V.Putin Signed Documents for Granting Belarus a Credit of $500 million

The Prime-Minister of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin has signed a decree for granting Belarus a credit of $500 million. The news was announced at the presidium meeting of the Russian government on March 5th.

The Prime-Minister of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin has signed a decree for granting Belarus a credit of $500 million. The news was announced at the presidium meeting of the Russian government on March 5^th.

“At the instance of the Belarusian party we have made a decision and today I have signed a corresponding governmental regulation. We are granting Belarus one more credit in the amount of half a billion dollars. I ask the Ministry of Finance to carry out this decision promptly,” said V.Putin. At the same time he reminded that at the end of 2007 Russia provided Belarus with a lax credit in the amount of $1.5 million and in 2008 – about $1 billion. Moreover, “in the meantime “Gasprom” paid more than $1 billion 200 million for a 50% share of “Beltransgas,” added the Russian Premier.

V.Putin noted the consistent and constructive cooperation between Belarus and Russia. He said that the two countries were confidently moving “towards the formation of a union state”.

Earlier it was reported that the first part of the credit in the amount of $1 billion had been transferred to the account of the Belarusian Ministry of Finance on November 18^th, 2008. It was planned that the second credit tranche would be directed to Belarus at the end of February 2009. On 27^th February during his visit to St. Petersburg the Prime Minister of Belarus S. Sidorski said that Russian Ministry of Finance had addressed a request to divide the means of the second part of the credit into two more tranches - $500 million each in February and in March.