13 June, Vitebsk /Diana Kurilo - BELTA/. The state will continue to support mass media. This was announced today to journalists by the Minister of Information of Belarus, Oleg Proleskovsky, in response to a question from a BELTA correspondent. In Vitebsk, the minister met with the work collective of OJSC "KIM". According to Oleg Proleskovsky, the government is meeting the printing industry halfway, where the level of imported purchases is quite high. "There are no serious problems for print media," the minister assured. The Shklov paper mill has become a kind of "safety cushion" for the industry. Currently, the Ministry of Information is negotiating an acceptable price for paper, affordable for newspaper editorial offices and beneficial for the mill. Oleg Proleskovsky considers the financial situation of newspapers to be an indicator of their economic stability. "The largest republican publications can be set adrift – they will remain self-sufficient," the minister is convinced. Among regional publications, 60% of newspapers are self-sufficient. "However, self-sufficiency is not an end in itself. Newspapers and television are not a source of profit, they are an information source, therefore the state has helped and will continue to help mass media," said the Minister of Information.-0-

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