Opinions & Interviews

Lukashenko on Ordinance No. 7: No more obstacles to business in Belarus
“Ordinance No. 7 is the key document out of the adopted package. Its goal is to give people the opportunity to develop their business rather than think about the many bureaucratic formalities. You want to do business, you are welcome! There are no more obstacles"...

More candidates for Belarus' current local elections than in 2014
"A lot of initiative groups have been registered to collect signatures. Their number is bigger than it was four years ago. This gives us optimism that we will have more candidates to the local councils than in 2014"...

Belarus’ vice premier: Draft decree on digital economy development approved
According to Vladimir Semashko, the Hi-Tech Park was a successful project in the IT sector, although not everyone was sure that it was needed. "Despite all the crises, recessions, the park has been expanding every year. Last year the park earned a total of $780 million"...

Solid groundwork for Belarus’ agribusiness to perform well in 2018
Agribusiness companies maintained a positive momentum in 2017. In January-November 2017, the gross agricultural output went up by 4.1% in all categories of agricultural enterprises; the gross output of state-owned agricultural companies went up by 5.3%...

Belarus to stop importing electricity thanks to modernization effort
“It is in our economic interests. If it was unprofitable for us, we would buy some electricity and sign contracts in a calm manner. We don’t intend to import right now, including for the duration of the repair campaign”...

Lukashenko: Revised version of Ordinance No. 3 should be pragmatic, balanced
“We need to discuss the proposals of the government on employment in detail. I have promised to prepare and adopt a presidential decree to develop famous Ordinance No. 3 by the end of the year," Alexander Lukashenko said...

Energy minister explains reasons for Belarus’ decision to stop importing electricity in 2018
“There is no politics in here. Russia has always been and remains to be the main strategic partner for Belarus. The decision to stop importing electricity is purely economic,” noted Vladimir Potupchik...

Belarus’ Council of Republic to improve parliamentary monitoring
“The Council of the Republic should get a feedback from local legislatures to monitor the implementation of laws, the efficiency of their norms and law enforcement practices, and to find out what should be done to improve the legislation,” Mikhail Myasnikovich remarked...

Vietnam-EAEU free trade agreement promotes cooperation with Belarus
Belarus-Vietnam trade (according to Vietnam’s statistics) reached $130 million in January-October 2017, up 25% from the same period a year prior, the diplomat said. Belarus’ and Vietnam’s exports totaled $81 million and $48 million, respectively...

Positive trends in Belarus-PACE dialogue welcomed
“Starting January next year, our delegation will be able to participate in the discussion of all issues that are considered in the meetings of the Political Committee of that organization,” he said...

Belarus CEC: Turnout in local elections will depend on media activity
The CEC head also noted that the activity shown by the political parties and public associations in the region during the formation of the election commissions and the establishment of initiative teams is in keeping with the general trend across the country...

Prices for premium Belarus-made Geely car described as competitive
"If we talk about the model, which is already assembled — Geely Atlas NL3, it will compete with Kia Sportage and some other models. We aim to offer slightly lower [prices]. It is up to the available car options after that. This is why we’ve mentioned the price range of $17,000-25,000"...

Belarus to stop importing electricity in 2018
Belarus has completed talks on the electricity import with Russia. “We have decided not to buy it at the Russian prices and replace it with domestic electricity. We will stop importing electric power in 2018,” Vladimir Potupchik said...

Semashko: Upgrade projects pay off for Belarus in 2017
According to preliminary data, the surplus will amount to $820 million in 2017. “The country has started to earn big money,” the vice premier said...

Lukashenko sends greetings to workers of Belarusian security service
“A glorious century-old chronicle of the national security service has many bright pages with legendary names, examples of true patriotism, crystal honesty, exemplary fulfillment of service duties and selflessness,” the message of greetings reads...

Five Cities in One central to SDG effort in Minsk
Igor Yurkevich explained that the formula contains five development priorities: a city of health and high social standards, a city of knowledge and scientific technologies, a city attractive for doing business and making investments...

IMF: Belarusian economy is recovering thanks to more effective economic measures
“The Belarusian economy is recovering after two years of recession, helped by better policies, a more favorable external environment, and stronger domestic demand conditions. In Q3 2017 the economy grew by 1.7% year-on-year, amid household consumption boosted by strong wage growth and recovering investment”...

2017 praised as milestone year for Belarus-Israel relations
Summing up the results of the outgoing year, he noted that 2017 has been a year of important bilateral events, including the marking of the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two states...

Sweden notes Belarus’ commitment to reaching SDGs
Reaching the Sustainable Development Goals in economic, ecological, and social spheres in Belarus, including via public private partnership, was the key item on the agenda of the parliamentary hearings in the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus on 19 December...

Lithuanian free economic zone director praises investment conditions in Belarus
“Resident companies of our free economic zone invest in Belarus and will continue to invest. This is the best proof that you have created the conditions for investment and we must take advantage of them”...