3 Mar 2011 17:23

Belarus setting up "powerful" holding companies in manufacturing

MINSK. March 3 (Interfax) - Belarus is setting up "powerful" holding companies on the basis of key manufacturers, a senior minister said on Thursday.

"There are holding companies in the making on the basis of [bus and truck manufacturer] MAZ, [haulage and earthmoving equipment maker] BelAZ and the Engine Plant, and the Minsk Tractor Plant is next in line," First Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Semashko told reporters.

Foreign investors might be allowed to take minority stakes in future holding companies, Semashko said. "This subject has never been off the agenda," he said.