Volozhin Region
Executive Committee

Belarus is interested in attracting more Egyptian tourists, Belarus' Sport and Tourism Minister Sergei Kovalchuk said as he met with Dr. Khaled Al-Anani, the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities of Egypt in Minsk on 17 July, BelTA has learned.

“Last year, 258,000 Belarusians visited Egypt. These are pretty large numbers. Now we need to move around this statistics and encourage more citizens of Egypt to come to Belarus. So far, we have welcomed a little more than a thousand Egyptians a year,” Sergei Kovalchuk said.

In his opinion, such a small flow is due to transport issues. “We do not have a direct regular flight with Egypt. So we need to address this issue. It would be good to have low-cost airlines flying on this route," the minister said.

Sergei Kovalchuk noted that the Belarusian hosts will try to show the Egyptian delegation all advantages of the country. “We are developing various types of tourism: industrial, medical, agro-ecotourism. The country has good health resorts, a large number of sports facilities, excellent infrastructure,” he added.

For his part, Dr. Khaled Al-Anani said that this was one of his first visits abroad after the pandemic. “Our main goal is to show that we are ready to welcome tourists," he said. “Those tourists who visited Egypt after the borders reopened returned absolutely healthy. Everyone who is visiting our country has a safe stay.”

Dr. Khaled Al-Anani noted, in particular, the interest of the Egyptian business in Belarus: various proposals are considered, tours are offered, negotiations are held. “We have taken our relations to the level of interstate ties. Tourism is the best way of communication between our citizens,” he concluded.

The Egyptian delegation headed by Minister of Antiquities and Tourism Dr. Khaled Al-Anani is on a two-day official visit to Belarus. The guests are set to visit the National Historical Museum, Minsk Tractor Works, the Cathedral Mosque and the Yunost health resort and take a tour of Minsk. The presentation of the tourism potential of Belarus and Egypt has been scheduled for 18 July.

Belarus' Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei met with outgoing U.S. Charge d'Affaires in Belarus Jenifer Moore on 17 July 2020, BelTA learned from the press service of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The parties discussed topical issues of Belarus - U.S. relations. Vladimir Makei thanked Jenifer Moore for her contribution to the development of bilateral cooperation between Belarus and the United States and presented the U.S. diplomat with the Partnership Award of the diplomatic service of the Republic of Belarus.

455.500 units of personal protective equipment, including 300.000 medical masks, 133.000 respirators, 6.000 goggles, 6.000 protective face shields and 10.500 medical gowns, were transferred to healthcare institutions of Minsk Oblast, Belarus 1 reports

All delivered medical supplies were checked for compliance with international quality and safety standards, they are intended for medical workers who are at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19.

The Belarusian Embassy in Uzbekistan together with the Belarusian airline Belavia organized charter flights to return Belarusians home, Belarusian Ambassador to Uzbekistan Leonid Marinich told BelTA.

The diplomat noted that the Uzbekistan government has suspended all types of international transport, including by road, air and rail since 16 March. “In this regard, evacuation of Belarusian citizens has become a task of overriding importance for the embassy. Thus, from mid-March to mid-July, more than 120 compatriots were brought home from Uzbekistan with our active participation. We used various options: a flight through Moscow, on private charter flights, transit routes through Minsk. In July, two charter flights were organized along the Tashkent-Minsk route,” Ambassador Leonid Marinich said.

About 250 people, including 29 citizens of Belarus, took advantage of this opportunity. “We are coordinating with Uzbekistan partners a possibility of organizing two more charters by the Belarusian carrier,” the ambassador added.

Another most important task for the embassy, according to the ambassador, is to help Belarusian road freight carriers. During the pandemic, assistance was provided to 19 drivers. “Each case is special, requiring an individual approach. The matter is not only about the crossing of the borders of Uzbekistan's neighbors by road but also assisting drivers- citizens of Belarus with the accelerated mandatory testing for coronavirus, improving conditions and reducing the length of stay in quarantine zones,” Ambassador Leonid Marinich noted.

Belarus and Hungary have agreed to develop an agreement on cooperation in training personnel for agricultural sectors, on establishing cooperation between agricultural universities, and on setting up a working group on cooperation in agriculture.

Such agreements were reached during the visit of a delegation of representatives of Belarusian agricultural enterprises led by Deputy Agriculture and Food Minister Igor Brylo to Hungary, BelTA learned from the Belarusian embassy in Hungary.

During the visit, meetings were held with Hungarian Deputy Minister of Agriculture Sandor Farkas and FAO Deputy Regional Representative for Europe and Central Asia Nabil Gangi. The delegation visited the poultry farms of Babolna TETRA Kft. and held talks with the company's authorities. The talks focused on adopting the best Hungarian experience in the establishment of a breeding and genetics center for egg layers and the construction of a geese breeding factory. “Within several years Belarus will be able to develop its own cross to promote import substitution and create new jobs. Hungary's responsible approach to the implementation of the agreements reached at the highest level was confirmed by the presence of Deputy State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Andras Baranyi at the talks,” the embassy said.

The members of the delegation visited the factories producing premixtures and fodder additives, processing milk, fruit and berries, and held talks in the HEPA Hungarian Export Promotion Agency and also with agricultural businessmen.

The meetings highlighted the parties' vision on the development of bilateral relations in poultry breeding. The participants of the meetings exchanged views on innovative approaches and developments applied in poultry farming, animal breeding, selection work, development of processing industry, as well as current models and opportunities to support export-oriented rural business.

The participants of the negotiations confirmed mutual intention to continue mutually beneficial cooperation in scientific and research activities, expressed readiness to exchange information related to the agro-industrial complex and relevant technical documentation.

50 new livestock facilities will open after reconstruction in the Minsk region.

These will be modern complexes with automated milking parlors, CTB reports.

The control system itself will monitor the quality and quantity of milk. All this was only dreamed of decades ago. This is the norm now. Thanks to modern technology, the work of milking machine operators has also been greatly facilitated.

“Our farm keeps calves from birth, we raise them to the highest-yielding cows, which give us 40–45 liters of milk a day. In 2019, we needed 8,600 liters per cow, ”says Svetlana Goncharevich, head of the MTF of the Veseysky pokrov agricultural enterprise in Slutsk region.

- Everything has changed, a lot has changed. Milking was - barrels milked, and now mechanized. Now the milking system is easier on the hands. The wages are good, we get good money, - shared the operator of the milking machine Natalya Berezovskaya.

Representatives of 17 countries will perform at the international children's music contest Vitebsk 2020 as part of the Slavianski Bazaar festival, director of the forum, Director General of the Vitebsk Cultural Center Gleb Lapitsky told a press conference, BelTA has learned.

According to Gleb Lapitsky, the festival has been a venue of love and friendship for 29 years. The complicated epidemiological conditions this year have shown what the friendship and true love to art is. All indifferent people are in Vitebsk today. These are performers, organizers, mass media and guests of the forum. “Four days of the forum will be eventful and turn the city into an open-air celebration. Everything has been done to produce as many positive emotions as possible. This year young performers from 17 countries will perform at the Vitebsk concert hall. Contestants [the international popular song performers contest Vitebsk 2020] from 14 states will perform in the Summer Amphitheater. They are currently having rehearsals,” the director said.

Vitebsk Mayor Vadim Zaryankin added that he is happy to see that the festival tradition continues. “The city has welcomed many guests today. We do our best to make Vitebsk comfortable for everyone,” the mayor said.

Today, the Summer Amphitheater will host an official opening ceremony of the 29th edition of the International Arts Festival Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk. In the afternoon, a new star will be lit up in the Laureates' Square near the Summer Amphitheater. The star will bear the name of Philipp Kirkorov, the winner of the special award of the Belarusian president “Through Art - to Peace and Mutual Understanding”.

The 29th edition of the International Arts Festival Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk will take place on 16-19 July. The major events of the festival will be the international contest of popular song performers Vitebsk 2020 and the international children's music contest Vitebsk 2020.

The Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) has confirmed that the meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council will take place in Minsk on 17 July.

The meeting will be chaired by Belarus' Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko. The meeting will be attended by heads of government of the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), BelTA has learned.

“The meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council will take place in Minsk on 17 July. The agenda includes a wide range of issues of Eurasian integration in trade, functioning of the domestic market, competition, industry, technical regulation, and other issues,” the EEC said.

The meeting participants will consider the implementation of the agreement on marking of goods and further development of the marking system in the Eurasian Economic Union. “The agenda will also include a comprehensive plan of measures in healthcare and sanitary and epidemiological wellbeing of the population to prevent the spread of coronavirus infection COVID-19 and other infectious diseases in the Union,” the EEC said.

Plans are in place to discuss the draft interstate program on cooperation of EAEU countries in space and provision of geoinformation services on the basis of Earth remote sensing.

“It is also planned to consider the EAEU agro-industry development map and the Union's industrialization map. Both projects provide for a set of information on the major projects being implemented, which will enable the Union's partners to avoid duplication of production when drawing up national development plans and investment programs, to take into account development trends and to make effective use of each other's competences,” the EEC added.

From July 6 to 10, as part of the republican heroic-patriotic action "Great Victory - 75!" The republican rally of search units took place in online format.

The rally was attended by 7 teams from all regions of the Republic of Belarus. The Minsk region team was represented by students of Mikhanovichi secondary school, Minsk Oblast under the guidance of a teacher Maria Levkovets, methodological support was provided by teachers of Vetraz educational center for tourism and local lore of children and youth in the Minsk Oblast.

A rich program of the rally, in addition to various contests - “The Business Card of the Team”, which has already become a traditional conference of students - also included lecture and practical classes. At them, the participants got acquainted with the organization of search and research work in various educational institutions, mastered the techniques of working with search information systems, learned the basic principles of creating excursion routes.

The effectiveness of the participation of individual students and Minsk Oblast team in the rally was reflected in the results. So, in the competition “Team Business Card”, Minsk Region team was awarded a diploma of the 1st degree of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Belarus.

Serchenya Olga, a student at the State Institution "Mikhanovichi Secondary School", was awarded a diploma of the first degree of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Belarus for participating in the conference "We are bequeathed to protect this world."

In the competition for the best development of the excursion route “Victory Routes”, a team of the Minsk region was awarded a diploma of the second degree of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Belarus.

The legendary rocket launcher Katyusha has been put on display at the Museum of Military Equipment by the Mound of Glory near Minsk, BelTA has learned.

Taking part in the solemn ceremony were veterans of the Great Patriotic War and labor veterans, government officials, senior members of the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus. The guests of honor included Minister of Internal Affairs Yuri Karayev, Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin, Minsk Oblast Governor Aleksandr Turchin, Chairman of the Council of the Minsk city branch of the Belarusian Public Association of Veterans Anatoly Adonyev, Chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus Mikhail Orda, Chairman of the Smolevichi District Executive Committee Andrei Ratomsky.

“When you look at this clear sky, it is difficult to imagine that there was time when the sky brought threat and fear and took lives. During the long four years our fathers, grandfathers and great grandfathers fought to bring back peace to Belarus, they fought for the opportunity to study, raise children and enjoy every moment of life. The path to freedom was paved by the blood of soldiers, tears of mothers and wives. We cherish the memory of those who defended our right for a future 75 years ago and we are sincerely grateful to our veterans,” Aleksandr Turchin said.

In the year when Belarus marks the 75th anniversary of the Victory, Minsk Oblast keeps refurbishing Victory symbols, the governor said. “After all, each memorial celebrates the courage, tenacity and spirit of our people, this is the most valuable heritage for the generations to come. The Mound of Glory holds a special place in the hearts of Belarusians. It embodies the invincibility of the Motherland defenders. We should never forget the heroic past of Belarusian people, we should preserve and strengthen the sovereignty and independence for our future and in the name of those who gave their lives for the Motherland,” he said.

Mikhail Orda explained that the date and time of the ceremony were chosen for a reason. It was on 14 July 1941 at 15.15 that this legendary rocket launcher was first used in a battle near Orsha. Katyusha was developed within a very short period of time and was used in almost every major operation of the Great Patriotic War. It particularly did well during Operation Bagration. “Katyusha became a symbol of the victory, and we decided to mount it at the foot of the Mound of Glory, which is also a symbol of the victory and liberation of Belarus,” Mikhail Orda noted.

The project to search and restore a Katyusha rocket launcher took about a year. Some parts were made using the samples from the Military Artillery Museum in St. Petersburg. The fire control console, plating parts, wheels and discs were found by searchers in Leningrad Oblast of Russia and restored by Belarusian specialists. “This is probably the only such original replica of this combat vehicle in Belarus,” Mikhail Orda stressed.

The project was made possible thanks to the joint efforts of the sectoral trade unions. The money earned during the nationwide voluntary cleanup day (aka subbotnik) was used for the project too.

The project to improve the Mound of Glory grounds is one of the biggest initiatives of the trade unions. A few years ago, the reconstruction of the complex was completed, the grass cover replaced, the lighting installed, information stands were mounted. Last year, the Museum of Military Equipment had a new exhibit – an Il-2 attack bomber.