On April 6, Minsk /BelTA correspondent/. Following the results of March of the current year, Belarus' gold and foreign exchange reserves in national definition decreased by $257.9 million and, according to preliminary data as of April 1, amounted to $5.25 billion in equivalent, BelTA was informed by the Information Department of the National Bank. "In the IMF's SDDS definition, the level of gold and foreign exchange reserves decreased by $262.3 million and, according to preliminary data as of April 1, amounted to $3.76 billion in equivalent," the National Bank informed. The main reason for the decrease in the volume of gold and foreign exchange reserves in March was the high demand for foreign currency from the population. Over the past month, the net purchase of foreign currency (cash and non-cash) by the population amounted to $768.1 million. The National Bank recalled that the main task set by the President of Belarus for the National Bank and the government is to prevent further reduction of state gold and foreign exchange reserves and to increase them by the end of 2011 to a level corresponding to 3-month average imports (equivalent to $9-10 billion), which will ensure the necessary level of the country's foreign economic security. -0-

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