Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko said Friday that he was prepared to put potash miner Belaruskali up for international tender, and that he valued the firm at a minimum of $30 billion.
"If nobody buys it at this price [$30 billion], we will not be concerned. We will never give up control over it," Lukashenko said. Belarus has long been under pressure to sell Belaruskali as it tries to recover from the financial crisis but has yet to take any practical steps toward it.
Meanwhile, EU foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg on Monday will add 16 names to a list of Belarussian officials targeted by asset freezes and travel bans and discuss extending such steps to some Belarussian businesses, EU diplomats and officials said. The sanctions will bring the number of officials in Belarus targeted by EU sanctions to more than 200.
(Reuters)
