ASTANA, 2 December (BelTA) – The OSCE should develop universal standards for assessing elections, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said in his speech at the OSCE summit in Astana on 2 December. “A lot has been said about human rights. If we start talking about it, we should take a serious approach to this issue. The issue of elections has always been in the limelight of the OSCE activity. And often OSCE has turned to be a so-called lever in somebody’s hands in the pre-election...

MINSK, 29 November (BelTA) – Alexander Lukashenko urged his authorized representatives to avoid excessive campaigning. “I would like point out one feature of our pre-election campaign. We should avoid excesses in our campaigning and in our desire to defend everything we have achieved. If we boast and exaggerate, it will do no good for us. There should be no excesses in anything,” the President said in the meeting with his authorized representatives. He added that the team of his...

MINSK, 26 November (BelTA) – Social and economic research centers under the Science and Research Institute of Economy of the Economy Ministry are set up in the Belarusian oblasts and the city of Minsk. The Belarus President signed relevant Decree No 605 on several issues regarding the Science and Research Institute of Economy of the Economy Ministry on 25 November, BelTA learnt from the presidential press service. The decision was taken to enhance the quality of the regional research on...

MINSK, 24 November (BelTA) – The Belarusian pipeline operator Gomeltransneft Druzhba will be able to pump up to 16 million tonnes of oil per annum along the new route Yuzhny (Odessa) – Brody – Mozyr after minor technical adjustments, Gomeltransneft Druzhba Director General Sergei Sosnovsky told media on 24 November. Simultaneously the company will be able to pump 17-19 million tonnes of oil per annum via the Mozyr – Brody-2 pipeline to Central Europe (Hungary, Slovakia, and...

MINSK, 23 November (BelTA) – About one thousand international observers will monitor the presidential elections in Belarus, Chairperson of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Belarus Lidia Yermoshina told an online conference on the BelTA website on 23 November. Taking part in the observation will be the OSCE mission; 40 long-term observers representing this organization are already working in Belarus. About 400 OSCE short-term observers will arrive in Belarus on the eve of the...

GOMEL, 23 November (BelTA) – Belarus will achieve a foreign trade surplus by the end of 2013, Prime Minister of Belarus Sergei Sidorsky said when speaking before delegates of the Fourth All-Belarus People’s Congress in Gomel. This will be achieved by means of boosting exports, the Prime Minister said. According to the social and economic development program of Gomel Oblast, it is expected to achieve a foreign trade surplus to the tune of $230 million in 2011 and $400 million in 2015....

KYIV, 22 November (BelTA) – Ukraine has already delivered half of the trial consignment of Venezuelan oil to the Mozyr oil refinery via the Odessa-Brody pipeline, BelTA learnt from the dispatching office of Ukrtransnafta. In line with the data provided by the Ukrainian company, as of 14.00, November 22nd, a total of 45,000 tonnes of oil have been delivered to the Mozyr refinery. Oil tanker carrying 80,000 tonnes of Venezuelan oil docked at the Yuznhy seaport (the Odessa Oblast) on 18...

MINSK, 22 November (BelTA) – President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko has approved the plan for deploying the regional military taskforce of Belarus and Russia, State Secretary of the Security Council of Belarus Leonid Maltsev told media on 22 November. The plan has been discussed and approved, no remarks have been made, said Leonid Maltsev. As the Chairman of the Supreme State Council of the Union State Alexander Lukashenko made the decision that the plan should be approved at a session...

GOMEL, 18 November (BelTA) - Belarus has received a European certificate of conformity in timer products. This document was officially handed over to Belarus’ representatives at the PEFC Council General Assembly, which was recently held in Rio de Janeiro, BelTA learnt from Oleg Atroshchenko, chairman of the Belarusian Forest Association. He is taking art in the international scientific and practical conference “Forest Science 21st Century” in Gomel dedicated to the Institute of Forest...

MINSK, 18 November (BelTA) – Results of the Belarus Investment Forum in Frankfurt am Main testify to the increased interest of foreign partners in investing in Belarus. Andrei Savinykh, Press Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus, voiced his opinion on 18 November. He stressed that the forum has given a boost to the serious promotion of Belarus’ cooperation with investors from many countries of the world. In particular, Andrei Savinykh said that around 800 people from...