TUROV, 2 September (BelTA) – President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko continues a working trip around the Polesie region, BelTA learnt from the presidential press service. The President will focus today on the issues related to the organisation of processing of fruit and vegetables, utilization of new fodder harvesters and the preparation for the winter crops sowing campaign. Alexander Lukashenko will visit the Turovshchina company to get familiar with the strategy of developing a...

GOMEL, 2 September (BelTA) – Petrolera BeloVenezolana, the Belarusian-Venezuelan joint venture, has extracted its first million tonnes of oil, BelTA learnt from the Belorusneft press service on 1 September. The Belarusian-Venezuelan joint venture Petrolera BeloVenezolana was established by Belorusneft and Venezuelan PDVSA oil company in December 2007. The company extracted the first tonnes of oil from Guara Este and Lago Medio deposits in 2008. Petrolera BeloVenezolana was given three new...

MINSK, 1 September (BelTA) – A large Dutch company is ready to invest over ?15 million in building a factory in the Minsk region for bottling high-quality potable water. The information was released by Belarusian Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Minister Vladimir Tsalko on 1 September. “The company intends to develop business in our country. Now we are studying the proposal. A letter of intent has been signed already,” said the Minister. Belarus is also in negotiations on...

PETRIKOV REGION, 31 August (BelTA) – During his working visit to the Gomel oblast President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko gave an instruction to carry out complex melioration of the Polesie area during the next five-year term, BelTA has learnt. “During the next five-year term we will have to restore marshy lands, excluding perhaps the most impassable ones,” said the head of state. The President underlined that the melioration will have to be smart, not like the way it was done...

LYASKOVICHI, 31 August (BelTA) – President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko has issued an instruction to work out a programme for developing the Pripyat River area. The head of state issued the instruction during his working visit to the Gomel oblast on 31 August. “It pains me to see the most beautiful land give so little to people,” said Alexander Lukashenko. Efforts should be focused not only on tourism development but also agribusiness. “Every piece of land should be used. We...

MINSK, 27 August (BelTA) – Belarus has never betrayed Russia and will never do it in the future, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said in an interview to the Formula of Power TV show, a joint project of the Itar-Tass news agency and the Rossiya television channel, BelTA learnt from the presidential press service. . Alexander Lukashenko underlined that Belarus remains a reliable partner of Russia. “Do not forget that Belarus is your only reliable strategic partner. It has always...

MINSK, 27 August (BelTA) – As far as the Eastern Partnership initiative is concerned, Belarus is attracted by the possibility of creating a free trade zone with the European Union. President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko made the statement in an interview with the TV programme Formula of Power. It is a joint project run by the Russian news agency ITAR-TASS and the TV channel Russia, BelTA learnt from the press service of the Belarusian head of state. Speaking about Belarus’...

MINSK, 24 August (BelTA) – Belarusian agricultural companies have harvested 7.865,000 tonnes of grain including 128,500 tonnes of grain gathered on 23 August, BelTA learnt from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food. The Minsk oblast leads the harvesting campaign in the country with 2.020,000 tonnes of grain. It is followed by the Grodno oblast (1.492, 000 tonnes), the Brest oblast (1.225, 000 tonnes), the Mogilev oblast (1.135, 000 tonnes), the Gomel oblast (1.055, 000 tonnes) and the...

MINSK, 21 August (BelTA) - Head of the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Belarus Vladimir Makei met with Chief of the IMF mission in Belarus Chris Jarvis in Minsk on 21 August. During the meeting, the sides discussed the Belarusian foreign policy, the prospects of the cooperation between Belarus and the European Union, Belarus and the International Monetary Fund. БЕЛТА

MINSK, 21 August (BelTA) –The surplus of the Belarusian budget totaled Br337.5 billion in January-June 2009. That became possible due to saving budget funds, restricting expenses and deferring expenditure across some budget articles, BelTA learnt from the Finance Ministry. In H1 the total revenues of the Belarusian budget amounted to Br20.8 trillion or 44.6% of the annual plan. The proceeds from income and profit tax made up Br1.3 trillion (33.1%), value added tax Br3.8 trillion (45.1%)....