Kopyl regional executive committee

 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

Belarusians bid farewell to Nikolai Slyunkov at funeral in Minsk

On 11 August Minsk bid farewell to the former head of the BSSR Nikolai Slyunkov in a ceremony at the Central House of Officers.

Nikolai Slyunkov headed Minsk Tractor Plant from 1965 to 1972. Then he held the post of First Secretary of the Minsk City Committee of the Communist Party of the BSSR, Deputy Chairman of the State Planning Committee of the USSR, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the BSSR, Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

Written by belta.by

About 200 writers will attend the 29th edition of the Belarusian Written language Day in Dobrush on 3-4 September, the honorary chairman of the Union of Writers of Belarus, People's Writer of Belarus Nikolai Cherginets said at a press conference, BelTA has learned.

"This holiday is a kind of exam for writers. They will present their works to the audience. This year's event will bring more writers than usual: about 200 people. I would like to thank the Gomel regional branch of the Union of Writers of Belarus for the efforts to prepare for this holiday. They invited 25 Russian writers with whom we maintain good relations," Nikolai Cherginets noted.

In the run-up to the Belarusian Written Language Day, on 2 September, the Gomel regional branch will hold a number of events in Turov. "First of all, this is a roundtable on the role of writers and books in strengthening society. Also, the Gomel branch announced a competition for the best poem and song about Dobrush. More than 50 poems have already been submitted, along with songs. Special attention will be paid to the anniversaries of Yanka Kupala and Yakub Kolas, Ivan Shamyakin and other writers," Nikolai Cherginets added.

Written by minsk-region.gov.by

The 86th Communications Brigade held a draw for the Steady Signal competition of the International Army Games 2022, BelTA learned from the Defense Ministry of Belarus.

Major-General Oleg Mishchenko, the Chief of Communications of the Armed Forces - Head of the Signal Office of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus, addressed the visiting teams on 8 August."Welcome to the Republic of Belarus," he said. “During the competition, we will show you the Belarusian land, traditions, our museums and military units. This year we tried to make the competition more exciting. For the first time the event will involve a female division. The number of participating countries has grown to 12. We are in for a speculator and fierce competition."

The competition will officially kick off in Brest on Sunday, 14 August.