MINSK, June 17 (BelTA) – On June 17, at 9am, Belarus enhanced monitoring over the movement of goods on the main Belarusian-Russian roads, Chairman of the State Customs Committee (SCC) of Belarus Alexander Shpilevsky told reporters on June 16. The measure was taken following the decision of the Belarusian head of state. The decision is sound, according to the SCC chairman. “For the 15 days in June 2009 the Belarusian customs has seized Br8,620 billion worth of smuggled goods. In 2008 an...

MINSK, June 15 (BelTA) – A combined pancreas-kidney transplant surgery has been carried out in Belarus for the first time, BelTA learnt from the press service of the Belarusian Health Ministry on June 14. The 42-year-old transplant patient suffered from insulin-dependent diabetes. Due to severe destruction of pancreas she developed several complications, including diabetic nephropathy and end-stage renal disease. Beginning August 2008, her life has been maintained by hemodialysis system....

KIEV, June 12 (BelTA) – The memorandum signed between the governments and the national banks of Belarus and Ukraine in Chernigov in January 2009 to provide the system of measures to intensify the bilateral trade and economic cooperation during the global economic downturn aims to secure unhampered mutual payments between the economic agents of the two countries. The document should start working, Prime Minister of Belarus Sergei Sidorsky said as he met with Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia...

KIEV, June 12 (BelTA) – An agreement on visa-free trips of citizens were signed by heads of government of Ukraine and Belarus Yulia Timoshenko and Sergei Sidorsky during a working trip of the Prime Minister of Belarus to Kiev. Yulia Timoshenko noted that the signing of the bilateral agreement on visa-free trips of citizens attests to the high level of trust, friendship and cooperation between Belarus and Ukraine. The two sides signed four more agreements on cooperation. They include a...

KIEV, June 12 (BelTA) – Belarus and Ukraine have exceptional opportunities for trade, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko noted during her meeting with Belarusian Prime Minister Sergei Sidorsky. “Our short face-to-face meeting with Sergei Sidorsky opens up great prospects for the cooperation,” Yulia Timoshenko said. The record-high bilateral trade last year shows that Belarus and Ukraine have exceptional opportunities for trade. According to the Ukrainian Premier, the figures...

MINSK, June 11 (BelTA) – President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko urged to avoid delays in major construction projects in Minsk’s downtown. The President outlined the goal as he got familiar with plans for developing the Belarusian capital city on June 11, BelTA has learnt. The President was made familiar with projects for developing two sites in the centre of Minsk. There are plans to build office and residential premises, shopping and commercial facilities as well as a five-star hotel...

MINSK, June 10 (BelTA) – The creation of the united customs space of Belarus, Russia and Kazakhstan will be the beginning of the recovery from the global crisis and will have good prospects, said President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko as he met with Kazakhstan Prime Minister Karim Masimov on June 10. “I believe some breakthrough was achieved in Moscow yesterday,” said Alexander Lukashenko. “If we create the united customs space, we will have a common space from the...

MOSCOW, June 9 (BelTA) – Belarus, Russia and Kazakhstan will join the World Trade Organization as a single customs area, says the statement of the Prime Ministers of the three countries adopted at the session of the EurAsEC Interstate Council held in Moscow at the level of heads of government on June 9. According to the statement, the process of acceding to the WTO has been impeding integration. Therefore a decision was taken to notify the World Trade Organization about the intention of...

MINSK, June 8 (BelTA) – Belarus is able to hold the Junior Eurovision Song Contest at the highest level. It was stated by Svante Stockselius, the Head of Song Contests at the European Broadcasting Union, and the executive supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) and the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, the Eurovision official web-site informs. The 8th Junior Eurovision Contest is expected to be held in the Minsk-Arena Centre in the Belarusian capital on November 20, 2010. More than...

MINSK, June 5 (BelTA) – Prime Minister of Belarus Sergei Sidorsky will make a working trip to the Gomel oblast on June 5, BelTA learnt from Alexander Timoshenko, spokesman for the head of the government. Sergei Sidorsky will visit the 19th district of Gomel. The talks will cover the development of new districts of the town and a concept of constructing the Eastern Bypass in Gomel, the construction of a small CHP plant in Petrikov and in the urban-type settlement of Oktyabrsky of the Gomel...