (BelTA) – The State Property Committee of Belarus will compile a list of properties, which sale will allow attracting at least $2.5 billion in foreign investments in 2013. The information was released by Mr Georgy Kuznetsov, Chairman of the State Property Committee, at the session of the Committee’s board held on 30 January to discuss performance in 2012 and tasks for 2013, BelTA has learned.

“The government wants the State Property Committee, government agencies, and oblast administrations to compile a list of properties in 2013, which sale will allow attracting at least $2.5 billion in foreign investments,” said Georgy Kuznetsov. He underlined that in order to accomplish the task a fundamental political decision on the possibility of selling readily obtainable assets has to be made. According to the official, for three years the Committee has been offering lists of properties to sell. “We suggest selling some of the shares of Naftan and Belaruskali. It can really earn $2.5 billion but we are not getting anywhere,” he stated. The matter will be discussed by the government soon, specified the Chairman.

In 2012 in Belarus taking into account new approaches to the privatization of state property packages of shares of ten enterprises were sold to the tune of Br185.4 billion. The number included nine packages of shares of municipal ownership and one package of shares of national ownership (the Br20 billion sale of shares of OAO Orsha Aircraft Repair Plant). As many as 14 draft presidential decisions to sell national packages of shares were prepared. Only two decisions went through but the sales did not happen (OAO Negoreloye Wax Processing and Hive Plant and OAO Slutsk Automobile Crane Repair Plant). The official said that several draft decisions to sell shares were not backed by the government and government agencies.