Volozhin Region
Executive Committee

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed cooperation within the Belarus-Russia-North Korea triangle during a telephone conversation on 12 April, BelTA learned from the press service of the Belarusian leader.

“The presidents addressed the topic of cooperation within the Belarus-Russia-North Korea triangle. Following the official visit of the president of Belarus to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, a range of promising areas for cooperation has been identified. During today’s conversation, the possibility of implementing several projects in a trilateral format was discussed,” the press service said.

As BelTA previously reported, Aleksandr Lukashenko and Chairman of the State Affairs of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Kim Jong Un held official talks in Pyongyang on 26 March, declaring the beginning of a new stage in bilateral relations. Following the talks, a treaty on friendship and cooperation between Belarus and the DPRK was signed. The parties also concluded roughly a dozen agreements and memorandums on cooperation in specific areas.

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Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Karankevich has introduced new Information Minister Dmitry Zhuk to the ministry staff on 10 April, BelTA has learned.

Viktor Karankevich noted that Dmitry Zhuk’s extensive experience in leadership positions at major media outlets will help him effectively lead the ministry. “The head of state has clearly outlined the priority tasks ahead. I wish you strength and energy to tackle them worthily together with the staff, as well as to keep citizens informed about the country’s social and economic development, the achievements of various economic sectors, the work being done to improve people’s quality of life, and, of course, to respond swiftly to destructive information,” the deputy prime minister said.

Viktor Karankevich also thanked Marat Markov for his work as Information Minister.

“I fully understand the functions and tasks of the ministry,” said Information Minister Dmitry Zhuk. “The president set ambitious goals yesterday, and at the end he told us all: ‘There are no other options’. So we will carry out the instructions. I am confident that we will succeed; the team here is highly qualified and capable. We will get to work.”

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko appointed Dmitry Zhuk as Information Minister on 9 April. Prior to this, Dmitry Zhuk served as Director and Editor-in-Chief of the Belarus Segodnya publishing house.

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Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko has signed the law “On ratification of the agreement between the Government of the Republic of Belarus and the Government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar on the elimination of double taxation with respect to taxes on income and on the prevention of tax avoidance and evasion”, the president’s press service told BelTA.

The international treaty provides for the avoidance of double taxation of income of tax residents of Belarus and Myanmar. The agreement will not apply to certain types of taxes, which have been identified. In Belarus, these are the corporate profit tax and the personal income tax.

The document also establishes the procedure for taxation and the exchange of information between the tax authorities of the two states.

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On 7 April, the program of the Big Tourism Week began with a flower ceremony at the Victory Monument in Minsk and will continue with a roundtable at the Belarusian State Museum of the Great Patriotic War to discus the CIS cooperation in preserving the memory about the war and educating younger generations. The main events will be the 4th Belarusian-Russian Tourism Congress, the Travel Hub Commonwealth, and the 28th International Travel Fair Holidays 2026. 

The 4th Belarusian-Russian Tourism Congress and the Travel Hub Commonwealth forum will bring together representatives from 22 regions of Russia and also Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and other CIS countries. 

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The Council of Ministers has approved the draft protocol on amending the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Belarus and the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam on Cooperation in Education of 16 June 2023, as a basis for negotiations. Corresponding resolution No. 176 of the Council of Ministers of 8 April 2026 on holding negotiations on the draft international treaty and its signing" has been published on the National Legal Internet Portal, BelTA has learned.

“The Education Ministry is authorized to conduct negotiations on the draft protocol, with the permission to introduce non-substantive changes if necessary, and to sign the protocol once agreement is reached within the framework of the approved draft,” the document reads.

The resolution enters into force on the date of its adoption.

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Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko received a report from Chairperson of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus Natalya Kochanova on 9 April, BelTA has learned.

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Belarus ranked among the top three CIS countries in tourism development in 2025, CIS First Deputy Secretary General Igor Petrishenko said during the ceremony to open the 4th Belarus-Russia tourism congress and the international tourism forum Travel Hub Commonwealth in Minsk on 8 April, BelTA has learned.

According to Igor Petrishenko, international tourism grew by 4% in 2025. The CIS countries demonstrated even stronger momentum: their growth rates were two-three times higher than the global average.

“The leader in growth is domestic tourism. It is a real driver of economic development,” Igor Petrishenko noted. “In 2025, Belarus ranked among the top three CIS countries in sustainable tourism development.”

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Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko convened a meeting to discuss the development of the Belarusian National Biotechnology Corporation (BNBC) in Minsk on 7 April, BelTA has learned.

Participants of the meeting hosted by the head of state included the leadership of the Council of Ministers, the Belarus President Administration, the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus (NASB), ministries and departments, as well as the heads of agricultural enterprises that use BNBC products.

Addressing the meeting, Aleksandr Lukashenko recalled that during the launch of BNBC in November 2022, extensive prospects for this research and production cluster were outlined. “Back when we were creating it, we took pride in being one of four or five countries that have such biological technologies. Now, with new leadership in place both in the government and in the corporation, it is time to examine how it is working. So, I expect an objective evaluation of BNBC’s activities,” he noted. “It was planned that premium compound feed, premixes, vitamins, and amino acids would not only elevate the domestic agricultural industry to a new level, but also become a solid export item, bringing foreign currency to the country.”

The president stressed that the corporation had received substantial support from the state: “These are tax preferences, government guarantees on loans, and a special procedure for handling exchange rate differences. The authorized capital of the enterprise received budget funds totaling Br226 million. About $600 million alone was attracted in preferential government loans from the People’s Republic of China.”

Thus, Aleksandr Lukashenko stated, everything possible and even more had been done to ensure a successful launch and normal development of BNBC, which means the state has the right to demand results. “The presented materials indicate that these results, unfortunately, are nowhere to be seen. Yet you are receiving your salaries regularly, nearly 16% higher than the regional average,” the head of state added. According to the president, the only area where BNBC has shown growth is the geography of its export supplies. This number rose from 6 countries in 2022 to 12 in 2025.

“To this day, the biochemical and compound feed production facilities have not reached full capacity. The production program targets have not been met, and there remains an acute shortage of working capital,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said. “What is the leadership doing in this situation? It is following the same old routine: begging for more state support. I remind you once again: there is no money for this in the budget, and there won’t be. Funds are provided temporarily and must be repaid. That is for those who still haven’t understood that.”
The president outlined his principled stance: Belarus urgently needs a biotechnology industry. “This is the path taken by all technologically developed countries. We cannot afford to fall behind. Therefore, today, along with a principled and objective assessment of the current situation, I expect concrete proposals on the prospects for BNBC’s development in the coming years,” he stressed. According to the Belarusian leader, to achieve this, it is first necessary to specify who the end consumer of BNBC products is, what products have already been created, and what new offerings will be presented to the market in the foreseeable future.

The head of state was also particularly interested in the issue of BNBC product purchases by agricultural industry organizations, their composition and quality. Addressing Vice Premier Yuri Shuleiko, the president recalled the tasks that had been set for him upon his appointment as chairman of the supervisory board. “All the approaches you propose for BNBC’s development must work in practice. The enterprise must fill its capacities and finally become financially sustainable,” the head of state emphasized.

First Vice Premier Nikolai Snopkov had previously been given a personal assignment to implement the BNBC-3 project and attract direct Chinese investment for that purpose. The president asked how that assignment was being carried out. “The limit on budget support for this enterprise has long been reached and exhausted,” the Belarusian leader said.

Among the speakers at the meeting was also Chairman of the NASB Presidium Vladimir Karanik. “Without the support of science, this high-tech enterprise cannot exist,” the president noted, recalling that during his visit to the Soligorsk Poultry Farm, a discussion had taken place between the head of the National Academy of Sciences and Aleksandr Kosinets regarding the level of scientific novelty of the biotechnologies used by BNBC.

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The Academy of Public Administration under the aegis of the President of the Republic of Belarus and the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (the Chinese national academy of governance) have signed a memorandum of understanding, the Academy of Public Administration told BelTA.

Under the memorandum, the parties plan to develop various areas of cooperation, including the organization and holding of joint scientific conferences, symposiums, and seminars; the organization of online lectures by leading experts in public administration, economics, law, and other fields; stepping up academic exchanges, particularly on such topics as the use of artificial intelligence in public administration; the exchange of information, scientific publications, and educational and methodological literature; the preparation and publication of joint scientific and methodological publications, textbooks, and other literature. 

A Belarusian delegation headed by Rector of the Academy of Public Administration Denis Duk is currently in Beijing. The rector of the Academy of Public Administration will deliver a lecture on “The system of training administrative personnel and professional development of civil servants of the Republic of Belarus”. Apart from that, Professor of the Academy of Public Administration, Doctor of Historical Sciences Valery Matsel will deliver a lecture on “Organizational and administrative aspects of implementing Directive No.12 ‘On implementing the ideology of the Belarusian state’ signed by the president of the Republic of Belarus on 9 April 2025”.

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Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko signed decree No.111 on 6 April to approve as the basis for negotiations a draft protocol on amending the treaty on peculiarities of criminal and administrative responsibility for violations of the customs legislation of the customs union and of the union’s member states of 5 July 2010, the press service of the Belarusian leader told BelTA.

The State Customs Committee has been authorized to conduct the negotiations on the draft protocol.

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