Volozhin Region
Executive Committee

Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko has left for Oman on a working visit, BelTA has learned.

Negotiations of the Belarusian head of state with Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tariq Al Said have been planned.

Belarus-Oman interaction has considerably increased lately, including thanks to a previous exchange of visits. The promising avenues of cooperation that were determined during Aleksandr Lukashenko’s visit to Muscat in 2024 have been built upon and have become the foundation of the genuine roadmap that was signed during the Sultan of Oman’s visit to Minsk in October 2025.

The Belarus president’s upcoming visit to Oman will offer an opportunity to discuss in detail practical steps in furtherance of previous agreements and for the sake of implementing joint projects in various spheres.

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The National Tourism Agency, together with leading representatives of the Belarusian tourism industry, is taking part in the Tashkent International Tourism Fair “Tourism on the Silk Road” (TITF 2025) on 27-29 November, BelTA learned from the National Tourism Agency.

Aiming to strengthen its position on the international tourism market and expand partnership ties, Belarus is actively participating in the fair, presenting its rich potential.

The National Tourism Agency, together with leading representatives of the Belarusian tourism industry – STOLITSA Business Center, the Victoria hotel chain, the Sports and Tourism Directorate of the Minsk Oblast Executive Committee, the Mogilev Oblast Tourist Information Center, MINOTEL - has organized a joint stand of Belarus at the fair. On the opening day, it was visited by Belarusian Ambassador to Uzbekistan Aleksandr Ogorodnikov and Minister-Counselor Aleksandr Opimakh.

TITF 2025 confirms its status as a key event in the region. Last year’s fair figures are impressive: it hosted over 1,500 participants (both local and international organizations) and more than 13,500 visitors from 30 countries. It is especially worth noting the signing of over 8,000 agreements and the holding of more than 20,000 negotiations between tourism industry representatives - figures that clearly speak to the fair’s immense significance as a catalyst for tourism development on the Great Silk Road.

This year, TITF promises to be an even larger platform for uniting tourism business experts from all over the world. It provides ample opportunities for employees of leading tourism and transport companies, major hotel chains, diplomatic corps, educational institutions in tourism, and MICE tourism representatives.

The fair features an extensive and diverse program designed to maximize the participants’ potential and promote the development of business ties. The tourism exhibition will bring together more than 300 companies from different countries; an international culinary championship with renowned chefs will be held, featuring about 200 culinary specialists from more than 30 countries in a “battle of tastes”.

The fair will also feature a Media Campus: an interactive venue for journalists, bloggers, and tourism marketing experts. Thematic forums and sessions on aviation, education, ecology, and pilgrimage will be held, featuring leading international and domestic tourism experts. Particular attention is paid to B2B meetings between representatives of private companies from different countries, roundtable discussions, and exhibitions of tourism services and crafts.

The National Tourism Agency noted that Belarus’ participation in such a large-scale event as TITF 2025 is a strategically important step for promoting the national tourism product, finding new partners, and attracting investment. It is an opportunity to demonstrate the country’s hospitality, cultural wealth, and diverse tourism offerings on the international stage, opening up new prospects for Belarusian tourism.

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The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) must constantly adapt to changing security challenges and threats, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said at the CSTO summit in Bishkek, BelTA has learned.

“The CSTO must constantly adapt to changing security challenges and threats to ensure the most prompt and effective response possible. I believe we have established a comprehensive system that includes a military component, anti-crisis tools, and a focus on combating terrorism and drug trafficking,” the head of state said.

Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that cooperation in cybersecurity is also advancing. He thanked the Kyrgyz side for hosting a CSTO conference on this topic.

“In the current security configuration across the Eurasian space, the CSTO remains relevant. The CSTO is needed. The relevance of our organization is confirmed by the dynamic development of all its components, specifically the military-political, military-technical, and the fight against transnational threats,” the president stated.

Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized the critical importance of beginning work to refine the organization’s conceptual documents. “We hope that this work will continue in the near future,” he said. 

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On the sidelines of the CSTO summit in Bishkek, State Secretary of the Security Council of Belarus Aleksandr Volfovich assured reporters that the joint decision by the Belarusian and Russian presidents to supply the Oreshnik missile system is on track to be fulfilled as scheduled, BelTA has learned.

When asked by journalists if the Oreshnik missile system is being deployed to Belarus, Aleksandr Volfovich stated: “Absolutely! After all, presidents don’t make arbitrary decisions. The decisions of the presidents of Belarus and Russia are not subject to debate. Therefore, everything is proceeding according to plan, and this task will be fully completed by the end of the year.”

“I have recently reported this to the head of state. He exercises strict personal oversight, and we have no right to fail in its implementation. We have no other option,” the state secretary emphasized.

As BelTA previously reported, at the Minsk International Conference on Eurasian Security on 31 October, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko confirmed plans to place the Oreshnik missile system on combat duty in December. 

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Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko has extended his condolences to General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam To Lam and President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Luong Cuong, following the heavy rainfall in central Vietnam that resulted in numerous casualties and extensive destruction, BelTA learned from the Belarusian leader’s press service.

In his message to the Vietnamese president, Aleksandr Lukashenko stated: “Unfortunately, your country is once again facing a merciless natural disaster, and this brings pain to the hearts of Belarusians.”

On behalf of the Belarusian people and himself, the head of state conveyed his profound condolences and words of support to the Vietnamese leadership, the families and friends of the deceased and injured, and the fraternal people of Vietnam.

Aleksandr Lukashenko also expressed his hope for a swift elimination of the aftermath of the disaster and a stabilization of the situation, adding his wishes for “the return of the wounded and missing to their homes, and for the residents of Vietnam to a peaceful life.”

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In a recent episode of the V Teme [On Point] project on BelTA’s YouTube Channel, editor-in-chief of the Alternativa information and analysis website Andrei Vajra explained why the West is so invested in the Ukrainian project.

Analyzing the situation in Ukraine, Andrei Vajra highlighted the unprecedented intensity of the Russian army’s advance. “It’s unprecedented, compared, say, to the intensity of the advance at the beginning of this year. This is simply an incomparable scale of advancement,” he stated. “Essentially, Ukraine’s defenses are crumbling right now, before our eyes. Kiev no longer has the resources to stabilize the front.”

Andrei Vajra was also blunt about the state of Ukrainian mobilization, claiming: “The troops they are capturing are scattering. The bulk of those mobilized still scatter before they can be transported to the front lines, because they don’t want to die.”

He further emphasized Ukraine’s complete dependence on Western support: “Without Western support, Ukraine is nothing. Take away Western support, and Ukraine will cease to exist; it would have ceased to exist long ago.”

According to Andrei Vajra, the strategic goal of the Anglo-Saxons is to “preserve the Ukrainian project at any cost, in any format.” He elaborated: “The Americans are ready to give to Russia what it already has. They say, ‘Okay, we’ll give it all to you, as a favor, and are even willing to recognize it, just so long as the Ukrainian project remains intact’. Because for them, it’s a destructive tool for influencing Russia. And they understand that if Zelensky isn’t removed now or forced into peace, they will soon no longer have this tool. One way or another, sooner or later, the Russian army will reach the western borders.”

Andrei Vajra connected this to the Western pressure on Vladimir Zelensky, which he says is driven by the desire to save the ‘Ukraine’ project. “Zelensky, for his part, understands that if he signs any agreements tomorrow, they will inevitably come for him the day after,” Andrei Vajra explained. “There’s already talk of an interim government, a transition period.”

He also stressed that the issue of legitimate authority in Ukraine is a fundamental one for Moscow. “Who is this person, Vladimir Zelensky? Head of the Office? He has long been illegitimate. According to the constitution, he is no longer the president of Ukraine, and the Verkhovna Rada is no longer the Verkhovna Rada; its powers have also expired. There is basically no legitimate, legal authority there,” Andrei Vajra asserted. “Let’s say we sign an agreement with them, and tomorrow another government comes and says, ‘Who are these people you signed with?’ And why do we need that? Who will guarantee that six months from now, once the hostilities are stopped, a new wave of Russophobia won’t flare up in Ukraine and Ukraine won’t be armed? Who will guarantee that Ukraine will stop being used as a base for sabotage, reconnaissance, and terrorism by Western countries?”

Finally, addressing the corruption scandals, Andrei Vajra argued that Western officials were complicit. “Didn’t they know that these sums [aid for Ukraine] were essentially going nowhere? They understood perfectly well. And why? Because everyone had skin in the game. Because the corrupt system in Europe, the United States, and Ukraine had merged into one unified system,” he said. “And the budgets of European countries and the United States were being plundered under the guise of aid to Ukraine. All of this was covered up with the beautiful rhetoric of war against the aggressor, about helping a beautiful, democratic, and corruption-free Ukraine.” 

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Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko met with Jesús Rafael Salazar Velásquez, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Venezuela to Russia, at the Palace of Independence in Minsk on 25 November, BelTA has learned.

“Venezuela is not a foreign country for Belarus. We have been cooperating with you for a very long time. I would like our relations to be more intensive and advanced. We have a lot to discuss,” the head of state said addressing the diplomat.

During the talk, the president made a request to the ambassador: “I ask you sincerely: please convey to my friend Nicolas Maduro that he is always welcome in Belarus. It is high time for him to visit the country.”

Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that the president of Venezuela might have similar expectations, and therefore did not rule out his own visit to Venezuela. “I am convinced that his attitude towards me is the same. I will make every effort to find the time and visit Venezuela. The times are problematic, complex, difficult. Yet, a solution can be found to any predicament, provided there is a will to seek it. This is something you understand as well as I do,” the Belarusian leader said.

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The agenda for the second session of the 7th Belarusian People’s Congress was approved on 25 November by a corresponding resolution of its Presidium, Deputy Chairman of the Presidium Aleksandr Kosinets told journalists following the meeting of the Presidium, BelTA reports.

According to him, the meeting finalized all organizational decisions for the upcoming session, which will be held on 18 and 19 December.

On the first day, the president will deliver his Address to the Belarusian people and the National Assembly. According to the amended Constitution, such annual addresses are to be heard exclusively at sessions of the Belarusian People’s Congress. 

On the second day, the session is scheduled to approve Belarus’ socioeconomic development program for 2026-2030. It will be presented by the prime minister, who will also report on the implementation of the previous five-year plan.

Aleksandr Kosinets highlighted a key change in timing: unlike previous programs, which were adopted after a five-year cycle had already begun, this socioeconomic development program is being approved just before the next cycle starts.

Other items on the agenda of the Belarusian People’s Congress include the election of a new member to its Presidium, filling the vacancy left by Konstantin Burak, who was appointed in April 2025 as Aide to the President and Inspector for Grodno Oblast. This decision will be made by secret ballot.

Furthermore, the session will consider personnel matters for the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court, as well as issues related to the financing of the Congress itself.

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Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko commented on the performance of HC Dinamo Minsk in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) during his meeting with Governor of Russia's Yaroslavl Oblast Mikhail Yevrayev on 24 November, BelTA has learned.

While discussing humanitarian cooperation between Belarus and Yaroslavl Oblast, Aleksandr Lukashenko noted the successes of athletes from this Russian region. The conversation touched upon, in particular, Yaroslavl's hockey club Lokomotiv, which won the Gagarin Cup in 2025.

“We envy you. You won the Kontinental Hockey League championship last year. I believe it is a very strong league, on a global scale. It is practically just as good as the NHL, and it has become even stronger this year. I am satisfied with how HC Dinamo Minsk are playing for now. But looking at your HC Lokomotiv, we see what to aspire to,” said the head of state. “You have done a great job, and I am not just saying this to flatter you. After all, HC Dinamo Minsk is a national team. But you, competing with other Russian regions, have managed to equip your team - in this case, a hockey team - and show what Yaroslavl is all about. Well done, I really like your team.”

The president noted that winter sports are generally popular in Yaroslavl: “I don’t know if the snow has fallen for you yet or not, but winter sports are very much loved in Yaroslavl. I’ve known this since my early presidential years.” At the same time, he believes Yaroslavl will prove itself in more than just hockey. “Soon, they will beat us so soundly in football that it will be embarrassing to even talk about it later. So, we have something to learn from you,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

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Since 1 January 2025, Belarus has hosted 204,118 travelers from 38 countries included in the visa-waiver program, with most of them arriving from neighboring Lithuania, Latvia and Poland, BelTA learned from the State Border Committee.  

“A total of 1,235,854 European residents have visited Belarus since 15 April 2022. They included 397,687 visitors from Latvia, 656,164 people from Lithuania and 128,056 visitors from Poland. On 19 July 2024 the visa-waiver program was extended to include 35 more countries. A total of 53,947 citizens of these countries have visited Belarus,” the State Border Committee informed.

The border committee also recalled that the head of state extended the visa-waiver program for citizens of 38 European countries. Foreigners will be able to come to Belarus without a visa until 31 December 2025. 

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