OREANDA-NEWS. On November 17, 2008 Prime Minister of Belarus Sergei Sidorsky and Lord Mayor of the City of London Ian Luder discussed possible cooperation areas between Belarus and Great Britain in the financial area, reported the Official website www.government.by.

According to Sergei Sidorsky, the goal of this meeting is to give new impetus to the development of the economies of the two countries during the global financial crisis, establish efficient cooperation between business and financial institutions. “The experience of Great Britain in the financial market development is of great importance for Belarus,” Sergei Sidorsky said.

Mr Ian Luder said that the current visit of the Belarusian Premier will boost contacts between Belarus and the European countries, between financial organisations of Great Britain and Belarus. “I hope today we will be able to strengthen our links and learn how Belarus is going to position itself on the international financial markets in the future,” Mr Ian Luder said.

Prime Minister of Belarus Sergei Sidorsky has given an interview to Reuters news agency on November 17. The interview with Reuters featured the objectives and goals of the Belarus Investment Forum in London scheduled for November 18 and the expected outcome of the forum for the Belarusian economy. Sergei Sidorsky underlined that the Belarusian side expects the forum to give an additional impetus to the development of Belarus-EU economic cooperation.

The interviewers asked about most likely agreements and deals the forum can result in and their projected cost. According to the head of the Belarusian government, Belarus has received investment proposals in the areas of construction, machine-building and electronics. He added that the projects to be presented at the forum require investment \\$12-18 billion worth.

The interview touched upon the recent talks between Belarus and the IMF on a US2 billion loan and the utilization of these funds. The reporters asked if Belarus will engage in other negotiations to attract foreign loans.

Sergei Sidorsky spoke on the impact of the global financial crisis on Belarus and the measures undertaken by the Belarusian government to counter its negatives repercussions.

The reporters were also interested in the prospects of the Belarus-US political dialogue.