The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is considering a possibility to expand cooperation with Belarus in private sector lending, head of the EBRD Office in Belarus Valdas Vitkauskas told reporters in Minsk on February 5, BelTA has learnt. The Belarusian side suggested that the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development step up and continue its work to provide loans to the Belarusian private sector. “We are talking about the continuation or possible expansion of...

The Belarusian delegation is satisfied with the results of the two-day work in Moscow, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko told a press conference following the CSTO and EurAsEC summits, BelTA reports. I am very sorry that yesterday Russia mass media ignored the important event that took place in Moscow on February 3 which was a session of the Supreme State Council. We have never had such a successful session of the Supreme State Сouncil. We have adopted a decision which we had been...

Belarus and Russia will start working on an agreement to make the Russian ruble the reserve regional currency. This decision was taken at the session of the Supreme State Council that was held in Moscow on February 3, Belarus Foreign Minister Sergei Martynov told reporters commenting on the results of the session, BelTA has learnt. “We agreed to start developing an agreement to use the Russian ruble as the reserve regional currency and the accompanying measures,” Sergei Martynov said....

The higher level of Belarusian-Russian relations should serve as a good example of mutually beneficial partnership in all areas of cooperation in EurAsEC and the CSTO. The statement was made by President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev at a session of the Supreme State Council of the Union State in Moscow on January 3. The Russian leader noted that a lot had been done recently to achieve an optimal economic balance and efforts aimed at reinforcing the economic basis of the Union State had...

Belarus and Russia have signed an agreement on joint defence of the external air space border of the Union State and on setting up the united regional air defence system of the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation. The document was signed after the session of the Supreme State Council of the Union State in Moscow on February 3, head of the Belarus President press service Pavel Legky told BelTA. A protocol to the agreement on the joint defence of the Union State external border and...

Belarus highly appreciates the positive steps made by the European Union, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said in an interview to the Euronews TV Channel on February 2, BelTA has learnt. “There is some progress in the efforts to bring about a rapprochement between Belarus and the EU. We highly appreciate it. We think that it is a kind of starting point for developing our relations,” the President underlined. According to Alexander Lukashenko, the EU is the second largest...

A one-day regional discussion seminar “The World Trade Organization: operating principles, advantages and consequences of accession for Belarusian economic entities” will take place in Gomel on January 30, Vladislav Hilkevich, co-coordinator of UNDP information work in Belarus, told BelTA. The event is organized within the framework of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) project that was developed to aid the Belarusian government during the accession to WTO by increasing...

The OSCE welcomes the creation of the Social-Advisory Board at the President’s Administration, Head of the OSCE Office in Minsk Hans Jochen Schmidt told reporters on January 28, BelTA has learnt. The OSCE welcomes this initiative as it helps establish the exchange of opinions between the authorities and the society, Hans Jochen Schmidt noted. “We will support this initiative,” he added. BelTA has informed earlier, the Social-Advisory Board has been set up at the Administration of...

Belarus and Russia should make informed decisions for the benefit of their manufacturers in order to preserve the growth of commodity and finance flows, said Prime Minister of Belarus Sergei Sidorsky as he met with Russian Economic Development Minister Elvira Nabiullina in Minsk on January 28. The Prime Minister remarked, progress in joint efforts of the Belarusian and Russian economy ministries had been felt lately. The session of the joint board of the Belarusian Economy Ministry and the...

Belarus and the European Union are mutually interested in developing relations, head of the OSCE Office in Minsk Hans Jochen Schmidt told reporters in Minsk on January 27, BelTA informs. Hans Jochen Schmidt noted the meeting of Foreign Minister of Belarus Sergei Martynov with the EU troika held in Brussels today is a positive sign. The first similar meeting took place in Luxemburg on October 13, 2008. Improvements in these relations will be assessed in March. The meeting highlighting the...