Belarus News

Latest news (BELTA)

02/09/2012 07:04 PM

Russia’s SNAGA interested in joint railway projects with Belarus

MINSK, 9 February (BelTA) – The Russian company SNAGA would like to run joint projects with Belarus in railway transportation, BelTA learnt from the press service of the Ministry of Transport and Communications. Cooperation terms and prospects were discussed by Minister of Transport and Communications of Belarus Ivan Shcherbo and Director General of the SNAGA Group Vladimir Karabanov on 7 February.

02/09/2012 06:31 PM

All decisions for sustainable economic growth made in Belarus

MINSK, 9 February (BelTA) – All the decisions necessary for sustainable economic growth have been made in Belarus, Prime Minister of Belarus Mikhail Myasnikovich informed President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko on 9 February. The press service of the head of state told BelTA, the meeting had taken place before an extended government session held later that day to discuss the current social and economic situation in the country.

02/09/2012 05:07 PM

Foreign Ministry: No need for German human rights official to visit Minsk personally

MINSK, 9 February (BelTA) – The Belarusian side sees no need for a personal visit of Markus Loening to Minsk, said Maria Vanshina, Deputy Head of the Information Office, Head of the Press Service of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry, when asked about the possible visit of Markus Loening, Plenipotentiary for Human Rights Policy of the German federal government, to Belarus.

02/09/2012 04:23 PM

Belarusian and Iranian technology parks agree to cooperate

MINSK, 9 February (BelTA) - The Technological Cluster Politekhnik of the Belarusian National Technical University (BNTU) and Pardis Technology Park (PTP) under the supervision of the Presidency of the Islamic Republic of Iran signed the memorandum of understanding on cooperation in technology and innovations, BelTA learnt from the press center of the Foreign Ministry of Belarus.

02/09/2012 03:15 PM

Lukashenko: Household income will reach pre-crisis level

MINSK, 9 February (BelTA) – President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko is convinced that household income will be as big as before the crisis. He made this statement at the government session held on 9 February to discuss the current social and economic situation in the country, BelTA has learnt.

02/09/2012 02:42 PM

Lukashenko: Bungling incompetence behind the explosion in Logoisk District

MINSK, 9 February (BelTA) – Bungling incompetence should be blamed for the explosion in Logoisk District, Minsk Oblast, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said at the government session held on 9 February to discuss the current social and economic situation in the country. Alexander Lukashenko said there are many examples of bungling incompetence in the country.

02/09/2012 01:50 PM

Grant Thornton adds new member firm in Belarus

MINSK, 9 February (BelTA) – In January 2012 the Silar audit company became a new member firm of Grant Thornton International (GT), the international network of auditing and consulting companies providing audit, tax and advisory services. Silar is the first GT International member firm in Belarus.

02/09/2012 12:47 PM

Exhibition featuring ancient local crafts to open in Gomel

GOMEL, 9 February (BelTA) – The exhibition titled as Craftsmen in Ancient Gomel will open at the Palace of Rumyantsevs-Paskevichs on 9 February, BelTA learnt from this institution of culture. The exhibition will feature authentic items made by Gomel tradesmen in the 11th -13th centuries unearthed during archeological excavations in the historical part of the city, including things from the ancient Gomel gunsmith’s shop.

02/09/2012 12:02 PM

Belarusian-European relations discussed during visit of EEAS chief to Minsk

MINSK, 9 February (BelTA) - Gunnar Wiegand, Director for Russia, Eastern Partnership, Central Asia, Regional Cooperation and OSCE - European External Action Service (EEAS), visited Belarus on 8 February, BelTA learnt from the Foreign Ministry’s press service. In the Foreign Ministry Mr Gunnar Wiegand met with Roman Romanovsky, head for pan-European cooperation, to discuss the current issues of the Belarusian-European relations and possible approaches to building up further dialogue.

02/09/2012 11:26 AM

Iranian business delegation in Minsk on a visit

MINSK, 9 February (BelTA) - A delegation of Iranian businessmen headed by Minister of Industry, Mine and Commerce Mehdi Ghazanfari arrived in Minsk for the 11th meeting of the mixed Belarusian-Iranian commission for economic cooperation on 8-10 February, BelTA learnt from the Foreign Ministry of Belarus.

02/09/2012 10:55 AM

Makei, Rapota discuss urgent issues of Union State development

MINSK, 9 February (BelTA) - The head of the Presidential Administration of Belarus Vladimir Makei met with State Secretary of the Union State Grigory Rapota on 8 February, BelTA learnt from the Presidential Administration. The parties discuss issues of the Union State development, interaction

02/09/2012 10:26 AM

S Korea will expand economic cooperation with Belarus, Ambassador says

MINSK, 9 February (BelTA) - The Republic of Korea will expand economic, cultural and educational cooperation with Belarus, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Korea to Belarus Kang Weon Sik at the evening to celebrate 20 years of the Belarusian-Korean diplomatic relations.

NYT > Belarus

Updated: Aug. 22, 2011

Belarus is a former Soviet republic. Bordered by European Union countries on one side and Russia on the other, it lies at the crossroads of worldviews, torn between a desire for the freedoms and prosperity of the West and the authoritarian traditions of its larger neighbor to the east.

Aleksandr G. Lukashenko, president since 1994, has been called Europe's last dictator. In December 2010, he was re-elected with what government officials said was about 80 percent of the vote.

That month, thousands of protesters filled a large square in the center of Minsk, incensed over Mr. Lukashenko’s claim of a sweeping victory in elections that independent observers deemed a farce. The police violently broke up the rally, which had been largely peaceful, arresting more than 600 people.

Within 24 hours, seven of the nine opposition candidates for president had been arrested, and the police spent weeks rounding up people across the country for even the most tangential affiliation with the opposition.

The election's outcome was a blow not only to Mr. Lukashenko's opponents but to the European Union, which had hoped that it was helping to inch Belarus toward a less-repressive state.

In April 2011, a bomb ripped through a subway station next to Mr. Lukashenko's office, killing 12 people, wounding 150 and worsening an already tense political situation. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the explosion in the capital.

Two days later, Mr. Lukashenko announced that the security services had caught the perpetrators, saying that two suspects had confessed to the crime. But he provided few if any details of the investigation, nor did he identify the suspects or offer a clue as to their motives, deepening the mystery surrounding the attack.

Keeping Russia at Arm's Length

Until 2008, when it became clear that Mr. Lukashenko was not going to democratize his country, the E.U. adopted a policy of isolating Belarus. It imposed sanctions on some of the top leadership and tightened its visa and trade policies.

Belarus could have turned to Russia, upon which it is dependent for its gas and oil. Indeed, the Kremlin tried repeatedly to re-establish its influence in Belarus and several former Soviet republics by using its energy resources as a foreign policy instrument. But Mr. Lukashenko sought to keep Russia at arm’s length.

Instead, he forged energy and trade deals with Venezuela and China. Ties with China became so close that Beijing recently offered Mr. Lukaschenko €5 billion, or $6.6 billion, in cheap loans in return for Chinese companies’ investing in Belarus’s infrastructure and state-owned companies.

The European Union Reaching Out

Encouraged by Germany, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden, the European Union changed its policies toward Belarus. In 2008, it suspended sanctions, and Mr. Lukashenko was offered the chance of closer economic, trade and political ties with Brussels if he introduced reforms. As the 2010 presidential elections approached, the Union placed more incentives on the table. It proposed a free trade area, a relaxation of its visa restrictions and, above all, the prospect of granting Belarus €4 billion for aid programs if Mr. Lukashenko reciprocated by pursuing some reforms.

In response, the president sought to improve relations with the West by loosening some restrictions ahead of the election. He allowed candidates to campaign and criticize him on television. But when the vote ended, so did his tolerance.

The crackdown has left the Union with little room for maneuver. The main reason is Russia. Neither President Dmitri A. Medvedev nor Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin has hidden his dislike for Mr. Lukashenko, who is regarded as an unpredictable neighbor.

In an unusual outburst a few months ago, Mr. Medvedev denounced his Belarussian counterpart as corrupt.

But with China trying to establish a stronger economic foothold in Belarus, the Kremlin has stepped in to prevent losing Belarus either to Chinese or E.U. influence.

Shortly before the December elections, the presidents of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan signed a declaration on the establishment of a Common Economic Space. Although the details are still vague, it is supposed to lead to a common market based on the free flow of goods, services, capital and labor.

In return for ratifying the Common Economic Space, Belarus will receive from Russia duty-free supplies of oil for its refineries. Such an offer will prevent any energy shortages this winter — which might bolster Mr. Lukashenko’s power but also make him more dependent on Russia.

Uranium Transfer Agreement

Belarus is the only former Soviet republic, outside of Russia, to possess large stocks of highly enriched uranium. In December 2010, the country agreed to transfer its supply of nuclear fuel by 2012.

But in August 2011, it suspended that agreement in response to a wave of economic sanctions imposed by Washington weeks earlier. Recent American sanctions had singled out four Belarus-owned companies and augmented earlier measures, including a ban on travel to the United States by Mr. Lukashenko and several dozen other government officials.

Under the original nuclear deal, signed at a security summit meeting in Kazakhstan, the material was to be shipped to Russia, where it was to be changed to a less purified grade. In exchange, the United States agreed to provide Belarus with some financial aid. The suspension of that agreement was a major blow to the Obama administration’s efforts to curtail the spread of dangerous nuclear material and is sure to complicate the country’s already rocky relations with the United States. Belarus said it would restart the transfer program only when the United States removed the sanctions

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12/21/2011 08:00 AM

Belarus: Intelligence Agency Is Accused of Abducting Topless Activists

A Ukrainian organization of topless female activists said Tuesday that three members were abducted by Belarussian security officers, beaten, humiliated and left naked in a forest.

12/01/2011 08:00 AM

In Belarus: Two Get Death Sentences in Subway Bombing

A court in Belarus handed down a death sentence on Wednesday against two men who had been found guilty of setting off a bomb in April, killing 15 people and wounding hundreds.

11/26/2011 08:00 AM

Belarus: Rights Activist Sentenced

A prominent human rights activist in Belarus was sentenced to four and a half years in prison after a trial for tax evasion that Western governments denounced as politically motivated.

11/26/2011 08:00 AM

In Deal With Belarus, Russia Gets Control of Yamal-Europe Pipeline

Belarus sold full control of its Yamal-Europe pipeline to Gazprom, the Russian energy giant, in exchange for loans and a discounted price on natural gas.

11/22/2011 08:00 AM

Russia: Missiles May Be Deployed if U.S. Talks Fail

A Russian official said Monday that if talks with the United States on missile defense broke down, Russia was prepared to deploy tactical missiles.

11/19/2011 08:00 AM

Russia: 3 Countries Join Eurasian Union

The presidents of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan signed agreements on Friday aimed at tightening economic integration, a step toward what Moscow hopes will be a Eurasian Union linking former Soviet states.

10/06/2011 08:00 AM

Belarus: ‘Silent Protests’ Outlawed

Parliament on Wednesday declared illegal the so-called silent protests that have swept across Belarus in the last few months as it struggles to overcome a financial crisis.

10/01/2011 08:00 AM

Belarus Withdraws from European Summit Meeting

Belarus withdrew Friday from a diplomatic summit meeting aimed at improving ties between the European Union and its former Soviet neighbors, complaining of “discrimination.”

10/01/2011 08:00 AM

Move East Not on European Union’s Agenda for the Moment

European leaders ruled out any further enlargement to the east as they ended a two-day summit meeting in Warsaw on Friday.

09/30/2011 08:00 AM

Europe’s Eastern Partnership Summit Likely to Focus on Threats to Democracy in Ukraine and Belarus

A summit on ties between the European Union and its eastern neighbors appears set to be dominated by the fading prospects for democracy in Ukraine and Belarus.

08/20/2011 08:00 AM

Belarus Suspends Pact to Give Up Enriched Uranium

The suspension of the deal, in which Belarus had agreed to give up its supply of highly enriched uranium, comes in response to the latest wave of economic sanctions imposed by Washington.

08/13/2011 08:00 AM

Poland Apologizes for Its Role in Arrest of Ales Belyatsky

Poland’s foreign minister apologized after it emerged that his government had unwittingly aided in the arrest of a prominent human rights activist.