OREANDA-NEWS. On 15 June 2009 was announced, that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has adjusted the republican budget parameters for 2009 and increased the foreign debt limit by U.S. USD 2 billion to USD 8 billion. Lukashenko on May 28 signed ordinance #264 to adjust the state budget.

The ordinance extends the list of foreign state loans serviced and repaid from the republican budget. The list now includes the Turkish loan to the state-owned enterprise Direction of Sports Ministry’s projects under construction, IMF loan to support the balance of payments and economic reforms, loan of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development for governance reform, import support and reduction in the budget deficit and Chinese loan to Minskenergo.

To have a deficit-free budget, Belarus will have to attract 8.5 trillion Belarusian rubles’ worth of foreign financing, including 5.6 trillion rubles’ worth of loans from international finance institutions and 2.9 trillion rubles’ worth of loans from other foreign creditors.

The president approved a reduction in republican budget revenues by 8 trillion rubles to 46.9 trillion rubles and in expenditures by 11 trillion rubles to 46.7 trillion rubles and approved a budget deficit of zero rubles.