Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 14 September (BelTA) - Cooperation of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development with Belarus has reached a strategic level, EBRD President Suma Chakrabarti told the media following the meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, BelTA has learned.

Cooperation of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development with Belarus has reached a strategic level. This means that we will dedicate it much more time. Three years are left until the EBRD strategy for Belarus runs out. We still develop the road map to establish a timeframe when decisions will be taken and results summed up, Suma Chakrabarti said.

The EBRD head noted that his talks with Alexander Lukashenko were very productive, lasted much longer than expected. The two sides discussed cooperation on many fronts, including the support of Belinvestbank. “The time will come when the EBRD will become a shareholder of the bank. But certain changes must happen before that. We see them taking place in Belinvestbank already,” he said.

Although the banking sector is one of the EBRD’s main lines of activity, the parties considered other areas of cooperation as well. “We should not forget about ordinary people. It is of high importance to improve the quality of services at the local level. We deal with different issues such as water supply, waste treatment operations, loan accessibility, and SMEs promotion. These are the areas that are directly related to the everyday life of Belarusians. We discussed both global projects and projects that may benefit every citizen,” the EBRD president said.

Suma Chakrabarti took note of the expanding cooperation between Belarus and the EBRD. “Very soon we will start discussing the bank’s investments to the tune of €200 million in Belarus. You will see us participating in different areas. We discussed the modernization of the highway M10. We will also consider other transport projects. I was happy to see the president’s personal interest in the green energy matters, as we need to think more about energy efficiency today. I was glad to hear about the projects that are being implemented in Belarus. The construction of hydro electric power stations and the installation of solar batteries are the investments that will soon produce results, help reduce the cost of electric energy and will make our planet a better place. Belarus can become a leader in the area,” he said.