Volozhin Region
Executive Committee

The Belarusian air carrier Belavia has canceled all Minsk- Almaty-Minsk flights scheduled for 26 October 2020 – 27 March 2021 following a relevant decision of the Kazakhstan authorities, BelTA learned from the website of the airline.

Belavia will fly from Minsk to Nur-Sultan on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday and from Nur-Sultan to Minsk on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

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

It is important that the special services of Belarus and Russia collaborate, taking into account the external situation, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he met with Director of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service Sergey Naryshkin in Minsk on 22 October, BelTA has learned.

The head of state welcomed the guest. “It is believed that we have not seen each other for a long time. We cooperated very actively when you headed the house of Parliament [Sergey Naryshkin headed the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation in 2011-2016]. You were the most prominent politician in the post-Soviet space, and then you, as chekists say, withdrew into shadows because of the specifics of your current work. So I am happy to meet with you. I have been following your work mostly on TV from the reports of your and my colleagues. The Russian president often tells me about you. Many documents... Introduces me to the insights of the Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation that concern our relations and the Union State,” the president said.

"I am sure our meeting will create an explosion of sorts in the media, especially on the internet. We do not hide the fact that the situation around us, I mean the Union State, is not easy. I thank you for the information that you regularly share with our special services and with me as well," Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

He stressed that he is very grateful for such information and that it is taken seriously in Belarus. “In this regard, we have a lot of joint work in this direction, because in this world, the world that has gone frenzy, especially over this pandemic and so on, we do not have many friends, let us be frank. Everyone has an interest in us - in Russia, Belarus. We have to respond. Therefore, I think we will agree on a lot of things - to work together for the benefit of our peoples,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

More than 230 million tons of cargo has passed through the terminals of Minsk branch of RUE Beltamozhservice in 20 years, BelTA learned from the enterprise.

Minsk branch, the largest in Beltamozhservice, celebrates 20 years of activity in the market of customs and logistics services. "For 20 years, the terminals of the branch have handled over 230 million tons of cargo. Also, more than 2 million declarations of all types have been issued, hundreds of new logistics routes have been laid," the company said.

At the beginning of its activity, the branch acted as a customs declarant, customs broker. Then, at the intersection of two international transport corridors, the construction of trade and logistics centers began. In 2011, the first TLC was put into operation. About 6 thousand square meters of area and about 100 parking spaces made it possible to operate with cargo flows, provide the first services for handling goods both in import and export traffic. Since the beginning of this year, the TLC has handled over 20 thousand containers in import traffic, more than 10 trains have been sent to the PRC.

In 2019, representatives of the Minsk branch of Beltamozhservice successfully settled on the territory of the Chinese-Belarusian Industrial Park "Great Stone", where today they provide a range of services as a customs representative, as well as an aviation, road carrier.

Today, the branch advises on foreign economic activity, prepares and maintains documents for customs clearance, develops optimal logistics routes, accompanies goods along the entire route with the possibility of delivering goods anywhere in the world. Warehouses include over 20 thousand sq. m.

The Healthcare Ministry of Belarus has updated the list of countries where COVID-19 cases are reported, BelTA learned from the ministry's press service.

The list was updated in line with a number of criteria, including epidemiological risks (number of cases and dynamics), and a country's coronavirus response strategy.

On 21 October the list included 28 countries excluded from it earlier. These are France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Moldova, United States, Lebanon, Netherlands, Iceland, Czech Republic, UK, Romania, North Macedonia, Ireland, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia, Tunisia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Switzerland, Poland, Lithuania, Sweden, Denmark, Liechtenstein, Malta, Bulgaria and Canada.

People coming from the above-mentioned countries are required to self-isolate for 10 days upon the arrival in Belarus.

Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko is holding a meeting on topical issues on 21 October, BelTA informs.

The meeting is attended by high-ranking representatives of the government, the National Assembly, the Supreme Court, the Belarus President Administration, Belarusian regions and Minsk, law enforcement agencies, the Healthcare Ministry.

According to the head of state, the agenda of the meeting includes three question pools: the economy and finance, political matters, public security.

“We are having a traditional meeting on topical issues today. We must discuss three questions pools. The prime minister and other participants, if they want, will reports on the economy and finance. The head of the Belarus President Administration and other participants, who are willing to share their opinions on this and other aspects, will speak about the political dimension. The third group of questions pertains to public security. Representatives of all law enforcement agencies, starting with [State Secretary of the Security Council Valery] Vakulchik, are attending, and they can speak too,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

In his words, unrelated topics can be discussed as well. “As far as I understand, the government discussed development prospects and the 2021 budget yesterday. It means that we will meet once again, probably, in November, after the November holidays, to discuss the 2021 prospects in more detail. I assume that in December we will return to issues concerning the preparations for the All-Belarus People's Congress where we will outline Belarus' development priorities in 2021-2025. Besides, we will discuss global aspects of Belarus' development there,” the president said.

Heating at social and housing facilities in Minsk and Minsk Oblast is fully switched on, BelTA was told in the ideological work and public relations sector of Minskenergo.

"As of 7.00 on October 21, heating was switched on at social facilities and housing stock at 100% in Borisov, Minsk, Zhodino, Vileyka, Molodechno, Slutsk, Rudensk, Svisloch, Druzhny, Soligorsk," the company noted.

Meanwhile, heating is still connected to administrative and public buildings and other facilities in some cities. In Slutsk, Soligorsk and Molodechno, batteries have warmed in 50% of this category of buildings, in Rudensk, Svisloch and Druzhny - in 32%.

The Belarusian Communications and Informatization Ministry will issue a special stamp “75th anniversary of the United Nations” on 23 October, BelTA learned from the Belarusian mail service Belpochta.

The project has been implemented in cooperation with the United Nations Postal Administration.

The class H stamp is used for sending international written correspondence (letters, parcels, small packages) weighing under 20 grams.

Photo courtesy of Belpochta

The stamp and the first day of issue cover depict the UN75 logo.

The stamp was printed at the Bobruisk Integrated Printing House named after A.T.Nepogodin. The circulation of the stamp will be 24,000 copies.

The UN is an international organization set up in 1945 that aims to maintain and strengthen international peace and security and develop friendly relations among nations. Its members include 193 countries.

The Belarusian air carrier Belavia has extended suspension of air travel to Riga, Tallinn and Larnaca till 14 November, BelTA learned from the website of the airline.

Belavia will not fly to Riga, Tallinn, and Larnaca till 14 November, to all destinations in Georgia till 31 October, and to Ashgabat till 1 November. Flights to Budapest and Russia's Voronezh, Kazan, and Nizhny Novgorod are suspended till 24 October.

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

International bus service might be suspended due to the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemics, Deputy Director General of the Minsk city public transport company Minsktrans Viktor Tozik said as he took part in the conference dedicated to improvement of public passenger transport in the capital city, BelTA has learned.

“Due to the unfavorable epidemiological situation, a lot of international bus routes have been cancelled, except for the ones to Poland, Lithuania, and Ukraine. However, the situation is deteriorating. We will enforce social distancing requirements first and then see what's next. We hope that we will not have to suspend these routes too, because they are popular,” Viktor Tozik noted.

He also spoke about the measures implemented by the company to curb the coronavirus spread. The company continues disinfecting buses, electric buses, trolleybuses, trams, metro trains, fixed-route taxis, and bus stations. Minsktrans also reminds passengers about personal hygiene measures and recommends sticking to social distancing rules and wearing face masks.

A workshop “Belarus-Africa: Multi-vector economic policy of the Republic of Belarus on the international arena” will be held online on 29 October, BelTA learned from the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which is organizing the event together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The online workshop is expected to bring together the heads of the diplomatic missions of Belarus in Egypt (concurrently in Sudan), in South Africa (concurrently in Angola, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Namibia), in Kenya (concurrently in Ethiopia, Uganda and Tanzania), and in Nigeria (in Ghana, Cameroon and Ivory Coast).

“The diplomats will present the information about the promising areas of trade and economic cooperation between Belarus and African countries, the ways Belarusian companies can access the markets of the countries of the region and the specificities of cooperation with African partners. The heads of diplomatic missions will share other practical information important for Belarusian manufacturers as they promote their exports to the African continent. Belarusian participants will also have an opportunity to send their questions to diplomats,” the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry said.