Chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus (FTUB) Leonid Kozik informed participants of the 97th session of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in Geneva about a record low unemployment rate in Belarus. The FTUB press service told BelTA, Leonid Kozik informed participants of the session about the country’s most important achievements in fulfilling ILO appeals for establishing proper working conditions. In particular, the record low unemployment (1%) was mentioned as well...

The first round of consultations between the Republic of Belarus and the European Commission in customs issues was held in Brussels on June 10, BelTA was told in the Foreign Ministry. A Belarusian delegation was led by First Deputy Chairman of the State Customs Committee Vladimir Goshin. The European Commission was represented by Antonis Kastrissianakis, Director for International Affairs and Tariff Matters of the Taxation and Customs Union Directorate General. The sides discussed the...

President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev is expected to visit Belarus on June 22. The agreement was reached during a phone talk between the presidents of Belarus and Russia on June 10. The phone talk had been initiated by the Russian head of state, the press service of the President of Belarus told BelTA. “Alexander Lukashenko and Dmitry Medvedev have reached an agreement concerning the visit of the Russian president to Belarus on June 22 — the Day of National Memory of the Great Patriotic...

The unemployment rate in Belarus remains at 1% of the economically active population (as of June 1, 2007, the rate was 1.1%, June 1, 2006 – 1.6%). In summer the rate of unemployment will remain the same, Nikolai Kokhonov, the chief of the main department of the employment policy and population of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, told BelTA. “The jobless rate may increase in September-October as school graduates who fail to get into educational establishments and seasonal...

In January-May 2008, the investment in fixed capital and construction in Belarus increased by 22.5% up to Br10,553 trillion from the same period of 2007, BelTA learnt from the Ministry of Statistics and Analysis. Over the five months this year, the amount of building and assembly jobs was equal to more than Br4,588 trillion which in comparable prices is up 18.9% from January-May 2007. In the period under review, 1.62 million square meters of housing was commissioned in Belarus, or 9.4% up...

In January-May 2008 Belarus’ gold and foreign exchange reserves increased by $358.2 million (7.1%) to a total of $5,350.9 million. The figure increased by 0.8% last month alone, BelTA learnt from the Information Department of the National Bank of the Republic of Belarus (NBRB). Hard currency accounts for the greatest share of the international reserve assets of Belarus ($4321.2 million or 80.8%) along with precious metals and gems ($938.7 million or 17.5%). Over the past five months the...

President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko and President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev may hold a meeting this summer, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia to Belarus Alexander Surikov told a press conference on June 9. “The presidents may meet some time in the end of summer. Then gas issues will be more tangible,” said the Ambassador. Alexander Surikov remarked, there are no acute issues in relations between Russia and Belarus, “there are only routine economic and...

Russia will not deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus, but may suggest deploying antimissile defences, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia to Belarus Alexander Surikov told a press conference in Minsk on June 9. “We will not deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus and there is no sense in talking about it,” said Alexander Surikov when asked about possible countermeasures to the US’ possible deployment of antimissile defences in the Czech Republic and Poland. “We may talk...

The Belarusian side is convinced that the CIS member states should start the development of brand new projects in the area of energy resources transportation and the use of economical and available alternative sources of energy, including biofuel, BelTA learnt from the Belarusian delegation participating in the informal summit of the CIS heads of state in Saint Petersburg. The energy problem is brought to the forefront of the discussion as an instrument of maintaining national security of...

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone will pay a visit to Belarus for the first time, Metropolitan Tadeusz Kondrusewicz, the Archbishop of Minsk and Mogilev, told a press conference in Minsk on June 6. The visit of the Vatican official will be held on June 18-22. During the visit to Belarus, Tarcisio Bertone will visit Minsk, Pinsk and Grodno. The religious part of his visit to Belarus includes his meeting with members of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Belarus, a...