Events

Chairman of Standing Committee of China’s National People's Congress to visit Belarus
“We organize mutual visits and exchanges, and 2017 will not be an exception. There are plans to hold bilateral meetings and high-level events almost every month,” the minister noted...

Shamko to head organizing committee for 2017 European Fencing Championships U23
Sport and Tourism Minister Alexander Shamko has been appointed chairman of the organizing committee. First Deputy Sport and Tourism Minister, Chairman of the Belarusian National Fencing Federation Alexander Gagiyev has been appointed his deputy...

Minsk to host first conference of honorary consuls in 2017
“The title of honorary consul can be given to persons holding a respected position in the public, economic, cultural and other areas of life in the country of residence, have the necessary personal traits, and are able to effectively perform the functions they are entrusted with,” Dmitry Mironchik explained...

Next meeting of Belarus-Romania intergovernmental commission slated for H2 2017
Andrei Grinkevich, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Belarus to Romania, met with Cornel Ionescu, Head of the Division for Eastern Europe and Central Asia at the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss the preparations for the meeting of the intergovernmental commission...

Lukashenko to pay official visits to Egypt, Sudan 15-17 January
In Cairo, the Belarusian head of state will hold one-on-one and extended negotiations with Egypt President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. The sides will discuss the current state of bilateral relations and their enhancement prospects. In Khartoum, Alexander Lukashenko will hold talks with Sudan President Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir...

CIS free trade in services agreement expected to be signed in 2017
In assessing the CIS prospects in 2017, the minister drew attention to the economic dimension. “The cornerstone is a free trade agreement that defines the rules for the movement of goods. We also need to address the challenges regarding the development of the common market for public procurement and free trade zone for services,” Vladimir Makei said...

Belarus ready to take active part in initiatives during Russia's CIS presidency
“We believe that the Russian side will take on its responsibilities with zest and will manage to fulfill our joint aspirations for improved, more effective cooperation. I would like to stress that Belarus will take a most active part in the implementation of all the initiatives to be conducted in the CIS,” Vladimir Makei noted...

Belarus calls for quality decisions in CIS
“Documents submitted to heads of state or heads of government should be about economic efficiency, return on investment. These requirements will help unload the agendas of the relevant CIS agencies and make the decision-making more efficient,” said the Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs...

Belarus calls for optimization of CIS Economic Court
According to the minister, the experts have already undertaken the necessary consultations and drafted documents to optimize the court. Vladimir Makei expressed the hope that the Council will approve the drafts so that they could be submitted to the CIS bodies by 1 April 2017...

Belarus calls for revision of CIS legal framework
The minister stressed that revision of the legal framework of the CIS is high on the agenda. He pointed out that an infinite number of documents have been signed over the quarter of a century since the establishment of the CIS. “Many of them are no longer in use, still they can pose legal obstacles to the implementation of new decisions in the future,” Vladimir Makei added...

Lukashenko to hold session to discuss law enforcement agencies’ performance soon
“In the near future we will hold the session to discuss the performance of all law enforcement agencies in 2016, we will invite the representatives of judicial bodies to outline and discuss the issues that I am monitoring, starting from the reformation of the judicial and investigation system in general,” Alexander Lukashenko said...

Belarus eyes Central America markets
Yevgeny Shestakov met with Laureano Ortega, the Nicaraguan government investment advisor, Minister of Development, Industry and Commerce Orlando Solorzano, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Eastern Europe and Central Asia Luis Molina Cuadra, and National Director of the National Disaster Prevention Agency Guillermo Gonzalez...

Belarus-Holy See cooperation discussed in Vatican
The Belarusian diplomat met with Vatican Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and Secretary for Relations with States within the Holy See's Secretariat of State Paul Gallagher. The parties talked over bilateral cooperation, including the progress made in the implementation of the agreements reached during the official visit of Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko to Vatican in May 2016...

Belarus, Azerbaijan discuss political, economic cooperation
The parties agreed that the embassies of the two countries will first of all focus on the implementation of the program of social and economic cooperation between the Republic of Belarus and the Azerbaijani Republic through 2025. The program was signed during the official visit of the President of Belarus to Azerbaijan in November 2016...

Belarus condemns latest terrorist attacks in Afghanistan
According to the source, with pain at heart Belarus received the tragic news about the terrorist attacks that took multiple human lives in Afghanistan on 10 January...

Foreign diplomats briefed on Belarus visa-free entry rules
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted representatives of the diplomatic missions of the EU member countries, the United States, Japan, South Korea, Norway and the Vatican. They met with Igor Fisenko, Head of the Central Consular Office, Andrei Bushilo, Head of the European Cooperation Office, and Alexei Samosuyev, Head of Eurasian Integration Department of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs...

Chinese Red Cross to study Belarusian experience of dealing with natural and man-made disasters
The delegation of the Henan Red Cross Society of China visited Grodno Oblast. The guests got acquainted with the working experience of the Grodno Oblast Office of the Belarusian Red Cross Society (BRCS) in disaster response, in volunteer movement, and service projects to help the elderly and children...

MFA: Great interest from foreign nationals to visa-free entry to Belarus
Spokesman for Belarus' Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dmitry Mironchik told...

Belarus to sit on UNICEF Executive Board in 2017
Deputy Permanent Representative of Belarus in the UN Irina Velichko has been elected deputy chairperson of the UNICEF Executive Board to represent the Eastern Europe regional group...

Belarus-OSCE cooperation prospects discussed
The parties discussed the current level of cooperation between Belarus and the OSCE, prospects to develop interaction in political, economic, humanitarian and environmental areas. The parties also shared opinions on the regional and European security issues of current importance...