MINSK, 27 September (BelTA) – Belarus' Economy Ministry is in favor of establishing a public association for public-private partnership (PPP) development, Deputy Economy Minister Pavel Utyupin said at the international conference “PPPs in Germany and Belarus: Comparative analysis and recommendations”, BelTA has learned.
"We are open to proposals of the private sector and ready to discuss the steps to develop the best mutually beneficial schemes of implementation of infrastructure projects. I want to address the business communities with a proposal to establish a public association for PPP development which will unite the highly qualified legal, economic and technical experts. Belarus' Economy Ministry is interested in the private sector playing an active role and the expert assistance will only help us," Pavel Utyupin said.
He stated that a short while ago Belarus took a big step towards implementing PPP projects and forming an institutional environment and legal framework. "We can already see a range of shortcomings in the legislation which will be improved in order to successfully implement future projects," the deputy economy minister said.
Pavel Utyupin also noted the significant transport and logistics potential of Belarus. "Transport infrastructure serves not only Belarus. It also works as a link between Europe and Asia," he stressed. The deputy economy minister also stated that infrastructure should always be in a satisfactory condition and adhere to the highest European standards. "In terms of optimization of spending we need to actively involve private capital in infrastructure development and explore new mechanisms for interaction between the state and the private sector," he said.
The international conference is organized by the international law firm Arzinger & Partners and the German-Belarusian economic club. A co-organizer of the event is the state institution National Agency of Investment and Privatization.
The main goal of the conference is to support PPP development in Belarus through the demonstration of modern and widely used German approaches and PPP project implementation practices that will help expand economic cooperation between Germany and Belarus.
