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Minsk in no hurry to sell potassium company Belaruskaly

“As concerns Belaruskaly, the price has been fixed – 30 billion U.S. dollars, at least,” the Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko said on Thursday

MINSK, December 9 (Itar-Tass) —— Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has said Minsk is no hurry to sell the country’s biggest potassium company Belaruskaly.

“As concerns Belaruskaly, the price has been fixed – 30 billion U.S. dollars, at least,” the Belarusian president said on Thursday. “We welcome anyone who wants to buy the company’s shares. We are ready for a dialogue.”

At the same time, he doubted the expediency of the deal. “As a matter of fact, we should not sell this company, not a single one of its shares,” he said. “If they are starting to scream that the price is too high and none of Belarusian national is able to afford it, the we should not sell it at all.”

The Belarusian president stressed the importance of the potassium industry for Belarus’ currency security and for the economic development in general. Sylvinite deposits are a national heritage but it does not mean that “we cannot use foreign capital and attract investors to spur this sector,” Lukashenko said. “The more so as there are a lot of reliable companies seeking participation. Anyone who wants to invest funds is welcome to take part in a tender for joint production and processing of potassium fetrilizers.”

According to Lukashenko, next year it is planned to commission phase one of the Berezovsky deposit, and phases two and three of the Krasnoslobodsky deposit. Thus, Belaruskaly’s output is expected to reach 11 million tons of mineral fertilizers in 2015. “This is not the ceiling,” Lukashenko added.

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