MINSK, 22 September (BelTA) – Over the course of five years the National Agency of Investment and Privatization of Belarus (NAIP) has managed to earn the trust of investors. NAIP Director Natalya Nikandrova made the relevant statement during the online conference hosted by the BelTA website on 22 September.
The official said: “Our key accomplishment in this period is that we have created a certain potential, that we employ people, who understand in what direction we are moving, how we tackle our tasks. We have already earned the trust of investors, who recommend us to each other. It is very pleasant to hear that at some meeting in Kazakhstan investors, who were willing to work in Belarus, were told to contact our agency.”
Natalya Nikandrova reminded that the National Agency of Investment and Privatization has existed for five years already. “It is a small period of time. We have a very young team. It is understandable that in these years the understanding of the tasks we face and how these tasks can be accomplished has evolved. The main purpose the agency was meant to achieve is to provide assistance and support for attracting foreign direct investments into the country. We are the agency that works with foreign companies, which show interest in Belarus,” she explained.
Apart from that, the agency is supposed to promote Belarus' investment potential abroad. “We try to attract as much attention as possible to the opportunities in Belarus, to encourage investors to come here and maybe decide in favor of starting a business of their own here. Apart from that, NAIP is implementing a joint pilot project with the World Bank to arrange the so-called exemplary privatization. It is another goal of our agency, something the agency was created for,” said Natalya Nikandrova.
Speaking about how NAIP works with potential investors, Natalya Nikandrova mentioned there are no cut-and-dried solutions. “Every case is unique and has its own peculiarities. More often than not investors, who arrive in Belarus, have their own vision of their business and certain interests. Everything depends on where those interests lie. We usually provide some general information and try to answer all the questions. If necessary, we arrange marketing studies, choose sites, help organize access to certain resources that investors may need to start a business, including raw materials or human resources. We help get a land plot for implementing projects. Everything depends on concrete interests and concrete investment projects. But we always try to balance mutual interests of the state and the investor,” said Natalya Nikandrova.
