Chavez ready to buy Belarusian enterprises MAZ and MTZ

Venezuela proclaimed ambitious plans to privatize big Belarusian enterprises.

“Venezuela is interested in many Belarusian enterprises that have faced the crisis. We are ready to consider buying a stake in them,” Americo Diaz Nunez, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Venezuela to Belarus, told at a press conference.

According to the ambassador, “it can be radio industry enterprises, those of producing of electrical components, engines, and means of transport.”

The list of enterprises, Venezuela interested in, includes: the Minsk Automobile Plant, the Minsk Electromechanic Plant named after Vavilov, the Minsk Engine Plant, “Izmiritel” Plant, a number of scientific and manufacturing enterprises that produce and repair agricultural equipment, the Electrical Instruments Plant in Vitsebsk, Gomselmash, BelAZ, Vityaz, the Poultry Farm in Homel, the Pig-Breeding Complex in Baarysau, some fish farms, “Druzhba” Poultry Farm, the fodder plant in Hlubokae, Belgospishcheprom state concern, and a number of other enterprises.”

The ambassador estimated the Belarusian-Venezuelan relations:

“In the first half of 2009, certain instability was noticed in our cooperation that was actively developing during the last years,” Americo Diaz Nunez said. “More than a thousand tractors, cars, and agricultural equipment were exported to Venezuela during this period. We entered the second half of the year with a hope to give new momentum to our cooperation in financial sector, oil production, mining industries, machine engineering, gas production.”

Energy minister of Venezuela visits Minsk

Rafael Ramirez, energy and petroleum minister of Venezuela, arrived in Minsk with an official visit today. He had meetings with Viktar Sheiman, Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s aide at large, and the Belarusian ruler.

“Belarus would like to be a prior trade partner of Venezuela. We stand for the balanced and mutually beneficial trade,” Sheiman said at the meeting.

Sheiman also said “actions in foreign trade should be more concerted under current difficult conditions, big projects that have been discussed should be implemented more actively.”

Ramirez said he was “satisfied with tempos and the level of developing cooperation in the energy sector that can be seen in your country.”

“We are fully satisfied with the projects implemented jointly with Belorusneft, and also the projects in gas production and seismic survey,” the minister said.

Alyaksandr Lukashenka told during his meeting with the Venezuelan minister of energy and petroleum:

“I am fully convinced we will fulfil the plans we have set.”

“This is not even a matter of Belarusian-Venezuelan relations. This is a matter of our joint advancement with Venezuela to the countries of Latin America. I would like to stress that we want to team up with your country because it will be difficult for us to do that on our own,” the Belarusian ruler said.

Besides, Lukashenka noted: “We can show to other Latin American countries that it is quite possible to cooperate with small and medium countries and get the same benefits as when you cooperate with such giant states as the United States and others.”