Belarus proposes making larger part of payment settlements with Uzbekistan in national currencies

MINSK. Aug 19 (Interfax) - Uzbekistan and Belarus could make a larger part of their payment settlements in national currencies, Belarus' National Bank Chairman Roman Golovchenko told Uzbek Ambassador Nuriddin Mamazhonov.

"I would like to express a wish for a larger part of our settlements to be made in national currencies. All the right conditions exist. At present, a larger part of our settlements goes in third-country currencies, mainly dollars. I think that the scale of our economies and the emerging balanced trade are creating good conditions for more payments to be made in our national currencies. That is the task of both the governments and the central banks of the two countries," Golovchenko was quoted by the BelTA state news agency as saying.

Both countries have been demonstrating economic growth, he said. "This creates conditions for us to interact more actively and further improve our performance," he said.

The ambassador in turn noted the high trust between the two countries and their leaders. "The tasks set before me are clear: to boost trade to $2 billion, to expand the industrial cooperation between Belarusian and Uzbekistani businesses. All necessary conditions for that are there," Mamazhonov said.