OREANDA-NEWS. May 22, 2009. Belarus urges the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to get more actively involved in large-scale energy industry and infrastructure projects in the country, said Belarus Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Kobyakov at a plenary session of the EBRD Board of Governors in London, reported the press-centre of government.by.

The Belarusian delegation took part in an annual session of the EBRD Board of Governors in London. The delegation also included representatives of the Economy Ministry and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

At the plenary session of the EBRD Board of Governors the head of the Belarusian delegation backed the EBRD plans for increasing the anticrisis funding and called upon the EBRD leadership to get more actively involved in large-scale energy and infrastructure projects in Belarus. The Vice Premier also pointed out the need to expand the EBRD operation in the country and to adopt a comprehensive EBRD strategy for Belarus for 2010-2013.

As part of the session of the EBRD Board of Governors the Belarusian delegation held negotiations with EBRD First Vice President Varel Freeman. The sides discussed specific avenues of the bank’s future operation in Belarus, organisation of cooperation between experts and the EBRD management with a view to implementing the existing EBRD strategy for Belarus as well as preparing a new country strategy for 2010-2013.

Andrei Kobyakov also held negotiations with World Bank Vice President Shigeo Katsu to discuss the possibility of increasing credit limits for Belarus as part of the existing World Bank strategy for Belarus.

Meetings with top executives of the European Investment Bank, the Nordic Investment Bank, and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation were held to talk over bilateral cooperation. Apart from that, a meeting with top executives of the London office of the company Institutional Investor took place. The sides discussed mechanisms for attracting large companies to making investments into Belarus. A presentation of Belarus took place as part of the EBRD Business Forum.