Opinions & Interviews

LUXEMBOURG, 26 October (BelTA) – Belarus should be regularly present in all the global financial centers. The opinion was offered by First Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Vasily Matyushevsky when asked about the importance of the Belarusian-European investment forum, which is due in Luxembourg on 27 October, BelTA has learned.

The official said: “We need to organize investment forums. Unfortunately, Belarus is not very well known for now. There are many reasons for it, nevertheless, we are dealing with the problem and opening up to the world. This is why we need dialogue platforms and we need a lot of them. We should be present in all the financial centers. And we should be present regularly.”

Vasily Matyushevsky underlined that the European Union is traditionally a strategic partner for Belarus in trade, economic, and investment cooperation. “Expectations concerning the Belarusian-European investment forum are rather high. A large number of participants are expected to turn up. The agenda of the forum will be rather informative,” said the first deputy prime minister of Belarus.

In particular, according to Vasily Matyushevsky, there are plans to discuss the implementation of investment projects, including cooperation in logistics. Prospects of participation of European companies in the China-Belarus industrial park Great Stone will be discussed.

The key purpose of the Belarusian-European investment forum is to create an effective and result-oriented different-level platform for establishing stable interaction of Belarusian credit and finance institutions and Belarusian commercial entities with European partners in addition to promoting strong and largely unique aspects of the Belarusian economy (information technologies, logistics) among Western business circles.

Luxembourg is Europe’s top and the world’s second best investment center after the USA. Luxembourg is home to slightly more than 500,000 people and about 3,900 investment funds and 143 banks. The total capital of the Luxembourg financial system exceeds €740 billion.

Information technologies represent another strategic direction for Luxembourg’s development. The country aspires to be a leader in the third industrial revolution powered by digital technologies. The convenient geographical location allows Luxembourg to attract German, French, Belgian, and Dutch companies for taking part in the forum.