7 March, Minsk /Anna Kot - BELTA/. According to preliminary data, the volume of Belarus's gold and foreign exchange reserves, as defined by the IMF, as of March 1, 2012, amounted to $8035.1 million, an increase of $53.9 million over February. This was reported to a BELTA correspondent by the Information Department of the National Bank. In the national definition, the level of gold and foreign exchange reserves increased by $78.2 million and as of March 1, 2012, amounted to $9584.7 million. "The growth of gold and foreign exchange reserves was facilitated by an increase in the price of gold on the international precious metals market, as well as a positive balance of foreign currency purchases and sales by the National Bank on the Belarusian Currency and Stock Exchange OJSC," explained the Information Department of the National Bank. Moreover, in February of the current year, the National Bank and the Government of Belarus fully met their external and internal obligations in foreign currency.-0-

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