P.Prokopovich considers the current opportunities ideal for the development of the Belarusian economy

February 1, Minsk /Elena Prus - BELTA/. Head of the National Bank of Belarus Petr Prokopovich believes the current opportunities are ideal for economic development. He stated this today at a meeting of the Council of Ministers, which is discussing the Draft Program of Socio-Economic Development of the Republic of Belarus for 2011-2015, according to a BELTA correspondent. "There has never been such a favorable situation as today for the development of our economy," Petr Prokopovich believes. "There are enough financial resources in the world today, and we can take advantage of them." In addition, all issues related to equipment procurement have been resolved - foreign credit lines are available for these purposes, primarily on preferential terms. "The only issue is that the project must be effective," he said. "Any enterprise, any industry can become competitive in 2-3 years if it is approached with full responsibility." The head of the National Bank placed special emphasis on the need to achieve a positive foreign trade balance in 2015. He considers this a key point: "If this indicator is not achieved, all other plans may be jeopardized." According to Petr Prokopovich, it is necessary to establish a clear requirement: that export growth should outpace import growth by at least 10%. "If this is not ensured, tough measures must be taken against the enterprise, against the industry," he stated. He informed that in February it is planned to adopt a strategy for the development of the banking system for the five-year period. It will incorporate all provisions that fully meet the needs of the real sector of the economy for loans and other banking services. Measures will be provided to accelerate the development of the banking system so that it can provide maximum support to the country's economy. -0-