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National Bank chairman back on job after heart surgery

Pyotr Prakapovich, chairman of the National Bank of Belarus (NBB), returned to his duties on May 18 after recovering from heart surgery, the NBB press office said on Monday.

The press office said that Mr. Prakapovich had held a number of important meetings last week. In particular, he met with Aleksei Kudrin, Russia's deputy prime minister/finance minister, and Sergei Ignatyev, chairman of the Central Bank of Russia, as well as chaired two meetings of the NBB Board.

The NBB chairman will deal with "topical issues of the country's monetary policy" this week, according to the press office.

The 68-year-old had his heart valve replaced in a surgical procedure last month. He took sick leave in early April.

The NBB press office stressed that Mr. Prakapovich had participated actively in running the National Bank "through telephone conversations" during his sick leave.

Mr. Prakapovich has been the National Bank's chairman since 1998. This January Alyaksandr Lukashenka extended his term in office until December 31, 2015. //BelaPAN