In 2006 companies-residents of the free economic zone (FEZ) Gomel-Raton exported goods at the value of $80,1 million, or 28% up as against 2005, BelTA has been informed in the administration of the zone. As during previous years, the main consumers of residents of FEZ Gomel-Raton were partners from Russia and other CIS countries – their share made up 77% of the total exports. The supplies to the Russian Federation made up 64.3% of the total export. FEZ Gomel-Raton increased the foreign...

The 2007 budget performance will be based on economy and frugality, prime minister of this country Sergei Sidorskiy has said at today’s session of the finance ministry board. Financial bodies of Belarus play an important role in this process, he underlined. No matter how the economy develops a financier will remain a key figure who distributes, controls and is held answerable for the use of financial resources. “Whether you approve the expenditures which can be avoided or encourage a...

By raising oil transit tariffs Belarus will earn about $50 million additionally per year, director of Belarusian pipeline operator Gomeltransneft Druzhba Aleksei Kostyuchenko told today’s press conference, commenting on the economy ministry’s decision to raise the domestic oil transit tariffs by 31.6-34.6% starting February 15. He noted, Belarus had had the lowest oil transit tariffs in the entire post-Soviet space. Following a proposal of Gomeltransneft Druzhba the tariffs have been...

Iran has allowed Belarus to develop one of its oil fields, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Belarus Abdolhamid Fekri told a press-conference today in Minsk. The press-conference is timed to the celebration of a national holiday of Iran. The diplomat said: “Belarus and Iran have come to understanding that we can cooperate in the sphere of exploration and production of oil, which is important for energy security of Belarus”. Bearing in mind...

The Belarusian economy grew by13% over 2006, prime minister of Belarus Sergei Sidorskiy has said at a session of the Council of Ministers which summed up the economic performance of Belarus in 2006 and mapped out priority tasks to reach the projected targets of the socio-economic development of the country in 2007. According to Sergei Sidorskiy, in 2006 the country met 14 out of 16 most important targets of the socio-economic development forecast. Thus, “quite good foundations have been...

Belarus has declared 2007 the Year of the Child. The president of Belarus signed a corresponding decree on February 1. The country will continue the work on strengthening family social support which was launched in 2006 in connection with the conduct of the Year of Mother last year, the president’s press service told BelTA. A range of measures was taken last year to protect the rights and legal interests of children, strengthen social and economic support of the family, enhance the...

Belarus should become a space power having several satellites and should not depend on anybody in satellite control issues, president of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said at a sitting on the creation of Belarus’ earth remote sensing system. “If we can do it, we definitely should do it but one condition should be met: the potential of such space system should be utilized in full and pay off”, the head of state said. According to Alexander Lukashenko, before taking a final decision on...

Belarus does not intend to introduce a uniform visa regime with Russia, interior minister of Belarus Vladimir Naumov told a briefing in Minsk today. “We intend to preserve what we have achieved so for rather than introduce a common visa regime. At the same time if Russia puts forward such a proposal unilaterally, the issue will be dealt with by relevant agencies at the state level,” Vladimir Naumov said.

Belarus hopes to get assistance from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in the project on constructing a plant to produce biofuel from rapeseed, agriculture minister Leonid Rusak has told BelTA after his talks with a delegation of the FAO sub-regional bureau led by its leader Maria Kadlechikova. The talks have been held in Minsk today. According to the minister, it is one of the four investment projects to be implemented in Belarus this year with the FAO assistance. The project...

The new electric energy tariff for the population in Belarus equals Br112,1 per one kilowatt-hour. The new tariff has been effective since 1 January. The tariff equals Br81,2/kWh for people living in houses (apartments) equipped with electric ovens. By its resolution, the government has also set new prices for natural gas and heating energy for the population, a source in the office of the chief of staff of the Council of Ministers told BelTA. Under the resolution, the price for natural gas...