Opinions & Interviews

FM: Belarus-EU visa facilitation talks in progress
As BelTA reported earlier, in line with the Belarus-EU draft agreement on visa facilitation and readmission, the Schengen visa fee for Belarusians might be reduced to €35...

Belarus to stay partners with Russia, improve relations with NATO
In line with the adjusted concept Belarus will continue pursuing the strategic policy aimed at partnership with Russia while staying focused on maintaining a high level of relations with Collective Security Treaty Organization member states, China, and CIS member states...

Great hopes for new Team Belarus at FIS Nordic World Ski Championships
“The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Seefeld kicked off on 20 February. Our team is taking part in them. This is a new team with a new head coach”...

Minister sees no big risks for manufacturers after Belarus accession to WTO
He believes that the advantages of the WTO accession outnumber and outweigh the risks associated with it, because the WTO accession will give more legal instruments to protect the interests of Belarusian manufacturers when their products are not allowed to foreign markets...

Kryuko: OECH19 bronze in Raubichi is a good result after illness
“I missed the North American World Cups, so we decided to compete. I am very glad that I have made it to the podium after being sick”...

Belarusian biathletes share impressions after first race in IBU Open European Championships
Raman Yaliotnau and Sergei Bocharnikov stand 15th and 16th respectively after today’s Men 20km Individual race...

Essential improvement of tourism infrastructure in Belarus noted
"First and foremost, the tourism infrastructure, means of accommodation, particularly farm tourism, have been unbelievably improved. You can see the changes as soon as you arrive starting with the airport and later along the road. I’d like to draw attention to local cuisine"...

Tourism exchange between Belarus, Israel on the rise
"Today, all the conditions are in place to boost tourism exchange between our countries. In this connection Belarus has been working actively to create most favorable conditions for tourists from Israel"...

FM: Foreign ministry seeks to enhance Belarus’ role in global politics
In his words, in the face of some adverse external factors, the country went ahead with its efforts to secure its sovereignty, pursue an independent, balanced and multi-vector policy, promote integration processes in the Eurasian space...

Hospitable Belarus charms National Geographic Israel editor-in-chief
"Despite the weather, as we have come during the off-season, I feel special warmth here. I was, first of all, touched by people. They are very hospitable. I felt at home everywhere"...

Belarusian government to focus on making public sector more effective in 2019
The prime minister reminded that the head of state had clearly specified requirements concerning the development and submission for approval of the measures designed to support enterprises...

Opinion: Providing one free IVF procedure is the right thing to do
"Maternity benefits alone (the benefits for mothers raising children under three years of age) are estimated at nearly Br2.2 billion, or 1.8% of GDP. We realize that the country can be proud of that. According to experts, nearly 5% of GDP is spent on supporting families"...

Belarus views Serbia as reliable partner
In his words, the friendly nature of the Belarusian-Serbian relations is reconfirmed during every meeting at the supreme and high levels. Oleg Kravchenko also emphasized the importance of the upcoming visits to Serbia this year...

Belarusian Raubichi fit to welcome international competitions
“The Legends Race gives me pleasure. I feel joy from coming back to my friends, with whom I raced here many years ago. The Raubichi Stadium has been greatly renewed: there are good tracks, a shooting range, it deserves every bit of praise. It offers excellent conditions for hosting international competitions”. Vladimir Drachev also noted that while racing he is an athlete, not a sport functionary and craves victory...

PM: Belarus, EU may restore bilateral trade of almost $27bn in 2019
“Belarus-EU relations have been vibrant recently. Last year we had good figures in bilateral trade. The Belarusian exports to the European Union grew 30%. If we continue like this, we will be able to reach the maximum of 2012 ($26.9 billion) in 2019”...

EU plans to increase project financing for Belarus
One of such cooperation avenues is improving transport infrastructure. "Belarus has a long border with the EU member states; it is a very important transit country when it comes to transit flows between the EU and Russia"...

Lukashenko: Belarus-EU issues are not chronic
“However, the word ‘possible’ does not probably fit here. We have always had these issues and will probably have them in the future. However, we have seen in recent times that all the issues are not chronic and can be settled”...

Belarus, Poland to focus on investment cooperation
"We discussed a great number of projects and concluded that we need to send a positive message to the business community (first of all, this will be done by the Polish side), to encourage more Polish businesses to come to Belarus"...

Poland ready to arrange V4+EaP foreign ministers visit to Minsk
"Poland upholds Belarus-EU rapprochement and is interested in the prompt signing of the visa facilitation agreement. It also welcomes the contribution of the Belarusian government to the Minsk agreements"...

Lukashenko: Belarus will adopt Russia’s best practices in education
“Today we are ready to open a technology park similar to Sirius,” Alexander Lukashenko said. “The experience of Sirius in revealing talents is very important for us. Of course, it is also a good example in terms of programs, education and accommodation for young people. Russia has gone a very interesting path, and this path is important for us. We will use it as an example. We should adopt all the best practices that we can see here”...