Foreign hard currency back in exchange bureaus

"2 000 USD? Yes, it is available," one can hear today at exchange offices in Minsk. This indicates USD and Euros are freely available after the government abolished the foreign cutrrency fee, stabilizing the single exchange rate. Tellers say Belarusians have begun selling key currencies rather than strictly buying them out as it was the case just recently.

"On Thursday-Friday (February 5-6) people began to sell more," the Euroradio reporter is told by tellers at Belagroprombank in Karl Marx street downtown Minsk. "On Thursday, clients were mostly selling small banknotes. Last Friday, bigger amounts of several thousands USD were on the market."

Tellers at Belarusbank seem to confirm to Euroradio the same trend:

"People are selling. Why not?"

Other banks have reported similar developments in the capital city of Minsk but not all around, naturally. For example, at Delta Bank people were seen mostly selling small amounts of 50-200 USD "to pay for their living."

The Euroradio correspondent in Brest confirms foreign currencies are available at the exchange offices of Absolutbank and Iranian bank Fracabank. Tellers say they have enough dollars and euros.

Brest residents say it is realistic to purchase over 2000 US dollars just within 20 minutes now. What matters now is where people should get rubles from in order to buy the foreign money!

Bankers reveal that the US dollar remains "the most preferred currency" for Belarusians. The Russian ruble is no longer in demand - it is either sold immediately or transferred into another foreign currency.

Photo: cont.ws