Volozhin Region
Executive Committee

The Belarusian Institute of Strategic Research (BISR) and the Institute for Political and International Studies (IPIS) under the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs have agreed to cooperate. The cooperation memorandum was signed within the framework of the international science to practice conference “Strategic analysis and forecasting. Belarus in the global world”, BelTA has learned.

The sides are interested in holding subject studies, roundtable sessions involving experts, in the realization of joint projects.

Iranian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Head of the Institute for Political and International Studies under the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mohammad Hassan Sheikholeslami remarked that it was his first visit to Belarus. “I am glad to be in Minsk. As a result of agreements of supreme leaders of the two countries, as a result of the implementation of their decisions the bilateral relations advanced at an unprecedented pace in the last two years,” he said.

At the same time interaction at the expert level does not match dynamics in politics and economy, Mohammad Hassan Sheikholeslami believes. “Illegitimate and unfair sanctions have been enforced against our countries by unfriendly states. And cooperation between the think tanks of Iran and Belarus represents a good opportunity for exchanging opinions about topical matters. Direct communication channels will be established for prompt response and for working out decisions,” the IPIS head said.

Among promising cooperation avenues he also mentioned the organization of educational courses for young diplomats, interaction in the sphere of archive keeping and documentation. Belarusian experts are expected to visit Tehran in late November to participate in the Tehran Dialogue conference.

“It is a great honor for me to invite Oleg Makarov and his colleagues. We will be able to talk on the sidelines of the conference and plan next steps to advance cooperation,” Mohammad Hassan Sheikholeslami said.

In turn, Oleg Makarov, Director of the Belarusian Institute of Strategic Research (BISR), mentioned the high level of representation of the Iranian delegation. The fact indicates the seriousness of intentions of the partners. “We are opening a new page in interaction between the think tanks. We are interested in Iran's experience of counteracting sanctions and of developing the economy. We hope that the expert dialogue will contribute to the advancement of economic ties among other things,” he remarked.

The parties intend to first and foremost exchange analytics relating to regional instability and relating to economic affairs.

Representatives of analytical services of leading government agencies of Belarus and the BISR's foreign partners are taking part in the international science to practice conference “Strategic analysis and forecasting. Belarus in the global world”. The number includes top officials and experts of Azerbaijan's Center of Analysis of International Relations, the Center for Russian and CIS Studies of the Institute for European Studies of the Vietnamese Academy of Social Sciences, the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the National Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of Kyrgyzstan, the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR), Russia's Agency for Strategic Initiatives (ASI), the Primakov National Research Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Türkiye's Center for Eurasian Studies (AVIM), the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and the Secretariat of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).

The experts are expected to discuss peculiarities of analytics, its role and place in the modern world, and international cooperation. Participation of analysts in diagnosing the problems of development of the country's regions, communication and interaction with officials, civil society, scientific institutions, nuances of working with Big Data technologies, statistics, social networks, and other things are also high on the agenda.

Written by belta.by

Belarus pays considerable attention to the development of effective strategies and measures to counter the spread of drugs, Belarusian Minister of Internal Affairs Ivan Kubrakov said during the 25th meeting of the CSTO coordinating council of the heads of the competent authorities combating illicit drug trafficking, BelTA has learned.

"The Republic of Belarus pays considerable attention to the development of effective strategies and measures to counter the spread of drugs," Ivan Kubrakov said. “We see that organized crime has integrated with the use of the internet, thus covering all CSTO member states. Drug warlords use our countries to sell drugs, while being on the territory of other states, and the money received from criminal activities increasingly goes into digital currency.”

Being more transit countries for the drug business in the past, many of our countries are now considered by drug dealers as promising markets for the sale of psychoactive substances, the minister said. "In the CSTO, we have made significant progress in a number of areas of activity through joint efforts," he stressed. “We have stepped up work to identify and disrupt international drug supply channels. In cooperation with the Russian Federation, we have gained a certain amount of experience in the organization of complex operational and preventive special programs and operations. The exchange of operational information is ongoing.”

"At today's meeting we will sum up the intermediate results of cooperation, exchange the necessary information, and develop new practical recommendations in the interests of cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking. We need to take into account all modern challenges and threats emanating from drug crimes," Ivan Kubrakov added. “Despite the difficult geopolitical situation, the unprecedented military, political and economic pressure on our countries, the drug threat has not lost its relevance. The decisions we will take today will not only contribute to enhancing the role of the council itself as the main coordinating center for anti-drug activities in the CSTO but will consolidate the efforts of our states in the fight against drug trafficking, and will give a new impetus to the interaction of the competent authorities of our countries in the fight against drug trafficking."

The meeting brought together representatives of Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan, and the CSTO Secretariat.

Written by belta.by

Delegations of universities from Russia, Uzbekistan and Zimbabwe have arrived in Minsk for the 12th Forum of Engineering and Technology Universities of the Union State which is getting underway at Belarusian National Technical University (BNTU), BelTA learned from the press service of the university.

"Representatives of universities from Uzbekistan, Zimbabwe and Russia have already arrived in Minsk. The forum at BNTU will kick off tomorrow with a reception of participants, a meeting with the organizing committee, and three breakout discussions. The official opening and plenary session of the forum will be held on 25 October. All in all, the event will bring together representatives of about 40 universities. Participants and guests will enjoy a rich program. Among the events are meetings, seminars, conferences, pitch events, the competition "The Best Startup Project of the Union State", with the winners receiving worthy awards," the press service of the university said.

The event has been organized by the Union State of Belarus and Russia with the support of the Education Ministry of Belarus and the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia. "This year the forum of engineering and technology universities has been included in the plan of permanent events of the Union State," BNTU added.

Written by belta.by

A Belarusian delegation took part in the twentieth session of the Joint Task Force on Environmental Statistics and Indicators of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) that was held in Geneva, BelTA learned from the press service of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection.

The Belarusian delegation included representatives of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection and the National Statistical Committee.

“The event discussed revised environmental indicators, including respective metadata tables, as well as indicators complementing the revised UNECE Guidelines for the Application of Environmental Indicators. In addition, the parties exchanged best practices in the field of environmental statistics, monitoring and assessment,” the press service of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection informed.

During the session, the Belarusian side informed the participants about the outcomes of the work of the national environmental monitoring system in Belarus that turned 30 years this year, progress to implement the National Action Plan to promote the green economy, in particular the work on the National Strategy for the Development of a Circular Economy for the period until 2035.

The Belarusian delegation took an active part in the discussion of selected metadata within the framework of the revised UNECE Guidelines for the Application of Environmental Indicators adopted at the session. Members of the Joint Task Force on Environmental Statistics and Indicators acknowledged the contribution of Belarus' delegation to the work of the platform.

Written by belta.by

A Belarusian exposition will open at the Abu Dhabi International Food Exhibition 2023, BelTA learned from the Belinterexpo exhibition enterprise of the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BelCCI).

Preparations are underway for the national pavilion that will be titled “Belarus. The Taste of Nature”. The Abu Dhabi International Food Exhibition 2023 will be running from 27 to 29 November. The exhibition debuted in December 2022 to replace the SIAL Middle East exhibition. The exhibition brings together all the major food brands and buyers from all over the world. Today, in terms of its importance in the region, this exhibition is second only to Gulfood that is held in Dubai every February.

In 2022, more than 445 companies from 41 countries took part in the expo. There were 20 national pavilions, including those of Türkiye, India, Brazil, Russia, Iran, Morocco, South Africa, Bulgaria, Greece, Lebanon, Malaysia, Thailand, the Netherlands, just to name a few.

The exhibition covers food, soft drinks, equipment for the hospitality and catering industry, food equipment, food processing technologies, as well as freezing and storage technologies.

The event is supported by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the Presidential Court, and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority, which gives the exhibition a special status and significance.

This year, more than 1,200 companies are expected to participate, including exhibitors from Belarus, Russia, China, Italy, France, Poland, Armenia, Morocco, Kyrgyzstan, Greece, Thailand, India, Egypt and others. Brands like Nestlé S.A., Ferrero SpA, Barilla, Brie, Danone, Campbell Soup, Bonduelle will be presented.

The UAE is Belarus' biggest trading partner in the Persian Gulf. This country imports up to 95% of its food. Its import from Belarus includes food products, as well as industrial and petrochemical products. In addition to that, partners from the UAE help Belarus export its products to third countries, mainly the countries of the Middle East and Africa.

Companies that want to be featured in the national exposition are encouraged to contact the Belinterexpo exhibition enterprise of the BelCCI.

Written by belta.by

Chairman of the State Control Committee of Belarus Vasily Gerasimov took part in the events of the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing, China. The current forum marked the tenth anniversary of the Belt and Road initiative. Representatives of more than 130 countries took part in the large-scale events, BelTA learned from the Belarusian State Control Committee.

Panel discussions on various aspects of cooperation, including trade ties, digital economy and investment, were held as part of the forum. The delegation of the State Control Committee of Belarus took part in the thematic forum on Clean Silk Road, where representatives of more than 30 countries and international organizations discussed anticorruption efforts.

Vasily Gerasimov made a presentation on progress and contribution to the fight against corruption. In his words, corruption is a major social and political problem worldwide that threatens the social, economic, political and legal foundations of statehood and the rule of law.

“The fight against corruption has been identified as one of the national priorities in Belarus. Virtually all government bodies take part in this work. An effective legislative framework has been developed, and the necessary institutional mechanisms for combating corruption have been set up. Close attention is paid to the prevention of corruption offenses and manifestations. Constant work is conducted to raise the level of legal consciousness and create intolerance to such offenses in society,” Vasily Gerasimov added.

The chairman of the State Control Committee expressed confidence that Belarus' accession to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization would open up new opportunities for strengthening cooperation in suppressing corruption crimes.

The day before, the issues of combating corruption were discussed at a working meeting between the chairman of the State Control Committee of Belarus and the leadership of the National Supervisory Commission of China. Yesterday, Vasily Gerasimov also met with Auditor General of the Nationjal Audit Office of China Hou Kai to discuss cooperation between the supreme financial control bodies of the two countries.

Written by belta.by

Belarus is studying the possibility of re-equipping its cancer facilities jointly with the Russian state nuclear industry corporation Rosatom, Deputy Chair of the State Committee on Science and Technology of Belarus Tatiana Stolyarova said at the Belarusian energy and environmental forum Energy Expo in Minsk on 17 October, BelTA has learned.

“A number of promising areas of cooperation with Rosatom based on the principle of cooperation chains are under discussion. For example, we are considering the re-equipment of Belarusian cancer centers with ‘heavy' class equipment (brachytherapy equipment and linear accelerators) and the construction in our country of a positron emission tomography (PET) center that will use a cyclotron. In turn, Belarusian specialists can help develop treatment protocols for nuclear medicine equipment produced by Rosatom,” said Tatiana Stolyarova.

The production of medical equipment that use Belarus-made microelements is another promising avenue of cooperation. Belarusian components can be used in gamma therapeutic systems, radiotherapeutic complexes for precision radiation therapy of malignant tumors and in other products made by Rosatom.

“Technical re-equipment of enterprises, robotization of technological processes and introduction of additive technologies deserve a special mention,” she noted. Thus, the Industry Ministry, together with Rosatom and other interested parties, is working to establish a center for additive technologies in Belarus.

As far as digitalization is concerned, Belarus and Rosatom are working on a joint proposal under the Union State program to develop a platform solution “Regional Digital Development”. This program seeks to create a common software product for all areas of regional digital development: Smart Region, Smart City, to digitalize processes in property management and urban planning, urban infrastructure and transport management, etc. Belarus' Smart Cities project will feature large in the Union State aggregate solutions.

As to non-nuclear energy solutions, the parties are exploring cooperation options in the design and production of energy storage systems, the development of traction batteries for electric vehicles and charging infrastructure. “Rosatom and Belarusian organizations have amassed a wealth of experience in this area. Currently, our country is implementing the National Electric Transport project that provides for the creation of a new sector of the automotive industry - electric vehicles,” Tatiana Stolyarova noted.

The Belarusian energy and environmental forum Energy Expo is one of the major industry events that is designed to showcase the innovative potential of the fuel and energy complex. The forum brings together industry organizations and leading equipment manufacturers and technology providers for the energy sector and related industries. They present innovative projects and advanced solutions in electrical engineering, gas industry, energy and resource-saving technologies, digital development, and environmental conservation.

Written by belta.by

Minsk is set to host the 10th International Congress “Library as a Phenomenon of Culture” to mark the Year of Peace and Creation. The event will be running at the National Library of Belarus on 19-20 October, BelTA learned from the press service of the CIS Interstate Fund for Humanitarian Cooperation.

Attending the forum will be more than 400 delegates from Belarus, as well as from CIS and non-CIS countries - Armenia, Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. These are heads and specialists of the largest libraries, museums, publishing houses, research organizations and educational institutions, manufacturers of software, technical means, information products and industrial equipment for libraries.

The program will include plenary and breakout sessions, presentations, poster presentations, and an exhibition of publishing products. The Congress will feature the round table “Shaping trends: innovative activities of regional libraries” and the seminar “Library in the national digital ecosystem”. The library forum is set to work out a resolution on the adopted decisions on further development of the library industry, implementation of the goals and objectives of both the state and international cultural policies.

“Over the past ten years the congress has been an authoritative discussion platform in Belarus to consider issues and trends related to the library community. This year's topics touch upon national originality and international cooperation of libraries, the role and place of libraries in the digital ecosystem, their resources, services, digital library as an element of digital transformation of librarianship, innovation and project, social and cultural activities of libraries, modern trends in serving users, the state and prospects of book-reader-reading relationships,” the press service said.

The event is organized by the Belarusian Culture Ministry, the Information Ministry and the National Library of Belarus with the support of the CIS Interstate Fund for Humanitarian Cooperation.

Written by belta.by

The Belarusian public association of consumers has been granted a special consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council, BelTA learned from the press service of the Ministry of Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade (MART).

"In accordance with the decision of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (E/2023/32 (Part III)), adopted during the 2023 session, the Belarusian public association "Regional Society for Consumer Protection" was granted a special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations," the press service noted.

MART is a regulatory and coordinating state body in consumer protection. The ministry considers the assignment of a special status to the Regional Society for Consumer Protection as the recognition by the international community of the country's experience in the development of consumer protection institutions.

Written by belta.by

An international seminar on topical matters concerning the protection and commercialization of intellectual property assets in Belarus and abroad took place in Minsk, the press service of the National Center of Intellectual Property (NCIP) told BelTA.

The seminar was organized by the State Committee on Science and Technology and the NCIP. It gathered representatives of law enforcement and antimonopoly bodies, industry-specific ministries and concerns, various organizations and institutions as well as Belarusian exporters – a total of over 170 participants.

NCIP Director General Vladimir Ryabovolov pointed out that the seminar will be further expanded in accordance with the Council of Ministers' instruction to evaluate a number of problems that Belarusian manufacturers run into in the course of foreign trade operations. “Our event has acquired a practical dimension. We intend to cover the practical matters that Belarusian producers of goods and services encounter in the course of promoting their goods, primarily in the Eurasian space,” the official said.

Leading experts of the National Center of Intellectual Property, the Eurasian Patent Office, Belarus' Supreme Court, the Internal Affairs Ministry, patent administrators of Belarus and Russia informed participants of the seminar about peculiarities of national and international procedures meant to grant legal protection to intellectual property objects. They shared their practical experience and up-to-date solutions for ensuring the protection of rights to intellectual property assets both in Belarus and abroad. Participants of the seminar were particularly interested in parallel import because increasing the internal stability of the national economy and preventing shortages on the domestic market are becoming important matters nowadays.

Written by belta.by