MINSK, 20 January (BelTA) – Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said that the introduction of the five-day visa-free travel rules for citizens of 80 countries that enter Belarus via the Minsk National Airport poses no risks for Belarus and its neighboring countries, BelTA has learned. “The document was in development for a year and a half. It was thoroughly reviewed by all the government agencies, first of all, in terms of the potential risks it may pose for Belarus, our partners...

MINSK, 5 January (BelTA) – Belarus calls upon Russia to follow the previous well-established rules for the crossing of the common border by foreign nationals until the negotiations are over, spokesman for the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dmitry Mironchik told a press briefing on 5 January. “As a rule, in situations when one side wants a change in the practice that has been in place for over 20 years, the parties first hold negotiations, and then implement the changes they...

MINSK, 5 January (BelTA) – Belarus calls upon Russia to follow the previous well-established rules for the crossing of the common border by foreign nationals until the negotiations are over, spokesman for the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dmitry Mironchik told a press briefing on 5 January. “As a rule, in situations when one side wants a change in the practice that has been in place for over 20 years, the parties first hold negotiations, and then implement the changes they...

MINSK, 25 November (BelTA) – Belarus and the European Union will hold technical consultations on a agreement to facilitate the process of issuing visas, Belarus’ Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Alena Kupchyna told the media. “We will hold technical consultations. There are issues which are still open on both the sides,” Alena Kupchyna said, adding that these matters should be discussed, including in the light of a new migration situation in the EU. The deputy minister said...

MINSK, 14 September (BelTA) - UNHCR Representative in Belarus Jean-Yves Bouchardy praised the level of cooperation with the Interior Ministry of Belarus in matters related to people seeking asylum. The UNHCR Representative in Belarus said this as he met with Belarus’ Deputy Interior Minister Nikolai Melchenko on 13 September, BelTA learnt from the Information and PR Department of the Belarusian Interior Ministry. Jean Yves Bouchardy also hailed the ministry’s activity in providing...

MINSK, 11 August (BelTA) – The national infrastructure strategy will be worked out in Belarus. This is envisaged in Council of Ministers’ Resolution No. 611 of 4 August 2016 which has been officially published on the National Legal Internet Portal, BelTA has learned. The strategy will be prepared by the Belarusian National Agency of Investment and Privatization (NAIP). The project will be coordinated by the Economy Ministry. The NAIP representatives told BelTA that the strategy will...

Belarus and Kazakhstan have initialed the roadmap meant to guide the development of bilateral cooperation in 2017-2018. The procedure was part of the latest session of the Belarusian-Kazakh intergovernmental commission on trade and economic cooperation, BelTA has learned. According to First Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Vasily Matyushevsky, the sides are satisfied with the content of the action plan for the next two years. “We are sincerely glad that Belarus and Kazakhstan have a...

MINSK, 10 June (BelTA) – The Central Election Commission (CEC) of Belarus has launched a new information resource Elections 2016 (vybory2016.by) in the run-up to the parliamentary election in Belarus, BelTA has learned. The Internet resource is intended to provide the latest news on the elections to the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus of the sixth convocation. The CEC-run site will publish news, materials and documents on the election campaign. Website...

An exhibition “Icon Painting in Belarus in the 17th-21st centuries” will open in a museum of the Vatican on 18 May, head of the Ancient Belarusian Art Department at Belarus’ National Art Museum Yelena Karpenko told BelTA. In her words, the exhibition will feature 33 icons that will familiarize Italian specialists and numerous tourists from around the world with unique works of the Belarusian sacral culture. The Belarusian icons will go on show in a museum of the Vatican for the first...

Belarusian and Lithuanian cultural workers will share the best practices. The possibility is stipulated by the program on cooperation in cultural affairs between the Belarusian Culture Ministry and the Lithuanian Culture Ministry in 2016-2017. The document was signed by Belarusian Culture Minister Boris Svetlov and Lithuanian Culture Minister Sarunas Birutis in Vilnius on 29 April, BelTA has learned. According to Boris Svetlov, Belarusians are interested in the experience of restoration of...