Belarusian embassies raised some $1 billion in foreign direct investments to Belarus in 2014, Belarus' Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexander Guryanov said during an online press conference hosted by BelTA.
“We keep saying that Belarusian ambassadors and diplomats working abroad will not be able to do all the work for our economic entities. But they are always ready to help them establish cooperation ties and find reliable partners. For example, last year our embassies supervised some 50 important projects. They helped Belarusian companies overcome different red tape barriers and solve technical issues and also provided them with legal assistance. The efforts of Belarusian ambassadors and diplomats brought results. Some $1 billion in foreign direct investments was attracted to Belarus in 2014 with their help,” Alexander Guryanov noted.
When asked whether any global corporations want to come to Belarus and open their research centers at the Hi-Tech Park or set up new enterprises at the Belarus-China Industrial Park, Alexander Guryanov pointed out that the Hi-Tech Park itself is a platform for innovative projects that does not need any assistance. The main thing is not to interfere with its activities. Today the Belarusian Hi-Tech Park attracts many foreign businesses. Alexander Guryanov emphasized that in 2014 the park exported more services to the United Sates (software development outsourcing) than goods, which means that it has great potential.
As for the Belarus-China Industrial Park, Alexander Guryanov pointed out that its main aim is to attract innovative businesses. This does not mean we want to create competitors for enterprises that already operate in Belarus. In this regard, we are working not only with Chinese companies, but also with Japanese, Korean producers and with companies of our neighboring states. For example, Lithuania is planning to build a pharmaceutical factory in the park. We are interested in such cooperation, but the implementation of these projects will depend on our project proposals. Unfortunately, well-crafted project proposals are not many. I mean that investors show interest, there are some good initiatives but it is not always that they are properly worked out. Today the main aim of the National Agency of Investment and Privatization is to improve the work with regards to business plans that yield good economic returns. We already have platforms for implementation of projects. We should tap into the potential of the Hi-Tech Park, the Belarus-China Industrial Park, and the free economic zones. We see that foreign partners are also interested in this,” Alexander Guryanov explained.
Source: BelTA