MOGILEV, 28 March (BelTA) – Belarus needs a program to promote equitable development of regions, Chairman of the Mogilev Oblast Executive Committee Vladimir Domanevsky said as he talked to the working group on economic development comprising representatives of the Belarusian Ministries of Economy, Labor, Architecture and Construction, BelTA has learned.
According to Vladimir Domanevsky, the country does not have a coordinated policy or plan of long-term regional development. This leads to the disparity in financing and development of certain regions. “We should develop a well-balanced approach to the distribution of budgetary resources, sort out priority areas and territories of development and move to a more proactive regional policy. We should also implement major investment projects in industrial and construction sectors in Belarus. To my mind, it is impractical to invest only in a certain well-developed region,” Vladimir Domanevsky noted.
According to him, distal territories should receive more support and preferences for the purpose of further sustainable development. “This is the only way we can attract investors and business, develop social sector and improve the living standards,” Vladimir Domanevsky said. As an example of such policy he mentioned a pilot project on the development of the Belarusian south-east. The region has gained a certain momentum but has not yet achieved drastic changes in social and economic development. “Stronger measures should be taken to promote social sector and business in this region,” Vladimir Domanevsky clarified.
He also put special focus on debt burden of real economy, lack of current assets and high cost of credit resources in the country. All these things restrain economic development. Vladimir Domanevsky and the working group also discussed the price disparity in agriculture, attraction of FDI, implementation of several major social projects in the region, creation of new jobs and pay rise.
Belarus Deputy Economy Minister Pavel Utyupin pointed out that the working group aims to study the issues of development raised by the chairman of the Mogilev Oblast Executive Committee. “The working group will analyze these problems and work out joint prompt and strategic measures to promote economic growth in the region,” Pavel Utyupin remarked.
During a two days' visit the working group visited Kirovsk District and Bykhov District and met with the administration, representatives of organizations, private business and reviewed the work of several enterprises.
