Minsk is waiting for loan‎

Belarus expects to receive the third tranche to the tune of $440 million of the loan from the EurAsEC Anticrisis Fund soon.

Belarusian Economy Minister Nikolai Snopkov told media about it on 14 June.

The official reminded that the decision to give Belarus another tranche of the loan had been made by the Council of the EurAsEC Anticrisis Fund the previous week. “I think we will get it [the tranche] soon. We are fulfilling all the conditions to get the loan,” said the Minister.

In his words, the next tranche is important for Belarus but not vital. “We have turned round the situation quite nicely. The most important thing is that export streams exceed import ones, the trade balance is positive,” stressed Nikolai Snopkov.

Asked about negotiations to allocate a fourth tranche of the EurAsEC Anticrisis Fund loan, the Minister remarked the negotiations had not ceased and efforts were put into it constantly. “Experts regularly evaluate the matrix we have come up for the entire tranche,” he reminded.

4 June 2011 the Council of the EurAsEC Anticrisis Fund authorized the allocation of a $3 billion financial loan to Belarus. In June and December 2011 the Eurasian Development Bank transferred an $800 million tranche and a $440 million tranche to Belarus. In line with the schedule Belarus should get a two tranches as large as $440 million each this year.