Kopyl regional executive committee

The Russian government has approved signing an agreement with Belarus on the mutual recognition of COVID-19 vaccination certificates. The relevant executive order signed by Prime Minister of Russia Mikhail Mishustin has been published in the Russian legislation registry, BelTA has learned.

The existing centralized testing system does not always properly evaluate prospective university students despite all the steps taken to improve it. This is why approaches to changing the system for the better should be worked out soon. Head of the Belarus President Administration Igor Sergeyenko made the statement at a session of the administration's board, BelTA has learned.

Igor Sergeyenko said that during the government conference held on the previous day to discuss the development of the national education system Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed that it is necessary to work out a clear, transparent, and understandable system for university admission. Because grain harvest, industrial performance, import substitution, and many other things will depend on the future university graduates. “Instructions were given for us to once again look into the matter by the next year under the aegis of the Belarus President Administration. But we understand that it has to be done much faster. We have to once again take a close look at the problem and make up our minds on whether the current centralized testing system should be preserved or whether it should be changed and suggested in the format that is supposed to come into effect starting next year or whether some other innovations should be introduced. The head of state stressed that we have to see graduates in the course of the university admission campaign. The existing centralized testing system, which has been in place for 20 years and to which all of us have grown accustomed, does not allow it despite all the innovations to improve the system,” the official said.

In his words, a lot of work has to be done. A powerful brainstorm has to be arranged not only within the framework of today's board session, which gathered the education minister, heads of municipal authorities, regional education offices, and local practitioners. But on the whole, by engaging a broad range of specialists, parents, and pedagogues it will be necessary to soon determine and submit proposals on what the system to select the best school graduates, who intend to seek higher education, should be.

Written by belta.by

Gomel Oblast and Russia's Nizhny Novgorod Oblast are interested in cooperation in various spheres. The relevant possibilities were discussed as the head of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast's representative office in Belarus Andrei Dudkin met with representatives of the management of Gomel Oblast enterprises, BelTA has learned.

The Nizhny Novgorod Oblast representative office was made familiar with prospects of Gomel Oblast regions over the course of two days. They visited a cheese and dairy products enterprise of OAO Milkavita, a workwear manufacturing enterprise, and a reinforced-concrete products enterprise in Khoiniki District. In Loyev the district was represented by OOO Bosko-servis, a construction materials enterprise, and a museum.

The first destination on the itinerary in Rechitsa District was OAO Rechickij Metiznyj Zavod. It was followed by OAO Rechitsadrev, Rechitsa Textile, and other companies. According to Andrei Dudkin, there are considerable opportunities for finding mutual contacts. “There is interest in the services and the products made in Belarus as a whole and in Gomel Oblast in particular. It should be systemic work, which I hope will start producing positive results soon. On the whole, contact points have been sketched out all over the country. Cooperation proceeds in mechanical engineering, food industry, agriculture, and IT,” he remarked.

The manufacturing industry demonstrates serious interest. “Nizhny Novgorod Oblast is primarily a major industrial center of Russia. Interaction between industrial enterprises is the most important thing and an interesting thing for us. Many manufacturing cooperation ties were established back in the USSR period. We are now restoring them, trying to take them to new heights. It is important for Belarusian and Russian enterprises to be able to work directly without non-producing mediators,” Andrei Dudkin stressed. In his words, logistic issues can be resolved. “We are now working on it with the Belarusian side. There are contact points but specialists need to take a closer look at them. The logistic component prevails in shipments of any kind of products,” he added.

After two days in Gomel Oblast the representative office of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast mentioned concrete projects, too. “For instance, we've established a direct connection between a Gomel Oblast cheese manufacturer and Russian companies in the manufacturing industry. We've worked with enterprises in the sphere of high technologies – there are mutual interests. Later on the work will only grow more intensive and MPs play an important role in it. Today's meeting is a vivid example of cooperation with the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus. Such interesting meetings take place thanks to cooperation. We come into concrete well-prepared environment instead of like tourists that have to look at their maps. We thank MPs for it. Their role is great in establishing bilateral trade, economic, and cultural relations,” Andrei Dudkin said.

A presentation of Narovlya District's potential is scheduled for the second day. The guests will be made familiar with a Polesie furniture factory and will be able to sample sweet products of OAO Krasny Mozyryanin.

Zhanna Chernyavskaya, a member of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus, is convinced that such meetings will enable a direct contact between Belarusian and Russian manufacturers and will result in contracts and solid partnerships.

 Over 200,000 foreign nationals have visited Belarus without visas, BelTA learned from the State Border Committee of Belarus.

“A total of 200,378 foreigners visited Belarus as part of the visa-waiver program. Since 15 April when Belarus reopened border for visa waiver arrivals, Belarus has welcomed 128,519 citizens of Lithuania, 51,445 citizens and 15,736 non-citizens of Latvia. Since 1 July, when Belarus launched a visa waiver program for Poland, it has hosted about 4,678 visitors from Poland,” the State Border Committee informed.

For more information about visa-free visits to Belarus, please visit the website of the State Border Committee of Belarus and the Belarus Border app.

Written by belta.by

The 13th meeting of the Coordinating Council for Emergencies of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) member states with the participation of the emergencies ministers of the CSTO member states took place in Moscow on 18 August. Belarusian Emergencies Minister Vadim Sinyavsky attended the meeting as well, BelTA learned from the press service of the Belarusian Emergencies Ministry.

The event was also attended by Emergencies Minister of Armenia Armen Pambukhchyan, Emergencies Minister of Kazakhstan Yuri Ilyin, Emergencies Minister of Kyrgyzstan Boobek Azhikeev, Ministry of Civil Defence, Emergencies and Disaster Relief of the Russian Federation Alexander Kurenkov, Chairman of the Committee of Emergency Situations and Civil Defense of Tajikistan, Lieutenant General Rustam Nazarzoda.

The meeting of the CSTO Council for Emergencies was held on the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Collective Security Treaty and the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Collective Security Treaty Organization.

“Emergencies of recent years are becoming increasingly unpredictable and complex, as exemplified by the global spread of the COVID-19 virus, which created the so-called COVID crisis that disrupted social and economic processes in all areas of life. This requires not only joint efforts at the level of states, but also constant joint building of preparedness and response capacity, development and application of modern technologies for prevention and liquidation of emergencies and their consequences. Knowledge and experience in these areas along with close interaction are an important condition for progress in improving the system of emergency prevention and response of CSTO member states,” Vadim Sinyavsky said in his opening speech.

The emergencies ministers emphasized the need to continuously build emergency preparedness and response capabilities, and confirmed their readiness to further develop the system of emergency prevention and response of the CSTO member states.

The participants of the meeting discussed a wide range of issues aimed at increasing the effectiveness of CSTO mechanisms of collective response to emergencies, including the plan of activities of the Coordinating Council for 2023, in accordance with which special exercises with rescue units of the CSTO member states are planned next year on the territory of the Republic of Belarus.

Close attention was paid to the activities of emergencies ministries to prevent forest fires and also issues related to measures taken to combat the spread of coronavirus infection. The participants of the meeting got familiar with the results of the International Security Industry Exhibition “National Security. Belarus 2022” held in Minsk on 22-25 June.

Belarus will preside at the CSTO Coordinating Council for Emergencies in 2023. The next meeting of the Coordinating Council is to take place in Belarus in H2 2023.

Written by belta.by

 A citizen of Poland has requested political asylum in Belarus out of fear for his life, the State Border Committee of Belarus told BelTA.

According to the source, a Polish citizen entered the Belarusian-Polish border checkpoint Brest on 17 August using the visa-free travel program. While going through border control procedures, he addressed Belarusian border service personnel and requested refugee status. The man said he had decided to come to Belarus and request protection out of fear for his own life and health. The Polish citizen was allowed to cross the border and advised to contact bodies of the Internal Affairs Ministry in order to get refugee status.

Written by belta.by

Some 5.7 million tonnes of grain has been threshed in Belarus, BelTA learned from the Belarusian Agriculture and Food Ministry.

As of the morning of 17 August, grain and leguminous crops (excluding maize, buckwheat and millet) were harvested from 71.3% of the planned area (1.525 million hectares). Harvesting was completed on 95.2% of the area (329,400 hectares) in Brest Oblast, 54.1% (195,800 hectares) in Vitebsk Oblast, 75.9% (263,400 hectares) in Gomel Oblast, 66.4% (202,600 hectares) in Grodno Oblast, 71.7% (322,000 hectares) in Minsk Oblast, and 63.9% (212,500 hectares) in Mogilev Oblast.

Belarus threshed 5.738 million tonnes of grain, with the average yield at 37.6 centners per hectare. Last year the average yield at this stage of harvesting was lower, 31.2 centners per hectare.

Winter rapeseed to be used as grain was harvested from 296,500 hectares of land (96.2% of the designated area), with 788,100 tonnes threshed (the average yield stood at 26.6 centners per hectare). Winter rapeseed to be used as grain was planted on 122,900 hectares or 29% of the plan.

Malt barley was harvested from 35,900 hectares of land (65.8% of the plan), with 145,000 tonnes threshed and the average yield at 40.4 centners per hectare (last year it was 32.3 centners per hectare).

Flax was cleared from the area of 41,300 hectares (93.1% of the designated area).

As part of the second cutting agricultural workers cut down grass on 845,300 hectares or 82.8% of the plan. Some 723,300 tonnes of hay (75.7% of the target), 11.794 million tonnes of haylage (87.8%), and 339,600 tonnes of silage (1.78%) were produced.

During this period, 5,831 grain harvesters were in operation, which is 77.3% of the available harvesting equipment in Belarus.

Written by belta.by

All foreigners who have received Belarusian citizenship are integrated into society, said Vitaly Naumchik, First Deputy Head of the Citizenship and Migration Department of the Belarusian Ministry of Internal Affairs, BelTA has learned.

“The process of granting Belarusian citizenship to foreigners continues. The head of state has signed a corresponding decree today. A total of 401 people received Belarusian citizenship, including 341 Ukrainians. The new citizens of Belarus include immigrants from the CIS countries, Syria, Iran, Afghanistan, Türkiye and other states. A total of 5,657 people have been granted Belarusian citizenship in the wake of the instruction the head of state gave in August 2021,” said Vitaly Naumchik.

Some 3,030 foreigners were granted Belarusian citizenship by the decision of the head of state, and 2,627 foreigners by the decision of law enforcement agencies.

“Employees of law enforcement agencies help foreigners fill in and submit their citizenship applications and provide all kinds of assistance to applicants. The foreigners who are approved for the Belarusian citizenship are law-abiding people, live a decent life, have a job and are already integrated into society,” said Vitaly Naumchik.

Written by belta.by

More than 45,000 Ukrainian nationals arrived in Belarus since February, BelTA learned from the State Border Committee of Belarus.

“From 6.00 on 24 February to 6.00 on 12 August, Belarus admitted 45,125 citizens of Ukraine,” the committee said. Almost 30,000 of them arrived in Belarus via the EU countries.

Written by minsk-region.gov.by

Head of the International Military Cooperation Department, Aide for International Military Cooperation to the Belarusian Defense Minister, Colonel Valery Revenko met with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Cuba to Belarus Santiago Perez Benitez on 10 August, BelTA learned from the Belarusian Defense Ministry.

The meeting also included the accreditation of Colonel Monica Milian Gomez, military, naval and air attache to the Embassy of Cuba in Russia with concurrent accreditation to Belarus.

The parties exchanged opinions on topical issues of the international agenda, discussed the state of international military cooperation between the countries, prospects and areas of their further development.

This is the first accreditation of a Cuban military diplomat to the Defense Ministry of Belarus.

Written by minsk-region.gov.by