Opinions & Interviews

UNWTO ready to help Belarus switch to e-visas
“Belarus needs to increase the period of visa-free stay for foreign tourists,” Taleb Rifai noted. “It is much more profitable to attract tourists who can come for a longer term. Foreign nationals would like to stay here a bit longer. You do not need to expand the list of countries eligible for your visa-free entry program"...

Lukashenko urges Belarusians to revive home towns
“I would like to address all the people, who can do something for the country today, particularly people of means with certain capabilities. Let’s do what everyone can do, what can be done for our birthplaces in the next few years"...

Kupala Night Festival named symbol of Belarusian culture
The deputy prime minister said that this large-scale art project is aimed at preserving and developing cultural traditions and enabling the mutual enrichment of cultures. The festival grows more and more popular every year and is about to become a Belarusian brand. “Today we see new guests from various countries at the festival venues,” said the official...

UNWTO head: Belarus can receive 2 to 4 times more tourists
Secretary General of the World Tourism Organization Taleb Rifai noted that everything is in place in Belarus for a significant increase in the number of tourist arrivals in the coming years. Taleb Rifai believes that at this stage, it would be worthwhile to focus on developing the country’s brand...

Lukashenko: Belarus-USA dialogue on sensitive matters should continue in a constructive manner
“It is necessary to continue the Belarus-USA dialogue on sensitive matters in a constructive manner. Time has shown that it is an effective way to mutually adjust our views and address the existing differences of opinions. We should advance from mutual complaints and demands towards vigorous cooperation"...

U.S. congressman: Relations with Belarus will be important to U.S. foreign policy
Roger Wicker said he sees certain opportunities for cooperation with the new Administration of Mr. Trump. He also said that he sees great opportunities for positive changes and new joint achievements for the United States of America and the Republic of Belarus...

West 2017 army exercise described as important step in ensuring Belarus’ national security
“Taking into account the growing terrorist threat in the world, increasing illegal migration, spread of drugs, import of guns, it is needed to improve the system of ensuring border security in the state,” the Belarusian leader emphasized. “These risks have a considerable impact on public security. In this regard law enforcement bodies should step up efforts to ensure the safety of life and work for our citizens”...

Minsk viewed as comfortable venue to discuss new Helsinki Process
“The main idea is that Minsk is ready to take the lead in organizing the discussions on the new Helsinki Process. There are many new and old problems piled up in Europe. We should not keep silent about them, as the president remarked. Unfortunately, the global situation has not been changing for the better: a new political and economic landscape is evident now”...

Belarus looks forward to new projects with World Tourism Organization
“On the world’s tourist map Belarus is a relatively young nation. We have a lot to show: beautiful nature, excellent sports infrastructure, very hospitable people, and rich cultural heritage,” Maksim Ryzhenkov noted...

Austrian foreign minister stresses need to implement Minsk Agreements
“Conflicts in the OSCE is something we must focus on. I am referring to the conflict in Ukraine. The situation there is very serious,” he said. OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Austria, Sebastian Kurz stressed that the Minsk Agreements on Ukraine must be implemented...

Opinion: Minsk is a recognized venue for international diplomacy
Christine Muttonen emphasized that for decades Minsk has been recognized as a venue for the work of international diplomacy and for resolving conflicts. The diplomat noted that this is synonymous to the effort to achieve a peaceful settlement in Nagorno-Karabakh...

Lukashenko: Europe is in the epicenter of problems, it is necessary to resolve them in time
“If we fail to address these problems in time, they will generate more serious problems that will be impossible to avoid or will require huge amounts of money to deal with. This is why problems need to be resolved in a timely manner,” stated the Belarus president...

Lukashenko in favor of developing unified election standards in OSCE
The head of state emphasized that there should not be any double standards in holding elections. For example, the OSCE/ODIHR has different requirements to different states, and has absolutely no requirements to certain states....

Lukashenko suggests launching discussion on new Helsinki Process in OSCE
The head of state said that there is an apparent need to renew the pan-European dialogue on measures to strengthen trust, security and cooperation. “This should be done bearing in mind the enormous positive experience associated with the Helsinki Process of the 1970s that showed that the actions should be proactive, rather than reactive. All this points to the relevance of the idea to launch a new Helsinki Process, a broad dialogue aimed at overcoming the existing differences in the relations between the countries in our Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian region”...

Lukashenko describes alleged mass media freedom infringement in Belarus as old cliche
“Belarus’ mass media space develops vigorously. Mass media with different forms of ownership and political views are represented here. The alleged infringement of mass media freedom in Belarus is a cliche from the old arsenal. It lacks any sense in the age of the Internet”...

Belarus president calls for OSCE’s reform, bigger role in conflict resolution
“Problems need to be resolved at the very start just like illnesses should be treated at the very beginning. If we let the process develop, you know what it can lead to. It is necessary to respond to such conflicts and respond seriously. The matter of the OSCE reform for the sake of making the organization more efficient and decisive is getting more and more important these days”...

Kupchyna: Belarus seeks to contribute to countering global challenges
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Belarus to Austria, Belarus’ Permanent Representative to the OSCE Alena Kupchyna said. Alena Kupchyna said that interparliamentary ties can provide a fertile ground for developing solutions to overcome disagreements and controversies...

Rusnano sees prospects of cooperation with Belarus
"The network the [Rusnano] Fund [for Infrastructure and Education Programs] has created may become part of these cooperation schemes. The network comprises 15 infrastructure centers and over 600 small enterprises created by these centers”...

Nuclear power plant to reduce Belarus’ CO2 emissions by 10m tonnes per year
Lilia Dulinets, Deputy Director of the Nuclear Energy Department of the Belarusian Energy Ministry, said during the roundtable session held in Minsk to discuss environmental aspects and safety in the development of nuclear power industry...

OSCE PA president describes Belarus as bridge between West, East
Christine Muttonen remarked that a long time ago Minsk became a venue where important forums are convened and world-building matters are discussed. “We already see Belarus not only as a bridge between the East and the West but a bridge between different countries. In other words, Belarus is already an important international platform,” she said...