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We have increased the number of state-funded student places in universities and reduced the number of tuition-paying places, Education Minister Andrei Ivanets said at a meeting hosted by the head of state to discuss the current university admission campaign, BelTA has learned.
The minister noted that more than 50,000 people are expected to be admitted to universities in Belarus this year. "Of these, 28,400 are state-funded places. I would like to emphasize that this is an increase of 600. The state is interested in training specialists. We are a welfare state and will provide the necessary conditions," Andrei Ivanets said.
The enrollment targets for tuition programs in universities have been reduced by 1,500 places, the minister noted. "This year it will be 23,500 places. At the same time we will waive tuition for another thousand students of vocational training schools. If a young person had plans to enroll in university for a tuition program, we give them an opportunity to go to a vocational training school. After a vocational training school, they can go to university," he added.
Other decisions include a decrease in enrollment in Minsk universities. It has been cut down by more than 500 places. Yet, enrollment into medical programs has been increased by 10% and that into pedagogical programs by 4.5%.
The Union State has been developing dynamically, despite the external pressure of the collective West, Head of the Belarus President Administration Igor Sergeyenko said in his message of greetings to the plenary session of the Russian-Belarusian forum of historians in Moscow, BelTA has learned.
The message was read out by Rector of the Academy of Public Administration under the aegis of the President of Belarus Vyacheslav Danilovich.
"Belarus is located at the crossroads of eras, cultures and religions, and has repeatedly been the scene of bloody confrontations between Western and Eastern civilizations. But together with the Russian people, we managed to survive and used the historic chance to create our own state, and the Great Victory became a common priceless asset, the most striking symbol of our brotherhood and indestructible friendship," the message says.
According to Igor Sergeyenko, the Union State, based on the will of the two peoples, the principles of equality and mutual respect, has been developing dynamically despite the external pressure of the collective West, where, for the sake of the political trends, the fundamental principles of scientific knowledge are violated, history and culture are falsified.
"This is why the forum, designed to convey an objective view of the events and processes of distant and recent history, looks very timely and extremely relevant. After all, it depends on each of us on what examples and heroes from the past our younger generation measure up to, whether they will be true citizens and patriots," the head of the Presidential Administration said.
Igor Sergeyenko is convinced that the Russian-Belarusian forum of historians will become traditional and will annually expand the agenda, involve more and more professional scholars and those who are simply interested in the history of the fatherland.
The bison sent from the Belarusian Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park to Russia's Bashkortostan survived transportation well and are settling in a local forest, BelTA learned from the Belarusian President Property Management Directorate.
The bison have herded together and are ready to be released from the enclosure into the open in the Iksky Natural Zoological Reserve, which borders on the Muradymovo Gorge Nature Park in Kugarchinsky District.
According to the head of Bashkortostan Radiy Khabirov, the region aims to have a stable bison population. "Our task is very ambitious. We want to breed a stable population of animals that will reproduce themselves and grow and harmoniously fit into the natural landscape of Bashkortostan. We have plans for the Bashkir breed of the bison from the Belovezhskaya Pushcha," the head of the Russian region wrote on his Telegram channel.
Radiy Khabirov recalled that 12,000-15,000 years ago, bison lived in Bashkortostan, and now, in fact, their descendants are returning to their homeland.
Nesvizh will host a regional seminar on "Intellectual Property as a Key Factor in Integration in Eurasia" on 13-14 June, BelTA learned from the press service of the State Committee on Science and Technology.
The program includes three sections. The first will focus on the integration in intellectual property within the Eurasian space, the second - the functioning of the system in the face of modern challenges. The third section will discuss practical issues of intellectual property management in Eurasia.
The seminar has been organized by the Eurasian Patent Office, the State Committee on Science and Technology of Belarus, the National Center for Intellectual Property with the support of the World Intellectual Property Organization.
The meeting of the ninth session of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the seventh convocation is scheduled to take place on 31 May, BelTA learned from the press service of the House of Representatives.
A number of bills will go through the first reading on this day. They include the bills “On amending laws on entrepreneurial activity”, “On people's militia”, “On amending laws on healthcare”, “On amending the law of the Republic of Belarus “On publishing business in the Republic of Belarus”.
At second reading the MPs will consider the bills “On amending labor laws”, “On amending the law of the Republic of Belarus “On mass media”.
In addition, a number of bills will be considered in one reading: “On the ratification of the protocol between the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation on amendments to the agreement between the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation on joint regional military security as of 19 December 1997”, “On the ratification of the protocol on amendments to the agreement on uniform principles and rules for the circulation of medical devices (medical devices and medical equipment) in the Eurasian Economic Union as of 23 December 2014”, “On ratification of the agreement on inland navigation between the Government of the Republic of Belarus and the Government of the Russian Federation”, “On ratification of the Convention on the facilitation of border crossing procedures for passengers, luggage and load-luggage carried in international traffic by rail”.
The deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus is one of the steps of strategic deterrence, State Secretary of the Security Council of Belarus Aleksandr Volfovich said in an interview to the ONT TV Channel, BelTA has learned.
“We see what is happening in the neighboring countries, especially in Poland, today. Up to 4% of GDP is spent there on defense to the detriment of the economy and the interests of ordinary citizens. An offensive grouping is being created. You can see it with the naked eye. In order to cool their heads, Belarus may, of course, take the same way and refocus the economy on military needs and start increasing and deploying its military forces to wartime strength, but it would impose a huge burden on the economy and on the wellbeing of its citizens. Why do we need to do it? People are used to living in comfort, in a civilized way. So one of the elements of, let us say, strategic deterrence in military terms is, of course, tactical nuclear weapons,” Aleksandr Volfovich said.
According to him, the West simply left Belarus with no other choice. “Although, with the withdrawal of nuclear weapons from Belarus in the 1990s, the West, primarily the United States, guaranteed security and no sanctions against Belarus,” the state secretary of the Security Council said. “Those promises have been violated today. That is why the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of the Republic of Belarus is one of the steps of strategic deterrence.”
“If there is any sense left in the heads of the politicians in the West, they will not cross this red line. Because even the use of tactical nuclear weapons would lead to irreversible consequences. Of course, this will be an extreme step. But it is a reasonable step to protect our country. We do not need what does not belong to us, but we will never give up our own,” Aleksandr Volfovich said.
Belarus has developed a model law on the regulation of artificial intelligence and suggests it to the CIS countries, Director General of the United Institute of Informatics Problems of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus Sergei Kruglikov said at the discussion session “Ethics and Regulation of Artificial Intelligence in the EAEU, held as part of the 2nd Eurasian Economic Forum in Moscow on 25 May, BelTA has learned.
According to Sergei Kruglikov, the institute won the competition to draft the law. The document has already been presented in May at the meeting of the expert council of the CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly. “Getting the right to develop such a model law is evidence of the high level of trust in our country,” he said.
“The development of a model law on artificial intelligence is the formation of a system of legal regulation of social relations arising in connection with the development and use of artificial intelligence technologies. Of course, it is all done for the benefit of the development of the economies of our countries,” the director general of the Joint Institute of Informatics Problems said.
He also listed the main objectives of this model law: “Firstly, it is the creation of favorable legal and organizational conditions for the development of AI technologies, promoting investment in research and innovation in artificial intelligence. Secondly, it is the development of a single market for legitimate, safe and trustworthy applications based on artificial intelligence. It is also the promotion of accessible artificial intelligence ecosystems with digital infrastructure, cross-border and possibly cross-sectoral cooperation to advance responsible management of trusted artificial intelligence, and a positive agenda in the introduction of artificial intelligence technologies. The mandatory issue is to improve the digital literacy of the population as well as the relevant managers in government agencies. The next point is to ensure a fair and optimal balance of interests between all participants in social relations in the field of artificial intelligence. Guaranteed security of use and deployment of artificial intelligence systems and their implementation is of crucial importance, of course. Finally, it is the development of flexible mechanisms to promptly adjust the legal framework.”
“We are saying that the model law on artificial intelligence in the CIS countries should become such an advanced mechanism for the use of modern information technologies,” Sergei Kruglikov said.
Belarus would like to keep building a strategic military alliance with Russia, Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin said at the meeting with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on 25 May, BelTA has learned.
“Today's meeting is of particular importance for us as we have found ourselves on the receiving end of relentless aggressive moves on the part of NATO representatives and others. This meeting highlights the depth of the bilateral cooperation in the military field and defense industry,” the Belarusian defense minister said addressing his Russian counterpart.
Viktor Khrenin drew attention to the unprecedented pressure from the collective West on Belarus and Russia: “They are trying to impose a unipolar world on us using the model where all countries, instead of being guided by international law, have to stick to certain rules that further the interests of some states that are seen by their leadership as privileged.”
According to the defense minister of Belarus, such a world-view has led to the expansion of international terrorism, the unreasonable military build-up near the borders of the Union State, as well as the increase in military tension in the political, economic, information spheres in the region and beyond.
“In such a situation, Belarus seeks to keep building a strategic military alliance with Russia by strengthening commitments in our doctrinal documents and by deepening bilateral cooperation, creating conditions and taking measures that will discourage everyone from talking to us from a position of strength,” emphasized Viktor Khrenin.
The Belarusian NPP makes a significant contribution to the fight against climate change, Belarusian Energy Minister said at the 2nd Eurasian Economic Forum in Moscow on 24 May, BelTA has learned.
"For Belarus, as for any state, it is important to diversify types and suppliers of energy resources and to reduce dependence on hydrocarbon fuels, including by means of switching to nuclear energy. Poorly endowed with traditional types of resources, Belarus has made a decision in favor of nuclear energy. Time has shown that it was a smart decision. The BelNPP project is on the home stretch. The plant has two units of 1,170MW each," Viktor Karankevich said. He also noted that the BelNPP is being built to the Russian project, which meets the most stringent safety requirements.
"While other states are just starting their national nuclear energy programs, Belarus has already built its own nuclear infrastructure. The Belarusian nuclear power plant is already working for the country's economy and is producing a tangible effect. Since the first unit was connected to the grid (3 November 2020), the plant has generated about 15 billion kWh of electricity, which made it possible to replace 3.9 billion cubic meters of natural gas," the minister stressed.
Until recently natural gas accounted for more than 90% of the country's electricity and heat production. With the launch of the BelNPP, the goal is to reduce this share to 60%, the minister said.
"For us, a nuclear power plant is a reliable, environmentally friendly and economical source of energy. It guarantees security for decades to come for Belarus and makes a significant contribution to the common cause of mitigating the climate change. With the launch of the nuclear power plant, Belarus plans to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 7 million tonnes," Viktor Karankevich said.
With end-of-school ceremonies approaching, school leavers are already thinking about where to continue their studies. Education remains very accessible in our country. The main thing is the desire to study, member of the Standing Committee on Education, Culture and Science of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus Sergei Klishevich told BelTA.
“The main thing is school graduates' desire to study, their ability to make efforts to enter the university. Our socially-oriented state accompanies a young person from kindergarten to the first job, which is guaranteed for those studying on a budget. In European countries, graduates face a huge employment problem. The liberal economy cannot guarantee young specialists their first job; as a result, unemployment among graduates reaches 50%. Europe needs people who can bring a net income to the employer. Тo one cares where a young specialist will take this experience,” Sergei Klishevich said.
Belarusian graduates have no problems with employment. Building a common education space in the Union State opens up new prospects for young people in Belarus and Russia not only to get in-demand education but also a prestigious job in both countries. “There are programs that make it possible to study in both countries at the same time, for example, remotely. Belarus and Russia are already virtually working in one education space. There are great prospects ahead, because we are actively working on the Union State education roadmap. It will unite the opportunities of both countries,” the MP said.
The quality and prestige of Russian education is already in demand in Belarus. For the Belarusian youth it opens up great opportunities for self-fulfillment and employment. “Today there are about 5,000 Belarusians studying in Russia and about 1,500 Russians studying in Belarus. This is good, because our young people are to build the future. For this they need to be aware of many issues relating to both countries,” Sergei Klishevich said.
In his words, patriotic education, based on love for their homeland, their people, respect for their motherland, culture, traditions and customs takes a special place in the youth policy of the two countries.
