24 October, Minsk /BELTA/. A strategy for the development of the geological industry until 2025 has been developed in Belarus. The document was presented today by the Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, Vladimir Tsalko, at a meeting of the State Council on the comprehensive use of mineral raw materials, which was chaired by Prime Minister Mikhail Myasnikovich, BELTA correspondent reports. "The strategy is designed to become the basis for long-term planning of the activities of scientific and production organizations in the field of subsurface exploration and development," explained Vladimir Tsalko. The document provides for three stages. The first stage - 2013 - envisages the development of priority regulatory, legal and economic mechanisms for the industry's development, as well as the improvement of scientific support for geological work. The second stage - 2014-2015 - provides for the development and approval of the state program "Gosgeokarta" on a scale of 1:2000, based on existing information on deep drilling, as well as new data from the Belarusian satellite. The third stage - 2016-2025 - as a result of the introduction of an updated regulatory and legal framework and new economic mechanisms to increase the attractiveness of investment in geological work, is expected to bring the industry to a new level of development. "This will make it competitive in the global geological services market, primarily in the CIS countries, Southeast Asia, and Africa," the minister explained. In accordance with the strategy, it is planned to significantly increase funding for geological exploration work, including by attracting foreign investment. The implementation of the document is planned to begin next year. One of the main goals of the strategy will be to increase the geological knowledge of the territory of Belarus, primarily by expanding regional research. Most of the materials in this area are already outdated and require updating.