Some issues have the power to change the course of society. One such area for Belarus is the exploration of its minerals and raw materials.
Photo: BelTA
Of course, Belarus is not Saudi Arabia and cannot rely on billions of Dollars in oil sales but President Lukashenko has many times spoken of the necessity of conducting thorough geological research into deposits. New oil fields are found almost every year but not all are economically feasible to drill. Nevertheless, Belarus has untapped potential in this sphere.
In late June, Andrey Kovkhuto was appointed as the new Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, with the mission of making a detailed study of Belarusian deposits. The President explained, “It seems to me that we are seriously underutilising the field of mineral resource investigation. I don’t believe that our country lacks huge amounts of oil or natural gas. Much oil, natural gas and precious metals are mined on similar territories in other countries.”
Mr. Kovkhuto is to establish a geological service to analyse Belarus’ minerals and raw materials, so that a report can be made to the President later this year.
Various states rich in natural resources — such as Zimbabwe, Venezuela and other Latin American and African states — have proposed co-operation with Belarus regarding geological exploration and mineral deposit mining. Mr. Lukashenko has ordered that Belarus investigate the matter further, to discover the true benefits to Belarus.
By Vladimir Khromov
