MINSK, 6 August (BelTA) – Belarusian Education Minister Andrei Ivanets revealed some preliminary results of the 2024 university admissions process as he spoke to the media on 5 August, BelTA has learned. “This year's entrance scores for a number of specialties are quite high, despite the fact that the total number of free-tuition places has been increased by almost 3,000, primarily for the most demanded specialties - teaching, engineering and healthcare,” Andrei Ivanets said....

Almost 127,000 foreign nationals have visited Belarus without visas since 1 January 2024, BelTA has learned from the State Border Committee. Since the visa waiver program was expanded, Belarus has welcomed 7,219 visitors from Europe. In addition to citizens of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia (as well as non-citizens of Latvia), 455 representatives of European countries arrived in Belarus without visas, which accounted for 6% of the total flow. Most of them were from Germany and Estonia: 181 and...

MINSK, 23 July (BelTA) - Belarus and China will set up a joint geological center by the end of the year, Belarusian Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Sergei Maslyak told the media before a meeting with Deputy Chief Inspector of Natural Resources of the People's Republic of China Chen Chenzhao in Minsk, BelTA has learned. In September 2023, a delegation of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Ministry of Belarus visited China to meet with colleagues....

A total of 116,249 foreign nationals have visited Belarus without visas since 1 January 2024, BelTA has learned from the State Border Committee. These included 50,552 citizens of Lithuania, 31,214 citizens and 9,369 non-citizens of Latvia, and 25,114 citizens of Poland. Since the launch of the visa-waiver program, Belarus has welcomed a total of 916,855 visitors, including 545,763 citizens of Lithuania, 216,015 citizens and 65,484 non-citizens of Latvia, and 89,593 citizens of Poland....

Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko has signed the law on amending laws regulating welfare payments for families with kids. The document has been passed to increase the level of minimal guarantees for citizens during periods of their social vulnerability, BelTA has learned. Higher maternity allowances for women In particular, the law provides for raising the minimal size of the maternity allowance. For women, whose mandatory insurance payments are paid to the social protection fund...

ASTANA, 4 July (BelTA) – Belarus has become a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. This decision was formalized at the SCO Heads of State Council meeting in Astana,  BelTA has learned. Thus, Belarus became the tenth member of the “SCO family”. The other nine are India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.  “The decision on the full membership of the Republic of Belarus in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization has been...

Following the talks in Minsk, the foreign ministers of Belarus and Russia, Sergei Aleinik and Sergey Lavrov, signed a joint statement on the foreign policy dimension of the Union State integration, BelTA has learned. In the statement, the ministers lauded the results of the official visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Belarus, the first country of the Commonwealth of Independent States he visited after his re-election. "Inviolability of fraternal friendship between the...

MINSK, 19 June (BelTA) – Deputy Prime Minister Igor Petrishenko named priorities of Belarus' social policy as he addressed Belarus’ Second National Forum on Sustainable Development in Minsk on 19 June, BelTA has learned. “The ideology of sustainability cuts across all strategic and program documents of the country, primarily the National Sustainable Development Strategy. The strategy is aimed at maintaining a balance of sustainability across several important elements,” said Igor...

MINSK, 13 June (BelTA) - Cuba is showing interest in intensifying cooperation with Belarus in industry and food production, Cuban Deputy Prime Minister Ricardo Cabrisas Ruiz said as he met with Chairperson of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus Natalya Kochanova on 12 June, BelTA has learned. “Contacts between Cuba, Minsk Tractor Plant and MAZ have recently intensified. A contract has been signed with MTZ for the delivery of 12 sets of tractors to be assembled...

MINSK, 7 June (BelTA) – Belarusian Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Sergei Maslyak has held a meeting with acting Vice Governor of Tomsk Oblast of the Russian Federation Artem Konev, BelTA learned from the press service of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection. “The parties discussed a wide range of cooperation areas between Belarus and the Russian region, including interaction in foreign economic activity, in science and education,...