Education will stay a priority area of the social and economic development of Belarus, head of state Alexander Lukashenko said in his speech before students of the Belarusian State University on February 12. In his words, this year alone one fifth of Belarus’ consolidated budget will be channelled into education. The head of state underlined, over the last two years two new regional universities as well as ten facilities for higher education institutions worth over Br200 billion have been...

Belarus is interested in a dialogue with countries of the West, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said in his speech before students of the Belarusian State University on February 12. “Our approaches are productive to the utmost extent: we need a dialogue, not a dictate. We are very interested in cooperation with the West countries, especially the European Union,” said the head of state. He added, the European Union accounts for some 40% of Belarus’ export. The European Union...

On February 11 President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko heard out a report from Chairman of the State Control Committee Zenon Lomat, the press service of the President of Belarus told BelTA. The head of state was informed about the SCC performance in January and the fulfilment of the President’s instructions, in particular, the progress of building the cultural and sport complex Minsk-Arena. Zenon Lomat said there are issues regarding the utilisation of state budget money and false...

Belarus has amended university and vocational college entrance rules. President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko signed relevant decree #70 on February 8, BelTA learnt from the presidential press service. The decree determines equal conditions and reduces the application period for state-funded places and for fee-paying students. The inter-university examination on the subjects included into centralized testing has been abolished. The new rules cut the categories of entrants with the right...

The 17th World Festival of Youth and Students will be held in Belarus in summer 2009, BelTA was told in the World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY), which is headquartered in Budapest, Hungary. The decision to hold the festival in Belarus under the motto “We are for the World without Wars” was taken at a WFDY assembly in early February in Lisbon. A letter with the official voting results will be soon sent to the Belarusian Republican Youth Union which initiated the holding of the...

Belarus intends to attract credit resources for the construction of a nuclear power plant (NPP), Viktor Marakhin, the Deputy Chairman of the Permanent Commission for Budget, Finances and Taxes of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus, told reporters in Minsk on February 7. Viktor Marakhin noted that Belarus has announced a tender for the project to build the NPP. “Russia, France and, probably, Germany are expected to take part in the tender. Russia and France are...

Last year in line with programmes for Belarus’ humanitarian cooperation with foreign non-governmental organisations 44,500 children enjoyed recreation in 23 countries thanks to gratuitous foreign aid. BelTA learnt from Alexander Kolyada, Director of the Humanitarian Activities Department of the Belarus Presidential Property Management Directorate, 43,700 children enjoyed recreation as part of general organised groups and 800 children enjoyed recreation as part of special organised groups....

On February 6, the State Duma of Russia ratified a Belarusian-Russian intergovernmental agreement on rendering medical assistance to Belarus citizens in Russia and Russian citizens in Belarus. The agreement guarantees that citizens living in the other country will have equal rights to medical assistance, including free of charge treatment at state and municipal healthcare establishments of Russia and Belarus. The citizens of Russia living in Belarus will get equal right to medial help...

In 2008 252 objects outlined by the State Innovation Programme are supposed to be built in Belarus, Chairman of the State Committee for Science and Technologies Vladimir Matyushkov said at a session of the Council of Ministers on February 5. The session was chaired by Prime Minister of Belarus Sergei Sidorsky. Vladimir Matyushkov presented specified figures of the programme. By 2010 1,302 objects of the innovation programme are supposed to be built, including 173 first-level objects (new...

In 2007, Belarus’ foreign trade in goods increased by 26% over 2006 to $53,014 billion, BelTA was told in the Ministry of Statistics and Analysis. Export of goods increased by 23.3% to $24,339 billion, imports – 28.3% to $28,674 billion. The goods deficit was $4,335 billion. In 2007, foreign trade in goods with the CIS countries was up 30.7% to $30,229 billion. Exports were $11,231 billion (up 30.5%), imports - $18,998 billion (up 30.9%). Exports of goods to the Russian Federation made...