Belarus expects the World Bank to take an active stance and provide support during the discussion of the roadmap with the International Monetary Fund at the IMF and WB Spring Meeting in Washington on April 17-18. This was stated today by the Prime Minister of Belarus, Andrei Kobyakov, at a meeting with the World Bank's Country Director for Ukraine, Belarus, and Moldova, Chiemiao Fan, as reported by a BELTA correspondent.
Belarus expects the World Bank to take an active stance and provide support during the discussion of the roadmap with the International Monetary Fund at the IMF and WB Spring Meeting in Washington on April 17-18. This was stated today by the Prime Minister of Belarus, Andrei Kobyakov, at a meeting with the World Bank's Country Director for Ukraine, Belarus, and Moldova, Chiemiao Fan, as reported by a BELTA correspondent.
Andrei Kobyakov noted that in the current challenging conditions, Belarus counts on partnership with the World Bank, both for creating new growth points and for carrying out economic transformations. "We welcome a balanced and individual approach to analysing the economic situation in our country and are grateful to the World Bank for its assistance in developing a roadmap for structural reforms," the Prime Minister said.
According to Andrei Kobyakov, the Belarusian side values the World Bank's support, both in terms of expert assistance and in addressing current issues in specific economic sectors. He highlighted the importance of projects related to the development of road infrastructure, water supply and wastewater disposal systems, and solid waste management.
The Prime Minister elaborated on two projects: the reconstruction of the Minsk-Grodno highway and improving the efficiency of the Belarusian customs service at the border with Poland, as well as the development of the forestry sector. "These two projects are of great economic importance for the country. Moreover, they are a very good, clear example of cooperation between Belarus and the World Bank," Andrei Kobyakov emphasised. A project aimed at developing small and medium-sized enterprises is currently being actively worked on. In addition, Belarus is interested in implementing a project to modernise public finance management.
Summarizing the interim results of cooperation between Belarus and the World Bank, the head of government noted that the interaction is reaching a qualitatively new level. The WB representative office in Belarus has built partnerships with republican management bodies and regions. "This suits us very well, and we intend to continue to maintain a high level of mutual trust," said the Prime Minister.
In turn, Qimiao Fan noted that the World Bank's cooperation portfolio with Belarus has doubled in recent years, and the WB is interested in developing the partnership.
Belarus became a member of the World Bank in 1992. During the period of cooperation, the country was allocated credit resources amounting to $1.43 billion. The current investment portfolio includes seven projects totaling $938 million.
News of Belarus (BELTA)