In Minsk Western journalists are “supervised” by Lord Bell and Belarusian Foreign Ministry
8- 30.10.2008, 16:09
These days a press-tour for journalists of foreign mass media is taking place in Belarus. It was initiated by Lord Timothy Bell.
The owner of the company Bell Pottinger Group Timothy Bell was invited by the Belarusian authorities to improve the image of Belarus on the international arena.
According to the “Belarusian Association of Journalists”, the group of press includes: analyst on Russian issues of London office of financial and analytical company “Global Insight”, reporter of the “Financial Times”, representative of the agency of financial news “Bloomberg”, correspondents of the German economic newspaper “WirtschaftsWoche”, journalists of agencies “Associated Press” and “Reuters”.
Almost all participants of the press-tour are Russian-speaking correspondents of these mass media in the CIS countries.
From the British side the group is overseen by Nico de Klerk, a representative of Bell Pottinger Group , and from the Belarusian – by a worker of the National press-centre Alyaksandr Tsyareshchanka and a member of staff of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry Alyaksei Shved.
According to the program of the visit, which the BAJ representatives studied, today the guests met the deputy chairman of the National Bank administration, after that they visited Minsk automobile plant (MAZ-MAN) and Milavitsa enterprise. Besides, a meeting with the deputy Minister if industry of Belarus.
On October 28-29 guests met with the deputy Prime Minister Andrei Kabyakou, Economy Minister Mikalay Zajchanka, director of the High technologies Park Valery Tsapkala, representatives of the administration of the Natioal Bank and Finance Ministry. On October 31, the last day of the press-tour, the visit to the Belarusian branch of Siemens and meeting with its director general are planned.
As the BAJ was told by one of the participants of the press-group, the visit has a vividly “economic” trend. Organisers do not hide that the reason for inviting journalists is the First Belarusian investment forum in London planned for November 18. The aim of the forum is to attract western investment in the economy if Belarus, and with the help of Western press imagemakers want to prepare the ground for success of this aim.
