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Ambassador upbeat on cooperation between Belarusian, British NGOs
Despite the lack of constructive dialogue between the Belarusian and UK governments, cooperation between the two countries' non-governmental organisations and ordinary people continues to develop, British Ambassador Brian Bennett said in an interview with BelaPAN.
The diplomat noted that UK-based charities supplied humanitarian aid to Belarus and arranged holiday trips to Britain for Chernobyl-affected children. Some 3,500 Belarusian children visit the UK under such programmes annually, he said.
Mr. Bennett expressed certainty that aid offered by British charities to Belarusian Chernobyl-hit children and people with disability enriched the system of social protection in the country.
The aid and care that Belarusian people with disability receive from British NGOs are based on the UK's advanced experience, which considerably raises their quality of life, according to the ambassador.
UK-based charities have also used their experience to open foster homes for Belarusian orphans, he added.
Mr. Bennett acknowledged that the lack of progress in dialogue between Minsk and London slowed down the development of bilateral economic cooperation, noting that British companies were reluctant to invest in Belarus because of reservations about the country's business environment.
Trade between the two countries amounted to $1,578 million in 2006, but supplies of petroleum products accounted for the lion's share of the volume, the ambassador said.
Iryna SAZANOVICH
http://naviny.by/rubrics/inter/2007/06/14/ic_articles_259_151418/
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