Volozhin Region
Executive Committee

Since 1 January 2025, Belarus has hosted 196,855 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 1,228,592 European residents have visited Belarus since 15 April 2022. They included 394,668 visitors from Latvia, 655,021 people from Lithuania and 125,897 visitors from Poland. On 19 July 2024 the visa-waiver program was extended to include 35 more countries. A total of 53,006 citizens of these countries have visited Belarus. 

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. Detailed information about the visa waiver is available in the special section on the website of the State Border Committee and the Border of Belarus app.

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Lithuanians themselves were smuggling cigarettes from Belarusian territory using weather balloons, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said in response to a question from journalists on 31 October, BelTA has learned.

The head of state said Lithuanians themselves resorted to the cigarette trade due to border closures by neighboring countries. Aleksandr Lukashenko asserted that their own authorities pushed them into it by disrupting normal commerce and building a border fence.

“They put up a fence. People had gotten used to a different life – they had some kind of business going, they were involved in production. They could produce something and sell it to us, we could produce something and sell it to them. Trade was flowing. They put up this fence, and it severed, it cut these living connections. Millions of people were suddenly deprived of this work, the very thing they lived on, especially the Poles. Theirs is private production, so they are even more dependent on this trade than we are,” the Belarusian leader said. “The Lithuanian and Polish authorities are to blame for this happening. Why did you put people in such conditions? Why did you push them onto the path of crime?” the Belarusian leader remarked.

He stated that Belarusian citizens would buy cigarettes legally from the factory and sell them to Lithuanians who came into Belarus, pocketing a profit. The Lithuanians, in turn, moved the merchandise to their partners across the border using balloons, capitalizing on the price difference between Belarus and the EU.

“They set up this business. Our people get the cigarettes from the factory at a good price and sell them to the Lithuanians. They had to get them over the fence. They used these little balloons to send small batches across,” the president stated. “The Lithuanians on the other side would receive the balloons and take the cigarettes. They didn't sell them in Lithuania, but in the Netherlands and England. They say cigarettes are most expensive there.”

“How can I hold them [the Belarusian participants in this scheme] accountable? What is Belarus' guilt in this? I don't see any reason to punish these people. They wanted to earn money, and they did. It would be different if they had stolen these cigarettes... But no, they paid for them,” the head of state said.

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This year marks Belarus’ second participation in the Miss Universe pageant, an event that will feature representatives from 134 countries. The nation will be represented by the beautiful Alena Kucheruk, winner of the Miss Belarus 2025 title. Since winning the coveted crown, she has had not a single free minute, focusing all her energy on preparing for the international competition. BelTA correspondents spoke with the professionals assisting the Belarusian beauty, learning their inspiration for creating looks meant to amaze the world.

“We are currently in the final stages of preparation for Alena Kucheruk’s flight to Bangkok, Thailand. The competition finals will take place on 21 November, but our beauty will fly there on 1 November. A great deal of work has been done this month to ensure she feels confident,” said Bozhena Yeremich, director of the National Beauty School.

Preparations have focused on the runway walk, rehearsing the competition segments and performances for the finals. This includes the national costume show, a swimsuit competition, an evening gown competition and several other segments. Alena has also received training in makeup, hair styling, acting, and English language.

A professional team has crafted Alena’s looks. Designers Tatiana Yefremova and Irina Rombalskaya combined flowing silks and metallic fabrics with gilded leather and chromed corsets. They used these same materials to create an evening look for the Miss Universe pageant, where a silk bottom seamlessly blends with a chromed plastic top adorned with real silver accents.

“I sincerely believe that in Belarus, our greatest treasures are our women,” explained Irina Rombalskaya. “This look was inspired, as cliché as it may sound, by Belarusian wheat, but we tried to use this symbol in an unusual way. Through chrome, metal, and gold, we showed that a true Belarusian beauty is not only delicate and fragile, but also strong. In fact, she is the armor of our country, ready to defend the homeland and uphold the honor of Belarus on the international stage.”

“This is entirely handmade; every single stalk is sculpted by hand,” added Tatiana Yefremova. “Through this handcrafted work, we tried to convey to Alena a piece of our strength, love, and kindness. Our latest collections, which we present internationally, are an ode to the Belarusian woman. This evening gown is also a song about the Belarusian girl, only interpreted in a new way.”

They developed the idea for the dress together with representatives of the National Beauty School, working around the clock for three weeks. During their work, they reviewed numerous outfits from representatives of African and Asian countries, known for their riot of color. But, deciding that it was “not our DNA,” Tatiana Yefremova and Irina Rombalskaya chose to forge their own path and showcase what truly symbolizes Belarus.

“The dress is very comfortable. Most importantly, I can breathe freely in it. I love that it gives me strength, and I feel much more confident,” noted Alena Kucheruk.

The national costume, created by Belarusian designer Dmitry Titushkin in the style of the national coat of arms and flag, showcases Belarusian national identity. It incorporates 30,000 gems, weighs 11 kg, and took two months to complete. Alena Kucheruk admitted that the costume initially seemed too heavy, but after numerous rehearsals, she grew accustomed to it and now feels comfortable.

Bozhena Yeremich noted that the pageant will also feature a charity evening, where each country will present a charitable item. Alena Kucheruk will showcase the new perfume “Belarus”, created by perfumer Nikolai Yarets. The scent combines the aroma of mown grass with lemon, as well as the perfumer’s personal favorite – the scent of peonies from his mother’s garden. The character of the perfume is enhanced by notes of patchouli, oakmoss, and vanilla, creating a rugged woody fragrance with a subtle feminine touch. The “Belarus” perfume is part of a collection that also features fragrances associated with Minsk, outer space, the beauty of Belarusian girls, and the nation’s blue lakes.

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Belarusian exporters have to fight for their customer on key markets despite the difficult situation, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said during the meeting on developing cooperation with African countries in Minsk on 30 October, BelTA has learned.

“The situation on our key [export] markets is now challenging. We will not leave them under any circumstances and will fight for our customers. However, enterprises and industries can no longer use excuses that everything has been contracted, that Russia offers a better price and so on,” the head of state pointed out. “It is necessary to break out into geographically distant markets and work there. It is a serious task for today and beyond.”

The head of state instructed executives to ensure the utilization of production capacities, jobs and salaries for people despite the existing difficulties. “Precisely in difficult situations!” Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed. 

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By leveraging artificial intelligence, banks can achieve a higher level of security for their clients’ data, First Deputy Chairman of the Board of the National Bank of Belarus Aleksandr Yegorov said at the International Banking Council meeting held in Minsk to discuss the opportunities and risks of applying artificial intelligence in the banking system, BelTA has learned.

“Artificial intelligence represents the natural evolution of machine learning, a technology the banking sector has used for decades. As the next step, AI is a powerful force for modernizing the banking industry, primarily by optimizing a vast number of internal business processes and enhancing everyday customer experiences,” Aleksandr Yegorov noted.

He believes that the use of artificial intelligence helps reduce costs and more effectively process the large amounts of data accumulated by banks and other financial institutions. “This is crucial for enhancing security for both banks and their customers. Furthermore, a long-established practice that is now becoming more convenient and cost-effective is the move toward a higher degree of personalization, allowing banks to provide precisely the offers their customers need,” he emphasized. 

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Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko held a telephone conversation with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan on 29 October, the press service of the Belarusian leader told BelTA.

The heads of state discussed the bilateral agenda. A government delegation of Belarus will go to Kazakhstan soon and put forward proposals on ways to boost cooperation. The presidents also looked into other key issues and projects of Belarusian-Kazakh relations.

Aleksandr Lukashenko and Kassym-Jomart Tokayev also discussed the international agenda, including the preparations for the upcoming CSTO summit in Kyrgyzstan.

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Belarusian banks increased lending to the domestic economy by 14% in January-September 2025, Chairman of the Board of the National Bank Roman Golovchenko told reporters following his report to the president of Belarus.

“I informed the president that our efforts to resource the economy have been quite successful this year, with bank lending to the economy growing by 14% in the first nine months of the year,” the National Bank chief said.

Roman Golovchenko also highlighted the rapid growth in investment lending: “This is not a natural development. It is part of the National Bank’s policy to stimulate investment lending. Over the first nine months, we issued Br4.5 billion in investment loans. This is almost 60% more than last year.” 

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Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko called on countries of the Global Majority to unite in defending their common interests as he spoke at the 3rd Minsk International Conference on Eurasian Security on 28 October, BelTA has learned.

The president emphasized that the countries of Eurasia and the Global Majority truly can do a great deal. “But the biggest problem is that we are moving very weakly in this direction,” said the Belarusian leader. “We all understand that we cannot walk on bent knees forever, bowing to one country or one individual.”

“We all understand that these sanctions could be used against other countries today. Take India - if it disobeys and continues to buy oil from the ‘wrong’ place, sanctions could be imposed against it too. A population of over one and a half billion! Everyone understands that tomorrow, military force could be used to apply pressure - look at Venezuela. Everyone understands that this is where we might be headed. So, let’s unite. Let’s create an alternative, starting with financial settlements and ending with a certain demonstration of our capabilities. And we have such capabilities,” Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed.

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Belarus’ peace initiatives align with the aspiration of the Eurasian peoples for peace and stability, Deputy Director of the China-Belarus Development Analysis Center of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Zhao Huirong said during the 3rd Minsk International Conference on Eurasian Security in Minsk on 28 October, BelTA has learned. 

“This is my third visit to the Eurasian security forum, and I believe it is extremely important as it focuses on ways to promote security in Eurasia,” Zhao Huirong said. “Currently, Eurasia is facing serious security challenges. In particular, geopolitical confrontation is intensifying, local conflicts show no prospects of ending, and the arms race is escalating.”

“In addition, Eurasian countries are facing non-traditional security threats, including terrorism, extremism and separatism. The problems of cybersecurity, biosecurity, space security, and climate change are also pressing. The development of science and technology, artificial intelligence and other achievements open up new channels and forms for the spread of these non-traditional security threats,” the Chinese representative noted.

She emphasized that, apart from this, countries are facing serious challenges on the path to sustainable development.

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Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko met with Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches in the Vatican in Minsk on 27 October, BelTA has learned. 

“I am familiar with the details of your visit. I am very glad that you remember Belarus and that you like our country, our people. All of them. Not only Catholics, Orthodox, but others as well. Even Muslims very warmly welcomed your visit. This shows that you have left a meaningful mark on Belarus during your tenure here,” the head of state said. “That's why I am genuinely happy to meet with you. I remember all our meetings, conversations, negotiations, and the commitments we are fulfilling or have already fulfilled. We will discuss those we have not yet fulfilled openly and in a friendly manner today. I am very pleased to meet and discuss all the issues that may have accumulated in our relationship.”Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti is visiting Belarus as special envoy of Pope Leo XIV for the 100th anniversary of the Pinsk Diocese. It was founded on 25 October 1925, and is now one of the four Catholic dioceses in Belarus, encompassing the territories of Brest Oblast and Gomel Oblast.  Claudio Gugerotti served as the Apostolic Nuncio to Belarus from 2011 to 2015.Aleksandr Lukashenko congratulated Claudio Gugerotti on his highly successful service: “I have been following your career. I am very happy for you. I think that there is a small piece of the Belarusian soul in your success,. Therefore, we welcome you here. Come visit us at any time. I don't know what kind of visa you need. You are practically one of us, a Belarusian.”

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