Volozhin Region
Executive Committee

Сhargé d'Affaires of the Republic of Belarus in the Kingdom of Belgium Ekaterina Shatokhina has visited the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, BelTA learned from the Belarusian diplomatic mission.

The Belarusian diplomat attended the opening of the exhibition Terre d'Origine — La Collection (“Land of Origin – The Collection”). This project used a soil sample brought from Minsk and handed over to the authors of the project by the embassy. In the description of the sample, the authors mentioned the legend about the founding of Minsk and the healer Menesk, the heroic past of the Belarusian capital city and the heroism of Minskers during the Great Patriotic War.

The authors of the Terre d'Origine project collected soil samples from countries whose citizens live in Luxembourg. The project was presented as part of the “Night of Culture” program in the Luxembourg city of Esch-sur-Alzette. The exhibition is open to the public at the art gallery of the Escher Theater from 2 to 16 September 2022. The charge d'Affaires met with representatives of the Luxembourg authorities, the Belarusian diaspora and the diplomatic corps in Luxembourg.

Written by: belta.by

Work to realize the pilot manufacturing cooperation project Eurasian Electrobus has begun in the industrial block of the Eurasian Economic Commission, the commission's press service told BelTA.

Representatives of the Eurasian Economic Commission and the relevant government agencies of the Eurasian Economic Union countries participated in consultations on 2 September. They decided in favor of setting up a special working group as a result. It will include representatives of the government agencies of the member states, manufacturers of transport solutions with electric motors and manufacturers of automobile components, and representatives of scientific circles of the member states.

The decision to launch the pilot project Eurasian Electrobus was made at a session of the Council of the Eurasian Economic Commission on 15 July. The sides agreed the top-priority action plan the commission had suggested for organizing the work to fulfill the instruction given by the Council of the Eurasian Economic Commission. A list of critical components, parts, and materials for making electrobuses will be put together initially as well as a list of the Eurasian Economic Union companies that have the necessary in-house manufacturing and technological potential.

According to Deputy Director of the Industrial Policy Department of the Eurasian Economic Commission Nikolai Rogozhnik, it will allow creating the foundation for a full-scale launch of the project in addition to evaluating the capability for reorientation and adaptation of production of parts and components intended for other kinds of passenger vehicles (buses, trolleybuses) for their consequent use in electrobuses.

Intermediate results of the work that has been done are supposed to be presented at a session of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission by the end of 2022.

Written by: belta.by

Chairwoman of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus Natalya Kochanova has convened a conference to discuss the operation of OAO MotoVeloZavod with parties concerned, BelTA has learned.

Natalya Kochanova remarked that the head of state had visited the enterprise not so long before. Even before that during a visit to the same enterprise the Minsk City Executive Committee had been instructed to clean up the area, start using vacant premises, and ensure the effective operation of the enterprise itself.

Natalya Kochanova pointed out: “A serious remark has been made this time: MotoVeloZavod is essentially an assembly enterprise that uses imported components to put together bicycles and motorcycles. The percentage of manufacturing localization is low.”

The head of the upper chamber of the Belarusian parliament noted that the relevant protocol of instructions was being prepared, however, concrete measures need to be taken now. The head of state wants the enterprise to demonstrate what products it will make and what localization percentage it will have by 1 January 2023.

Natalya Kochanova noted that participants of the conference were expected to discuss intermediate results. The speaker stressed that there is not much time left till December 2022 when they will have to report to the head of state.

“I know both the central government and the city administration keep an eye on the matter. Today I'd like to hear about the groundwork that already exists,” she noted.

Written by: belta.by

1 September is Knowledge Day in the Republic of Belarus. Back-to-school ceremonies are held across the country to kick off a new academic year.

The first lesson at Belarusian schools is traditionally a thematic one. This year it is dedicated to historical memory and is held under the theme “Historical Memory - the Road to the Future”.

Some 1,0850,000 students are resuming studies in Belarus, including 115,000 first-graders.

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Over 120 lawyers of the Minsk Oblast Bar Association led by Chairman Maksim Tereshkov helped beautify the territory of the World War Two memorial complex Khatyn, BelTA has learned.

The lawyers worked for hours and did a considerable amount of beautification and dismantling of old structures of the complex.

Minsk Oblast lawyers are proud of having contributed to the renovation of the memorial complex Khatyn in the Year of Historical Memory, representatives of the Belarusian National Bar Association said. Objects in the memorial complex Khatyn have been granted the status of the All-Belarusian Youth Construction Project this year.

After the work the lawyers and representatives of the Minsk Oblast branch of the Belarusian national youth union BRSM laid flowers at the memorial and honored memory of the civilians, who died there during the war.

Written by: belta.by

A socially responsible civil society should be the bulwark of the state, Head of the Belarus President Administration Igor Sergeyenko said at a government conference hosted by the president to discuss the draft laws on civil society, political parties and other public associations in Minsk on 30 August, BelTA has learned.

"The government should acknowledge the activity of people, build appropriate work with them in order to have support in the form of a socially responsible civil society," Igor Sergeyenko emphasized.

He noted that over the years of independence, government bodies have built work with the public sector: trade unions are engaged in labor protection and in monitoring pricing, members of the public are included in the work of advisory councils under government bodies, specialized public organizations provide social services.

"At the same time, the potential of the public sector in the state policy is not fully used. Belarus Rus was the first to stand up against the construction of the "Iron Curtain" by Poland in the Belovezhskaya Pushcha. The environmental organizations, of which there are about 20 in the country, were not visible," Igor Sergeyenko gave an example.

Written by: belta.by

The president's busy schedule is an answer to the questions that the year 2022 puts before our country and our region, before the whole planet, Press Secretary of the Belarusian President Natalya Eismont said in an interview to ONT TV channel, BelTA has learned.

“The busy schedule is an answer to the questions that 2022 poses to our country and our region, to the entire planet. The previous years were not easy for us either. But the year 2022 is the ultimate concentration: a military special operation, the threat of world hunger, unprecedented sanctions and pressure on our country. The question arises: does anyone really think it is possible to continue to live normally, well-fed and quietly, and work as before? The president shows by his example that it is not possible. You have heard how many times the president repeated the phrase ‘undress and get to work'. It has already been transformed into ‘strain your muscles and work',” said Natalya Eismont.

The president's press secretary added: “At every meeting, in the presence of the media and without them, the president repeats that we must move on, we must not relax. It is not because he has nothing to say. The secret of success today is total mobilization. It is our Belarusian mobilization at each workplace. In the president's schedule, Thursday was chosen as time to work with documents. In addition to the array of documents that the president receives on a daily basis, the Belarusian leader had 12 telephone conversations with officials, ministers, and governors from 8 am to 11 am. Each of them was questioned on the most important areas. Everyone is involved in work to the maximum.”

“The head of state had over 30 onsite events this summer: he visited dozens of enterprises, talked to people, gave interviews, held meetings in Minsk and outside the Belarusian capital. The president keeps such a pace, showing the whole country how everyone should work,” Natalya Eismont said.

Written by: belta.by

Belarus has began harvesting millet and buckwheat, BelTA learned from the Belarusian Agriculture and Food Ministry.

As of early 26 August grain and leguminous crops (excluding maize, buckwheat and millet) were harvested from 91.1% of the planned area (1.981 million hectares).

Brest Oblast has increased its harvesting area up to 356,600. According to the update information, harvesting in the region was completed on 97.7% of the target (348,400 hectares), 81.9% (295,000 hectares) in Vitebsk Oblast, 92.7% (323,200 hectares) in Gomel Oblast, 91.9% (286,900 hectares) in Grodno Oblast, 92.8% (425,600 hectares) in Minsk Oblast, and 89.3% (301,800 hectares) in Mogilev Oblast.

Agricultural workers harvested millet from 1,430 hectares, or 12.09% of the target, threshing 3,700 tonnes with the average yield at 25.9 centners per hectare. Buckwheat was cropped from 1,500 hectares (4.33%) with 1,910 tonnes threshed (the average yield - 12.7 centners per hectare).

Belarus threshed 7.366 million tonnes of grain, with the average yield at 37.2 centners per hectare. Last year the average yield at this stage of harvesting was lower, 30.8 centners per hectare.

Rapeseed was harvested from 312,700 hectares of land (86.4% of the designated area), with 822,800 tonnes threshed (the average yield stood at 26.3 centners per hectare).

The procurement plan for 2022 will make up 811,400 tonnes of grain.

Written by: belta.by

The Russian government has approved signing an agreement with Belarus on the mutual recognition of COVID-19 vaccination certificates. The relevant executive order signed by Prime Minister of Russia Mikhail Mishustin has been published in the Russian legislation registry, BelTA has learned.

The order authorizes accepting the Russian Healthcare Ministry's proposal, which had been reconciled with the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other federal government agencies concerned and previously discussed with the Belarusian side, on signing a Belarusian-Russian intergovernmental agreement on the mutual recognition of certificates of vaccination against the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) by means of exchanging notes.

In line with the draft note, which has also been published in the Russian legislation registry, Belarus and Russia will not apply COVID-19 related restrictions to holders of Belarusian and Russian vaccination certificates and to children and teenagers under 18, who do not have certificates. The draft document reads that in addition to personal data of the citizen a vaccination certificate has to contain an up-to-date QR code with vaccination information.

The draft document also stipulates that Belarus or Russia will be able to suspend the agreement fully or partially and officially notify the other side about this intention at any moment.

Written by: belta.by

The existing centralized testing system does not always properly evaluate prospective university students despite all the steps taken to improve it. This is why approaches to changing the system for the better should be worked out soon. Head of the Belarus President Administration Igor Sergeyenko made the statement at a session of the administration's board, BelTA has learned.

Igor Sergeyenko said that during the government conference held on the previous day to discuss the development of the national education system Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed that it is necessary to work out a clear, transparent, and understandable system for university admission. Because grain harvest, industrial performance, import substitution, and many other things will depend on the future university graduates. “Instructions were given for us to once again look into the matter by the next year under the aegis of the Belarus President Administration. But we understand that it has to be done much faster. We have to once again take a close look at the problem and make up our minds on whether the current centralized testing system should be preserved or whether it should be changed and suggested in the format that is supposed to come into effect starting next year or whether some other innovations should be introduced. The head of state stressed that we have to see graduates in the course of the university admission campaign. The existing centralized testing system, which has been in place for 20 years and to which all of us have grown accustomed, does not allow it despite all the innovations to improve the system,” the official said.

In his words, a lot of work has to be done. A powerful brainstorm has to be arranged not only within the framework of today's board session, which gathered the education minister, heads of municipal authorities, regional education offices, and local practitioners. But on the whole, by engaging a broad range of specialists, parents, and pedagogues it will be necessary to soon determine and submit proposals on what the system to select the best school graduates, who intend to seek higher education, should be.

Written by belta.by