Vasily Zharko, Healthcare Minister of the Republic of Belarus and Natalia Makhanko, Director of the Chance International Children's Charity Foundation signed today in Minsk an Agreement of Cooperation in the presence of Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee and Vladimir Semashko, First Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus.

The Agreement stipulates implementing in the Republic of Belarus a nation-wide program – Early Detection of Hearing Loss in Children. Modern equipment will be supplied as part of the program to all Belarusian healthcare institutions for timely diagnostics of children's hearing loss and continuous audiologic screening of newborns and infants. It is expected that the overall level of children's disability related to hearing loss may be reduced due to this program.

Gazprom's subsidiary Gazprom Transgaz Belarus will be the key partner of the Chance Foundation and will allocate BYR 5 billion to the program.

In addition, Gazprom will assist in implementing Early Detection of Visual Impairment in Children – another program of the Foundation that will receive BYR 3 billion at the initial stage. The Company considers a possibility of participating in other projects aimed at developing the system of early diagnostics and timely treatment of children in the Republic of Belarus.

At the end of the business trip to Belarus, Alexey Miller met with Gazprom Transgaz Belarus team. Special attention was paid to the company's operations, the prospects for developing the Belarusian gas transmission system as well as the company's plans on wider use of natural gas vehicles.

A new Gomel Car Repair Plant bus bought by Gazprom Transgaz Belarus was shown to the Gazprom Management Committee Chairman. This gas-fired bus model was created with the participation of Gazprom Transgaz Belarus specialists.

The meeting particularly considered Gazprom's social projects. Alexey Miller announced that in April 2014 Minsk would host one of the two zonal rounds of Europe's largest International Children's Ice Hockey Tournament of the Kontinental Hockey League named Gazprom Neft Cup.