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The Belarusian Investment Forum opens in London on Tuesday as the Belarusian government seeks to actively promote the country’s investment opportunities abroad.
The Belarusian delegation to the event is led by Prime Minister Syarhey Sidorski, who has been staying in London since November 16.
According to the press office of the Belarusian Council of Ministers, the Investment Forum will have sections on: Metallurgical, Petrochemical, Machine-building and Energy Industries; The Development of Financial Markets and Financial Institutions; Farming, Farm Produce Processing, Food and Light Industries; and The Provinces, Free Economic Zones, Small and Medium-Sized Businesses.
The Forum, featuring the participation of senior executives from across Europe, is aimed at promoting investment opportunities in Belarus, encouraging business cooperation and ties, and creating a favorable image for Belarus as a business destination and investment partner.
With Mr. Sidorski as the keynote speaker, the Forum will explore government support measures, the legislative protection of rights for foreign investors, preferential tax treatment, and customs and registration regulations.
The event will take place at Church House Conference Centre, a historic venue built in central London in 1887 to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria.
The organization of the forum caused a mixed reaction, with some experts questioning its expedience.
While speaking at a conference in Minsk last week, Dirk Troendle, head of Germany’s International Trade Marketing GmbH, predicted that it would be very difficult to arouse the interest of potential investors in the Belarusian market.
Financial investors who normally invest funds in the modernization of a company to sell later it at a higher price "do not even want to hear of new investment subjects, including Belarus," he said, referring to the global financial crisis.
Strategic investors who look for expansion to other markets are also facing problems today, he said. "Their difficulties are so great that they do not even have an opportunity to think of some new investment," Dr. Troendle noted.
He said that the Belarusian government should think about the presentation of the country’s investment opportunities when the international situation changes to the better. //BelaPAN