Belarus plans to borrow $2bn from Russia

Belarus hopes to obtain a fresh $2 billion loan from Russia in 2008, Belarus's first deputy finance minister Andrei Kharkavets said in a statement. He stressed that Belarus had never had such comfortable loan terms. The money is needed in order to secure foreign trade payments.

Russian Ambassador in Minsk Alexander Surikov told reporters on June 9 in Minsk that the finance ministries from the two countries were in talks over a new stabilization loan.