BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

19/09/2007

Belarus's Foreign-Trade Deficit Soars In 2007

The Ministry of Statistics and Analysis has revealed that Belarus's foreign-trade deficit in the first seven months of 2007 amounted to $2 billion, Belapan reported. In the same period of 2006, the foreign-trade deficit stood at $990 million. The ministry explained that the deficit was primarily due to increased imports of "intermediate products," such as energy, raw materials, and components. Following the rise in Russian gas prices and oil-export duties as of January, Belarus also registered a deficit of $790 million in trade in energy in the first seven months of 2007, compared with a surplus of $226 million in the same period of 2006. JM

Source:

http://www.rferl.org/newsline/2007/09/3-cee/cee-190907.asp

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