Events

Lukashenko to visit Uzbekistan for SCO summit 23-24 June
The forthcoming SCO summit in Tashkent will be the first one for Belarus in the observer status...

Belarus, Czech Republic discuss visa policies
The parties discussed the priorities of Belarusian and Czech visa policies and application of consular legislation...

Delegation of Thai MPs to visit Belarus 25-29 June
The delegation will meet with Belarusian Prime Minister Andrei Kobyakov and speakers of the two chambers of the Belarusian parliament, Vladimir Andreichenko and Mikhail Myasnikovich. The Thai MPs will visit the city of Vitebsk to hold negotiations at the Vitebsk Oblast Executive Committee...

Minsk, Beijing to increase student exchanges
The meeting held at the Minsk Town Hall involved Minsk Mayor Andrei Shorets, head of the Education Committee of Minsk City Hall Mikhail Mironchik, and director of the Beijing Municipal Commission of Education Xian Lianping...

IMF staff to visit Belarus 21-30 June
An IMF mission led by Peter Dolman will visit Belarus from 21 to 30 June to assess the current economic policy and hold annual consultations with authorities under Article IV. The program of the visit includes meetings with government officials, representatives of the central bank, the private sector...

UNHCR in Belarus to examine Belarusian attitudes towards refugees
“We are planning to conduct a study to examine the tolerance of Belarusians to refugees. I think that the results of the study will be made available in 2017. The field work will begin in the second half of 2016,” Jean-Yves Bouchardy said...

Belarus’ Interior Ministry: Inflow of forced migrants still high
This year the inflow of displaced persons remains at a high level. This year, about 300 foreigners have already applied for asylum in Belarus. Since 2014 Ukrainians have been the largest group of forced migrants arriving in Belarus. More than 1,600 of Ukrainian citizens have applied for refugee status or subsidiary protection in Belarus...

Lukashenko: Belarus’ healthcare relies on highest professionalism and mercy
The stable healthcare industry is a reliable foundation of Belarus’ social policy which has helped increase life expectancy and birth rate, reduce mortality rate in recent years...

Lukashenko speaks about efficiency of centralized tests
According to the President, he has mixed feelings about this form of exams. An obvious advantage is that the existing system helped virtually eradicate corruption and bribery in the process of enrollment...

Moderate state control over prices to stay in place in Belarus
The head of state reminded that he had recently signed the decree to establish the Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade Ministry. Alexander Lukashenko explained that the decision had been necessitated by results of social polls among other things. Social polls indicate that prices represent one of the things Belarusians are most concerned about...

Belarus, Latvia called to focus on trade, cross-border cooperation
Vitaly Busko noted that Belarus and Latvia have been developing cross-border cooperation. This theme is a regular issue for discussion at the meetings between MPs that make their contribution to the development of this important area...

Gomel Oblast children hospital to get state-of-the-art equipment
“We have agreed that it will be a state-of-the-art hospital. We have to take good care of kids and the equipment must be top notch,” stressed the head of state...

Poltavchenko: Cooperation with Belarus is a priority for Saint Petersburg
The parties reviewed the status of implementation of the program for trade, economic, scientific, technical and humanitarian cooperation between Saint Petersburg and Belarus in 2012-2016 and discussed suggestions regarding the new cooperation program for 2017-2021...

Gomel-Minsk regular electric railway route opened
The head of state was briefed on the progress in the electrification of the Osipovichi-Gomel railway section and on the final stage of the Minsk-Gomel railway electrification project. The President was shown a new Stadler-made rolling stock on electric traction and a BCG-2 electric locomotive made in China...

Belarus, EU to discuss easing visa requirements in Bratislava 23 June
On 21 June Prague will host the Belarusian-Czech consultations. On 23 June Bratislava will play host to the Belarusian-Slovak consultations. The Belarusian delegation will be led by Head of the Consular Department at the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Igor Fisenko, the Czech delegation by David Novy. The Slovak delegation will be led by Head of the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Igor Pokojny...

House of Representatives votes for Belarus’ accession to Patent Law Treaty
The accession to the Patent Law Treaty simplifies the formal procedures in respect of national and regional patents for invention and application for patents for inventions...

Belarus’ new military doctrine passes second reading in House of Representatives
The new doctrine includes such concepts as hybrid warfare and color revolutions. The draft document was submitted to the House of Representatives on 12 February 2016 after it was approved by the President of Belarus following a meeting of the Security Council...

Minsk to host ALLEA Council meeting 20-21 June
Attending the meeting will be ALLEA President Gunter Stock and members of the council – representatives of the Academies of Sciences of Germany, Austria, the UK, Italy, Belgium, Finland, Switzerland and other countries...

Makei to attend annual meeting of CEI Ministers of Foreign Affairs
Belarus will be represented at the meeting by Vladimir Makei. The agenda of the meeting will include issues related to cooperation in the CEI, including the migratory crisis, stronger connectivity in the transportation and energy sectors, and the role of the CEI in the European integration processes...

Belarus government action plan for H2 2016 approved
The Presidium of the Council of Ministers will take stock of the progress made in the fulfillment of the tasks for 2016 in part of job creation and employment, efficiency of free economic zones, import substitution and domestic market protection measures...