Volozhin Region
Executive Committee

Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko met with Chairman of the Supreme Court Valentin Sukalo on 31 August, BelTA has learned.

Aleksandr Lukashenko noted he would like to discuss tactical and strategic topics in the work of courts. “If we talk about tactics, I would like to discuss specific things, problems, including criminal cases, which are on the president's radar. As for the strategy, there has been a lot of talk lately that we have to somehow remodel our public and political system, change the situation in the country. Changes, changes… Truth be told, nobody says what kind of changes they want. But I know very well who wants changes and what kind. This is why you and I are going to discuss it. Life has to always change,” he explained.

Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that work is in progress on the third version of the Constitution of Belarus. He asked Valentin Sukalo to get involved in the work. “I would like you to have a say in the matter as an experienced man,” Aleksandr Lukashenko noted. “As for the courts, many people – including representatives of the court system – want some kind of independence. Although I am ready to argue with anyone that Belarusian courts are the most independent ones. Nobody should laugh at it. You know how I protect you against all kinds of pressure or requests over the phone. I often say that everything depends on judges: if they want to be dependent on someone, it means they will have to respond to these phone calls, figuratively speaking. You've never received secret calls from me. Everything is in the open between us. If the president keeps an eye on some criminal case, I say it openly and you do, too.”

“This is why I believe that although we have a bit of an authoritarian system in the public life, nevertheless, the president protects and preserves courts. But it is a personal thing while we have to make a system work regardless of personalities, including Lukashenko. This is why I think in the new Constitution we have to properly reflect the system of our courts resulting from the experience of our work over the last quarter of the century. But in a responsible manner: if you submit a proposal, sign it,” Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed.

Speaking about the operation of the court system, Valentin Sukalo noted that on the whole the situation is stable and functional despite some tensions in city courts. “The court system performs the constitutional duties it has to,” he stressed.

Reconstruction of the M3 Minsk-Vitebsk highway is underway in Minsk Oblast, Belta reports with reference to the press service of the Ministry of Transport and Communications.

"The fourth stage of reconstruction of the M3 Minsk-Vitebsk highway (from 56 km to 64 km) is being implemented, including bypassing the urban village of Pleschenitsy. Construction is being carried out on an 8 km section located in Logoisk region of Minsk Oblast. The work is carried out in accordance with the instructions of the head of state from July 12, 2017 and are carried out by the general contractor OJSC "SMT No. 8", - said the press service.

As noted in the Ministry of Transport, M3 will become a four-lane highway and will meet the standards of the first technical category. As for materials, heavy concrete with a thickness of 24 cm is used to create a new roadbed. Two bridges over the Dvinos and Derazhnya rivers will also be reconstructed.

Repair work on the site will have a beneficial effect on the development of social life of the population. Along the M3 road there will be areas for recreation and trade, equipped with a special shed. The project will modernize about 80 km.

The beginning of repair work at the facility began in October 2019, it is planned to complete them in December of this year.

The M3 highway is one of the key transport arteries of the country connecting the capital with the regional center in Vitebsk; it is along this road that freight flows to Latvia and St. Petersburg move.

The Minsk Half Marathon has been postponed to September 2021, BelTA learned from the official website of the Belarusian Athletics Federation.

“Health and safety of our participants is a fundamental task for the organizers. For this reason, as well as based on the recommendations of the Minsk City Hall and the Sport and Tourism Ministry, a difficult decision was made to postpone the Minsk Half Marathon to 12 September 2021,” the organizers said.

Registration for the event will continue, and all the payments already made will be valid for next year. The 2020 Minsk Half Marathon was scheduled for 13 September.

It is essential to take care of people – workers of enterprises – and their salaries when addressing issues regarding the operation of certain enterprises, Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko said during the working trip to Orsha on 28 August where he is visiting a cheese-making plant of OOO Savushkin-Orsha, BelTA has learned.

Upon arrival the head of state asked about the performance of the enterprise and its development prospects. The modern facility is gradually increasing its production capacity, needs new workforce and raw materials.

Apart from that, there is an indebted melted cheese factory in Orsha. In current conditions, the products of this factory are easily replaceable, and salaries of workers are one third lower than salaries at OOO Savushkin-Orsha. It was mentioned that specialists can be employed at a new enterprise and their salaries will increase. Besides, a certain volume of raw materials will be released. Aleksandr Lukashenko gave an instruction to address the issue, to think what to do with debts, and to find sources for repayment.

The president stressed that people's salaries and highly productive jobs are a priority. “I am concerned about people,” he said. “We should not forget about people. We need to start to work as we should from 1 January. Mogilev Oblast – a land for a zone of raw materials – can be used if necessary.”

OOO Savushkin-Orsha was founded in October 2018. In December 2018 it included the enterpsie Orshansky Gorlachik with two factories in Orsha and Kopys. Since the acquisition the investments exceeded $41 million.

A new high-tech factory complying with all international quality and safety standards was built instead of the old one. The factory makes in-demand fromage frais under brand names Savushkin and Sveza.

OOO Savushkin-Orsha has already launched the manufacture of fromage frais – fetta and brynza (import substitution and in-demand products for export). The initial daily capacity is 20 tonnes of fromage frais. Plans have been made to launch the production of Adygei cheese, Queso Blanco, Caucasian cheese and Oltermanni. Besides, the installation of new mozzarella production lines will begin in autumn. Plans have been made to launch them in January 2021.

When the third stage of modernization is completed in June 2021, the daily demand for raw materials at the Orsha factory will increase to 600 tonnes. Therefore, the main objectives of the enterprise are to establish closer ties with producers of raw materials in Orsha District and Dibrovno District, Vitebsk Oblast, and to raise the quality and quantity of milk available for processing.

From August 27 to September 28, electronic job fairs will be held for residents of Minsk Oblast.

According to the State Employment Service, on August 27, an electronic job fair will be held for citizens looking for work in the Lyuban region. From 10.00 to 12.00, they organize online consulting with the participation of OJSC "Rybokombinat "Lyuban", the Lyubanskoye District Po, the Foreign Enterprise "Lyuban Clothes Factory".

In Nesvizh and Nesvizh region, vacancies will be offered on August 28 from 10.00 to 12.00 - OJSC "Nesvizh rayagroservice", UZ "Nesvizhskaya CRB", OJSC "Lan-Nesvizh".

Also on September 28, from 10.00 to 12.00, job seekers will have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with vacancies in Starye Dorogi region.

Job search events will be organized on a single resource www.e-vacancy.by, where anyone can ask employers questions, send a resume, receive an electronic consultation and an invitation for an interview online.

The Belarusian air carrier Belavia has extended suspension of air travel to Riga, Latvia till 6 September, BelTA learned from the website of the airline.

Moreover, Belavia will not fly to Russia till 14 September (flights to Voronezh, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod have been suspended till 24 October) as Russia has not allowed air travel from Belarus yet.

The airline has also extended suspension of air travel to Larnaca till 31 August, to Ashgabat till 1 September, and to all destinations in Georgia till 30 September.

Customers who purchased tickets for these travel dates will be able to apply for a refund or to reschedule the flight till 30 March 2021. Tickets can be refunded and flights can be rescheduled at company's offices and customer service centers.

Stable operation of the Belarusian industry is a cornerstone of the country's economy, Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko said at a government meeting to discuss the development of the country's major industrial companies on 27 August, BelTA has learned.

The situation at major largest companies affiliated with the Industry Ministry was high on the agenda of the meeting. “We will discuss the state of affairs and what are the development prospects for these companies,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

He added that several days ago he heard out reports of the first vice premier and the finance minister. The meeting examined the state of affairs in finances and budget of the country. “Everyone understands perfectly well that efficient operation of manufacturing companies is crucial for the national budget and the ability of the state to finance social programs. The stable operation of the Belarusian industry is a cornerstone of the country's economy,” the head of state said.

The president added that this year has been a difficult one. Many markets closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The flow of goods and capital practically stopped. Now there is a difficult political situation in the country, and the attempts to stir up tensions comes from inside and outside, he said. “This pressure impacts the domestic economic situation. I would like to reiterate that no one will give us any gratuitous assistance. We have to rely on our strengths and capabilities.”

The head of state asked the participants of the meeting, especially the heads of enterprises, what the moral and psychological situation in working collectives is, how the manufacturing processes are going and what the situation with export is. “Export promotion is our key challenge. A foreign currency flow, ruble exchange rate and so on depend on this. We cannot sit and wait for some to come and line up to buy these products. We have to be more aggressive. We provide export promotion assistance. Is there anything we could do more to help,” the head of state asked.

According to Aleksandr Lukashenko, almost all the country's industries showed growth in January-July, and stocks of finished products are gradually decreasing. These are positive signals, he said. The president also asked about the companies' forecasts for the end of 2020. “Next year is the start of a new five-year plan. No matter what it takes, we have to work hard and show growth at the finish line,” the Belarusian leader said.

According to Industry Minister Piotr Parkhomchik, Belarusian industrial enterprises operate in the normal mode. All production lines are in action, and Belarusian products are sold under the signed contracts. “The social and psychological situation has normalized over the last week and is assessed as satisfactory today. Awareness raising activities are conducted with the staff. There are no economic reasons for possible strikes,” the minister said.

Almost 50.000 schoolchildren of junior and senior grades of Minsk and Minsk Oblast improved their health in children's camps this summer, Belarus 1 reports.

Due to the epidemic situation, the first camp shifts this year began to work two weeks later. At all sites, mandatory sanitary requirements were observed, children spent a lot of time in the fresh air, thematic circles worked, virtual excursions were conducted. And these days the last summer shift is coming to an end.

In total, more than 300 round-the-clock and day camps functioned in our country this season. In October, a traditional competition will be held in which the best children's health institution in Belarus will be selected.

No one should tell Belarus what to do and how, Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives' Standing Commission on International Affairs Oleg Gaidukevich told the SB. Belarus Segodnya newspaper, BelTA has learned.

“All the issues we have in the country should be handled by ourselves, because no one else will ever take care of us. Unfortunately, a number of countries are openly interfering in Belarus' domestic affairs. This is unacceptable; no one should tell us what to do. We should make every effort to consolidate people. I have an alternative point of view; it is good to have such a point of view. If everyone shares the same view, the country will not advance further. We should resolve all issues through a national dialogue, without intermediaries. We do not need them to handle our domestic political affairs,” Oleg Gaidukevich said.

The MP noted that financing and open support of any political forces from outside, pressure on the country are inadmissible. “It is clear that they will defend the interests of those who pay them, not the interests of our country. We know very well that it is about geopolitics and nothing else, because everyone is acting solely in their national interests. The activity on our western borders will come to no good, this is escalation. Naturally, we will respond to the military buildup at our borders not only domestically, but also as a member of the Union State, the CSTO. Our army should be strong, as in this case there will be no conflicts. The ongoing situation has showed that we have real allies – for example Russia's position looks the most decent for me. Russia says that it will never intervene in our domestic affairs and warns other countries against it,” the MP added.

The development of a uniform distance learning platform will be completed in Belarus by the end of 2020, Education Minister Igor Karpenko told the Belarus 1 TV channel, BelTA informs.

“We are starting the academic year in the usual format. At the same time, we are actively getting ready for all kinds of developments. We were heavily criticized for the lack of a uniform distance learning platform. This is not a panacea; it will not replace the classroom in secondary and vocational school. Nevertheless, we are working on it. By the end of this year, a uniform distance learning platform will be developed. By the way, the option is of interest not only for students, but also for young teachers,” Igor Karpenko said.

At first, the platform will be launched in a test mode. It is supposed to become fully operational on 1 September 2021.

Igor Karpenko informed that the Education Ministry jointly with the Healthcare Ministry developed guidelines for managing the educational process amidst the coronavirus pandemic. “The Education Ministry and the Healthcare Ministry will respond to any difficulties caused the rise of seasonal viral infections on a case-by-case basis. I would like to emphasize that we will recommend that teachers and all people working with children (and children themselves) get vaccinated,” added Igor Karpenko.