Prime Minster of Belarus Sergei Sidorsky, Prime Minister of Russia Viktor Zubkov and Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Karim Masimov signed nine documents in Moscow on January 25. The package of documents is aimed at further development of the legal-treaty base of the Customs Union of the three countries. The start to the process was given by the president of Belarus, Russia and Kazakhstan at the summit in Dushanbe. The package of documents includes the agreement on single customs-tariff...

Russia would like to accelerate the Belarusian-Russian cooperation, Russian Premier Viktor Zubkov noted during his meeting with Belarusian Prime Minister Sergei Sidorsky. Viktor Zubkov also confirmed the readiness of Russia to fulfill all the agreements reached before. “Our meetings have become regular. It means that all the issues relating to the Belarusian-Russian relations will be settled efficiently,” Viktor Zubkov told the Belarusian Prime Minister.

Belarus unilaterally made visas for citizens of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland cheaper, spokesman for the Foreign Ministry of Belarus Andrei Popov told a briefing on January 24. A single entry visa will cost ?25 for the citizens of the abovementioned countries, a single transit visa – ?10 and a multiple entry visa for a year – ?150. Additional ?25 will be charged for the simplified visa issue procedures. Citizens of Belgium, Slovakia and the Czech Republic will have to pay ?60...

The state and the church should unite efforts to resolve spiritual and social problems, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said at a meeting with members of the Synod of the Belarusian Orthodox Church on January 24. “As the primary goal for the joint efforts of the state and the church I would like to point out radical improvement of the demographic situation in the country, moral and physical rehabilitation of people, which directly determine the future of the Belarusian nation,”...

A programme was adopted in Belarus to develop the corporate securities market in 2008-2010. The corresponding decision is laid down by resolution No 78/1 of the Council of Ministers and the National Bank dated by January 21, 2008. BelTA learnt from representatives of the Securities Department of the Finance Ministry, the main purpose of the programme is creating the necessary conditions for establishing an integral, liquid, transparent and effective securities market as part of the national...

In 2006, for the first time in recent history, the total number of annual deaths among children under the age of five fell below 10 million, to 9.7 million. This represents a 60 per cent drop in the rate of child mortality since 1960, says the UNICEF State of the World’s Children report. When presenting the report, Ann M. Veneman, the Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund, noted the impressive advancement but warned against complacency. The loss of 9.7 million young...

Today we see positive demographic trends in Belarus, Health Minister Vasiliy Zharko told reporters on January 22. According to the minister, in 2007, the birth rate was 8% up, the death rate - 4% down. The infant mortality is 5.5 ppm, one of the lowest among the other CIS countries, the minister noted. By 2010, the infant mortality rate is expected to reach 4 per mille. The perinatal mortality rate reduced from 7.8 ppm to 5.8 ppm. The maternal mortality rate is 5.8 ppm, two times down as...

The European Union plays a crucial role in Belarus’ accession to WTO, Anton Kudasov, Head of the Overseas Trade Policies Department of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry, told a press conference in Minsk on January 21. He remarked, both the European Union, which is a collective member of the WTO, and Belarus understand that the European Union’s view will mean a lot for Belarus’ accession to the WTO. Anton Kudasov underscored, in the politics area there are signs of the European Union’s...

A draft presidential decree “Certain aspects of participatory construction” should be reworked and submitted to the head of state by February 1, 2008. Alexander Lukashenko gave the corresponding instruction after a government session on January 21. The session tabled the situation on the Belarusian housing construction market, the press service of the President of Belarus told BelTA. Among the planned novelties profits of the real estate developer cannot exceed 5% of the estimated cost...

In 2007 Belarus’ gross domestic product totalled Br96 trillion in current prices, 8.1% up on 2006, the Ministry of Statistics and Analysis told BelTA. Last year the GDP was expected to go up by 8-9%. The share of the industry’s added value in the GDP amounted to 26.7%, that of transport and communications — 8.6%, trade and public catering — 10.2%, civil engineering — 8.5%, agriculture — 7.4%. In January-November 2007 labour productivity calculated using the gross domestic...