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Negotiations between Belarusian Defense Minister, Lieutenant General Viktor Khrenin and the head of Myanmar’s military delegation, Quartermaster General of the country’s Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Zaw Myo Tin were held at the Central House of Officers in Minsk, the Defense Ministry told BelTA.
The sides discussed the current state and prospects of bilateral cooperation, including its economic aspects.
“Your visit to Belarus not only confirms mutual interest in cooperation but will also greatly contribute to the implementation of the provisions of the cooperation roadmap for 2026-2028, which was signed in November 2025,” Viktor Khrenin noted.
Zaw Myo Tin emphasized that the positive dynamics of high-level cooperation meet the national interests of both states and confirm the mutual trust between the armed forces of Belarus and Myanmar. “The defense ministries of our countries successfully find common ground, opening up new opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation,” he said. “We experienced an earthquake. In that situation the Belarusian side provided support. On behalf of Myanmar and the Myanmar people, I want to thank you for that.”
The day before the foreign delegation visited Minsk Automobile Plant (MAZ) where they held a meeting with the enterprise’s management and familiarized themselves with the products the company makes. The visit program also includes trips to a number of other Belarusian enterprises in Minsk and Vitebsk.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) considers Belarus an expert in overcoming the consequences of radiation accidents. First Deputy Head of the Nuclear and Radiation Safety Department of the Belarusian Emergencies Ministry (Gosatomnadzor) Leonid Dedul mentioned it in BelTA’s project The Nation Speaks.
Scientific support, especially in the first years after the Chernobyl accident, was important both for protective measures and for the development of the regions exposed to radioactive contamination.
“With the start of the implementation of the first nuclear energy program of the Republic of Belarus, we reviewed and expanded the circle of scientific organizations providing scientific and technical support for regulatory activities in the field of ensuring nuclear and radiation safety. This list, approved by a government resolution, includes 18 experienced organizations that have long worked on Chernobyl-related matters, including the scientific division of our Polesie State Radioecological Reserve, the International Sakharov Environmental Institute of BSU, institutes of the National Academy of Sciences, including the Joint Institute for Energy and Nuclear Research Sosny,” said Leonid Dedul.
Scientific work was carried out within the framework of six state programs aimed at implementing measures related to the Chernobyl accident. “These measures have been included by us in the state scientific and technical program Radiation Safety Infrastructure. More fundamental scientific work related to the development of nuclear energy is part of the Academy of Sciences’ state program Science for the Society and the Economy. There are a number of tasks that we have formulated and plan to implement during the upcoming five-year period. Results of scientific work allow us to make timely management decisions and submit them to the government, including for revising population centers and returning agricultural lands to use. Since 1993 more than 20,000 hectares have been brought back into agricultural use,” he noted.
This year also marks the start of the IAEA project “Improving the safe management of nuclear legacy sites”. “This concept appeared for the first time in the field of nuclear and national security in 2023. Such facilities include, among others, the territory of the Polesie State Radioecological Reserve. This project also provides for the implementation of measures related to enhancing the capabilities of the reserve’s scientific division and conducting work,” said Leonid Dedul.
In his words, the IAEA is interested in working with Belarus and considers the Republic of Belarus an expert in overcoming the consequences of radiation accidents thanks to the work carried out by all scientific organizations, in particular in the Polesie reserve.
“In regulatory documents we proceed from the principles of nuclear and radiation safety stipulated by IAEA documents, which were used in the preparation of the law on safety regulation in the use of atomic energy, the amendment of the law on radiation safety, and regulatory documents of the Emergencies Ministry. This allows us to comprehensively and consistently prioritize safety when working with nuclear heritage facilities and nuclear energy across all regulatory documents,” he emphasized.
Apart from that, scientific work makes it possible to improve the quality of medical services. Measures for their provision are also stipulated by the future Union State program for 2026-2029.
Natalya Kochanova, Chairwoman of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus, discussed the fate of Polotsk Dairy Plant and the development prospects of Novye Goryany in an open conversation with the workforce of these enterprises during a working trip to Vitebsk Oblast on 22 April, BelTA has learned.
Natalya Kochanova said that residents of Polotsk had approached the Council of the Republic hoping to learn about the fate of one of the district’s largest enterprises - the dairy plant. Meeting with the workers on site, Natalya Kochanova emphasized that changes are ahead that will benefit everyone. After the completion of the acquisition deal for the plant at its market valuation, the facility will become part of Savushkin Product, whose management plans to fully modernize it, introduce innovative technologies, and create a modern, efficiently operating enterprise with comfortable working conditions for the people.
“This issue is under our supervision in the Council of the Republic and in Vitebsk Oblast Executive Committee. Most importantly, this issue is under the supervision of the president of our country. At the meeting on the development of Vitebsk Oblast, regarding the problematic issues raised by the president, a clear task was set. First and foremost, we must preserve the workforce, and enterprises must operate efficiently. Therefore, in accordance with the head of state’s instruction regarding Polotsk Dairy Plant, a thoroughly considered and correct decision was made. Savushkin Product is an enterprise known not only in our country but far beyond its borders. Together with the management of this enterprise and the leadership of Vitebsk Oblast, we decided to meet with the workforce to tell people what awaits them in the future, and the future looks wonderful. We see how effectively the enterprises that are part of the Savushkin Product operate, what cutting-edge technologies they have, state-of-the-art production facilities, an excellent social package for employees, decent wages, and already over 10,000 people work there. For Polotsk Dairy Plant, the investor proposes to carry out a complete reconstruction of the enterprise by the end of the year. It will produce virtually the same products it currently produces,” emphasized the chairwoman of the Council of the Republic, adding that all jobs will be preserved.
Employees of the dairy plant asked whether Polotsk would be able to provide jobs for those who might wish to change their place of work. Vasily Shilov, Chairman of the District Executive Committee, noted that there are vacancies in the city, so everyone who wants to work will find employment. People were also concerned about the fate of the plant’s brands - Safiyka, under which whole-milk products are produced, and Mi-Shu! (curd cheese bars). Aleksandr Savchits, Director General of Savushkin Product, noted that the well-established product names will be retained. Vitebsk Oblast Governor Aleksandr Rogozhnik emphasized that the investor coming to Polotsk District is a domestic one, interested in developing a high-quality Belarusian product, and will therefore invest funds both in modernizing production facilities and in promoting Polotsk dairy products in domestic and foreign markets.
During a visit to Novye Goryany, Natalya Kochanova was briefed on how the spring sowing campaign is progressing. She also spoke with the staff of the agricultural enterprise. The chairwoman of the Council of the Republic reported that a development strategy for the enterprise has been established, and sources of financing have been found for the purchase of seeds, feed, and new machinery. In the future, Novye Goryany plans to build a modern dairy farm complex. New housing is also planned for young employees in the eponymous agro-town. The speaker urged the agricultural enterprise’s workforce to work diligently, maintain order on the farms, and care properly for the animals, so that products can be supplied to Polotsk Dairy Plant.
How the president’s instruction to change the tactics of land reclamation is being fulfilled has been explained by Chairman of the Regional Policy and Local Self-Government Commission of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus Leonid Zayats, BelTA has learned.
“The task the president wanted us to complete in 2021-2025 has been successfully completed. Reclamation measures were carried out on an area of 416,000 hectares while the target was 412,000 hectares. Additionally, 75,000 hectares were reclaimed for agricultural use over the five-year period. In the five-year period of 2026-2030 it is necessary to carry out a set of reclamation measures on an area of 431,000 hectares. This is a huge area. Understanding that every kopeck must be accounted for today, it is proposed, taking into account the president’s demand, to reclaim for agricultural use high-quality lands in undrained territory that have become overgrown with bushes. The target of 431,000 hectares will be hit. We will only reallocate resources to make sure that these high-quality lands, which are located in almost all regions of our republic, are once again used as part of agriculture. There are 45,600 hectares of these lands,” said Leonid Zayats.
The reallocation of resources is necessary for cultural and technical land amelioration. “Some of the land will be cleared of bushes and plowed and in some places drainage will need to be laid. All of it together will lead to the fact that during the current five-year period we will completely get rid of wild vegetation in our drained and undrained lands,” emphasized the chairman of the Regional Policy and Local Self-Government Commission of the Council of the Republic.
He pointed out that the implementation of this plan by land reclamation organizations and agricultural enterprises will ensure better contours of fields, increase labor productivity, and reduce material costs of tillage. “During the past five-year period we carried out a huge amount of work. The most difficult areas have already been reclaimed and put in order. Therefore, we can reallocate the financial resources allocated for land reclamation as part of the total volume. This will be beneficial for agricultural enterprises and land users, and we will also save state budget funds,” noted Leonid Zayats. He suggested that these measures would save about Br92 million.
BelTA reported earlier that during a working trip to Krasnopolye District, Mogilev Oblast on 14 April Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko stated it is necessary to change the tactics of land reclamation.
Deputy Labor and Social Security Minister Yuliya Berdnikova explained the main goal of digitalizing the social and labor sector in Belarus while speaking in the latest episode of BelTA’s Nation Speaks project.
Yuliya Berdnikova emphasized that the main result of introducing digitalization into the social and labor sector is to ensure that anyone can use the Labor and Social Security Ministry’s electronic services simply, easily, and accessibly. “Alongside electronic formats, we are preserving traditional consulting and in-person visits to our government agencies. But the times demand innovation, and technology allows us to improve the quality of service for citizens in a simple and convenient way. Therefore, any interaction that exists in traditional form, we are digitizing and providing as electronic services. For example, scheduling appointments: today, you can book an appointment electronically at any body of the social security system,” she said.
In addition to services on the social security portal, the Labor and Social Security Ministry’s services are also available on the unified electronic services portal E-Pasluga. “The most in-demand issues are whether a person is employed or not, and at what income level contributions are paid. The banking system is the most integrated with us. When microcrediting for citizens takes place, we understand perfectly well: there’s no need to bring an income certificate to the bank branch. The individual gives written consent for personal data processing, and the bank requests the information electronically from the Social Protection Fund. We confirm whether the person is indeed employed. If the bank wants to know at what income level contributions are paid, we provide that information so the bank can preemptively check its client’s solvency,” the deputy minister explained.
Other information now provided electronically includes certificates of the amount of pension received or the amount of targeted assistance paid out. These can also be obtained through the unified electronic services portal.
“Moreover, we are not only transferring to this portal the electronic services that citizens need so they don’t have to visit government agencies and can obtain information remotely. We are also converting administrative procedures into digital form. About 30% of them have been digitized so far. One procedure, which will launch in April 2026, is the registration of a citizen as unemployed. Previously, this required visiting the state employment service and submitting a specific set of documents. Today, you can register as unemployed electronically from home and receive job placement assistance from state employment service specialists,” the deputy minister said.
A two-day international seminar on occupational safety has kicked off in Minsk. The seminar was titled “Modern Methods and Techniques for Construction and Installation Work, as well as Public Oversight of Occupational Safety Compliance in Belarus’ Construction Industry Organizations”, BelTA learned from the Ministry of Architecture and Construction.
More than 100 delegates from five countries are taking part in the seminar: Belarus, Kazakhstan, Cyprus, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia. The event is timed to coincide with World Day for Safety and Health at Work.
The Belarusian Trade Union of Construction and Industrial Building Materials Workers noted that the seminar began at the Occupational Safety Center of the Minskstroy State Production Association. Participants were introduced to modern methods of workplace safety training. After the theoretical part, the program shifted to a practical dimension: attendees went to construction sites in the capital, visited the National History Museum site, and thoroughly examined the progress of the new infectious diseases hospital under construction on Dolginovsky Tract.
Prime Minister Aleksandr Turchin has signed a resolution to increase financial support for orphans, the government’s press service told BelTA.
The document was drafted to improve the conditions of state support for orphans and children without parental care. It also updates the monetary standards for food expenses for students in educational institutions.
In particular, the resolution provides for a 15% increase in state institutional funding for food for orphans, as well as a 5% increase for clothing, footwear, soft furnishings, school supplies, basic necessities, and personal hygiene items. For children in family-type care, monthly allowances for food, clothing, footwear, soft furnishings and equipment, school supplies, personal hygiene items, other basic necessities, and personal expenses will be raised by 10%. The one-time payment for the initial purchase of soft furnishings and equipment for children from birth to age three will increase by 5%, and compensation for telephone and household service expenses will go up by 22%.
The resolution also provides for a corresponding increase in the amount that obligated parents must reimburse the state for the maintenance of children under state care.
The resolution also includes medicines and medical devices as part of state support for orphans, and boosts food allowances for students in educational institutions by 5%.
A lantern with the Holy Fire from the Holy Sepulchre has been delivered to the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Minsk, BelTA has learned.
The Holy Fire descended at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem on 11 April as a symbol of the Resurrection of Christ and a living testament to the unbroken continuity of the Christian faith preserved through the centuries. The ceremony gathered Christian believers from different countries.
A particle of the Easter Holy Fire was brought from Jerusalem to Moscow by plane by a delegation of the St. Andrew the First-Called Foundation, where it was met by representatives of the Synodal Department for Pilgrimage Development and the Transfer of Shrines of the Belarusian Exarchate. Representatives of the dioceses of the Belarusian Orthodox Church will light their lamps from it and pass a particle on to their parishioners.
“We human beings need our faith to be reinforced by special signs and phenomena. It is very important for us not only to pray but also to receive responses to our prayers through the resolution of life’s problems, the healing of the sick, and protection from troubles and dangers,” Metropolitan Veniamin of Minsk and Zaslavl, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus, previously told journalists.
The bishop noted that there are many cases where people do not even ask, yet the Lord, out of His love and foreknowledge, reveals what inspires them. One such event, deeply moving and emotionally significant for the entire Orthodox world, is the descent of the Holy Fire on Holy Saturday, the eve of Easter.
On this day, believers gather at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to offer prayers. And the Holy Fire descends to illuminate everyone, both those present in the church and those to whom it will later be delivered.
“This contact with the shrine, with the Holy Sepulchre from which the Holy Fire is brought forth, sanctifies the whole world, countries, and peoples, inspires people, and strengthens their faith. It is a sign of God’s special providential love for humanity, so that our faith may be strong, filled with joy, love, and gratitude to God,” said Metropolitan Veniamin.
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.
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.
