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FOREIGN TRADE IN GOODS AND SERVICES IN BELARUS UP BY 11.5 PER CENT IN JANUARY-OCTOBERIn January-October of this year the foreign trade in goods and services in Belarus is up by 11.5 per cent from a year earlier and amounted to USD 29,1 billion. For the nine months of this year Belarusian exports went up by 17.5 per cent and reached USD 14,8 billion. Imports grew by 6 per cent to USD 14,3 billion. In January-October Belarus had a surplus in foreign trade of goods and services at the value of USD 461,4 million. Over the period under review the foreign trade in goods accounted for USD 26,3 billion, including exports – USD 13 billion, import – USD 13,3 billion. Exports of national goods increased in actual prices by 17 per cent. This growth was due to an increase in the cost of such goods as oil products, tractors and potash fertilizers. This year Belarusian companies maintained export-import operations with trading partners from 174 countries. The goods were sold into 137 economies, imported from 158 countries. In January-October the main trading partners of Belarus were Russia (48.6 per cent of the total trade), Netherlands (7.5 per cent), Ukraine (5.7 per cent), Germany (5.4 per cent), Poland (4.4 per cent), UK (3.8 per cent), China (2.2 per cent) and also Italy, the USA, Lithuania and France. The international turnover of services in Belarus for the 10 months amounted to USD 2,839 billion, or 22.5 per cent more over the same period last year. Export of services reached USD 1,769 billion, or 21.8 per cent up. The total volume of import of services totaled USD 1,069 billion, or 23.7 per cent more form the same period last year. A surplus in trade of services is at the sum of USD 700 million.
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The Government of Belarus issued Resolution No 2020 to introduce a new minimum wage. In line with the resolution, the monthly minimum wage will amount to Br229,000, the hourly minimum wage – to Br1,360.
Only export-oriented and competitive companies will be supported by the state, said Prime Minister of Belarus Sergei Sidorsky at a session of the Presidium of the Council of Ministers to discuss the measures to maintain the stability of the country’s key and other enterprises on December 23.
Prime Minister of Belarus Sergei Sidorsky thinks it necessary to accelerate the transition to the regional currency in the payments between economic entities of Belarus and Russia. He voiced this opinion at the meeting with Chairman of the Russia’s State Corporation Bank for Development and Foreign Economic Affairs (Vnesheconombank) Vladimir Dmitriev on December 20.
Belarus welcomes any investors who have concrete plans concerning the period of projects implementation and projects financing, Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Viktor Burya told.
Belarus is interested in liberalizing mutual trade with the European Union, Vice-Premier of Belarus Andrei Kobyakov said as he met with the head of the EC Delegation in Ukraine and Belarus, Mr Jose Manuel Pinto Teixeira, in Minsk on December 18.
By the end of 2008 the Government of Belarus will pass new legal instruments to facilitate administrative procedures and liberalise the economy, Prime Minister of Belarus Sergei Sidorsky said on December 17 during the Belarus Government Quality Achievements Award 2008 ceremony.
Fishman Group is ready to put $500 million in the construction of a set of facilities in the Belarusian High-Tech Park, company’s co-owner Eliezer Fishman told reporters after his meeting with Prime Minister of Belarus Sergei Sidorsky on December 17.
Some Br590 billion was saved in 2008 due to streamlined financing of innovation projects, Vladimir Matiushkov, Chairman of the State Science and Technology Committee of Belarus, said at a session of the Presidium of the Council of Ministers chaired by Prime Minister of Belarus Sergei Sidorsky on December 16.