Volozhin Region
Executive Committee

A session of the coordinating council of Belarusian associations of Moldova took place in Chisinau, representatives of the Belarusian embassy in Moldova told BelTA. 

Representatives of the embassy of the Republic of Belarus, leaders of the Belarusian associations in Moldova, active representatives of the Belarusian diaspora took part in the event. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Belarus to Moldova Anatoly Kalinin talked about Belarus' social and economic development in 2021 and conveyed true information about the development of the situation at the Belarusian-Polish border. 

The diplomat mentioned positive dynamics of Belarus-Moldova trade. In January-October 2021 Belarus-Moldova trade rose by 18% to about $200 million, with import from Moldova at $56 million. Belarus primarily imported wines and cognacs. 

The ambassador emphasized the need to invigorate the work of the Belarusian diaspora in Moldova by arranging joint cultural events and events of public importance. Amendments to the regulation on the coordinating council of Belarusian associations of Moldova were approved and a joint plan of the diaspora's work with the embassy in 2022 was signed.

The leaders of the Belarusian associations in Moldova briefly informed those present about the work they did in 2020-2021, about existing difficulties with the realization of joint projects amid tough epidemic restrictions, and about sketched-out plans. Anna Babin, the head of the Belarusian Cultural Center in Moldova, was elected chairwoman of the coordinating council for the next two-year period. Anna Babin talked about participation in a session of the Advisory Board for Belarusians Abroad in Minsk on 18-20 November and about plans to expand activities of the Belarusian associations of Moldova.

 At the end of the event the ambassador singled out the most active representatives of the Belarusian diaspora. 

Written by belta.by

The Healthcare Ministry of Belarus has allowed the vaccination of children against COVID-19, BelTA informs citing the press service of the Healthcare Ministry. 

Belarus will expand its COVID-19 vaccination program to include children aged 12-17. Parents or legal representatives of children should sign an informed consent for vaccination. 

Healthy children aged 12-17 will have to wait six months after a coronavirus infection before having a COVID jab. 

Belarus will offer China's Sinopharm [Vero Cell] Inactivated for those aged 12 and over. 

Belarus will start inoculating children on 27 December 2021.

Written by belta.by

On the invitation of the Russian side, Chairman of Belarus' Investigative Committee Dmitry Gora has arrived in St Petersburg on a working visit, BelTA learned from the Belarusian Investigative Committee.

The program of the visit will include a working meeting between the heads of the two committees, a visit to the St. Petersburg Academy of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, and the signing of a cooperation program on forensic support for preliminary investigation for 2022-2023.

Plans are in place to discuss and exchange views on the improvement of pre-trial criminal proceedings and promising areas of cooperation within the framework of international treaties in criminal law.

Since the establishment of the Investigative Committees of Belarus and Russia, criminalistics departments of the two countries have constructively cooperated in terms of studying the experience of work organization, exchange of information about new methods of expert investigations, modern samples of criminalistics techniques and special equipment, providing practical assistance in the investigation of criminal cases of previous years.

Russian criminalists specializing in the application of psychological methods of memory activation and cognitive interviewing have repeatedly provided practical assistance to Belarusian colleagues in conducting investigative activities.

As a result of the use of memory activation techniques, witnesses of past crimes were able to assist in drawing portraits of alleged criminals.

Investigators of regional offices and the city of Minsk on a regular basis send video materials seized from various crime scenes to the forensic units of the Investigative Committee of Russia to improve the quality and obtain clearer images of faces of alleged criminals, registration plates of cars and other objects. Belarusian investigators actively use Russian software systems Mobile Criminalist. This helps maximize the quality of the information of interest to the investigation stored on mobile communications and computer equipment.

Written by belta.by

The Confucius Institute on Science and Technology of Belarusian National Technical University (BNTU) is hosting an interactive exhibition “Four Major Inventions of China” at the Minsk City Palace of Children and Youth, BelTA has learned.

“We have organized an exhibition to popularize the Chinese language and culture, to get Minsk residents familiar with the most significant scientific and technological achievements of ancient and modern China. The exhibition displays photographs, videos and 3D images, various miniatures. Among them are Chinese masquerade masks, vases and plates painted in folk motifs, various types of compasses, gunpowder. There are also items used in book printing. On display are also small replicas of Chinese satellites, high-speed trains and planes and other technical achievements,” said Anastasia Malukhina, a specialist of the Confucius Institute on Science and Technology.

The event also offers free daily workshops on painting Beijing opera masks and Chinese dragons, the traditional art of calligraphy and paper carving.

The exhibition is held with the support of Belarusian National Technical University, Northeastern University of the Chinese city of Shenyang, the Center of Language Education and Cooperation of the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China and the Chinese embassy in Belarus.

The exhibition will stay open through 17 December. Entry is free.

Written by belta.by

The countries of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) are conducting joint research to develop vaccines and diagnostic test systems for infectious diseases, including COVID-19, BelTA learned from the press service of the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) following the meeting of the EEC Board.

EEC Board Member (Minister) on Technical Regulation Viktor Nazarenko reported at the meeting on the implementation of a comprehensive plan of measures in healthcare and epidemiological welfare against COVID-19. “To date, the EAEU countries have ensured mutual exchange of information on the epidemiological situation amid the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus infection and ongoing anti-epidemic measures. Joint research is carried out to develop vaccines and diagnostic test systems for infectious diseases, including research on COVID-19. Joint exercises are being carried out by specialized organizations in order to work out response measures to outbreaks of current and unknown (new) infectious diseases,” the press service said.

The EEC Board recommendations were adopted as part of the implementation of this plan to ensure preventive measures for the movement of trucks on green corridor routes, for the resumption of passenger rail traffic and air passenger traffic in civil aviation. Recommendations have also been developed to regulate the agreed algorithm to respond to outbreaks of infectious diseases and also ensure laboratory diagnosis of the COVID-19 coronavirus infection.

“The implementation of measures of the comprehensive plan in the EAEU countries contributed to more effective control over the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus infection and increased the capacity of healthcare systems to respond to the emergence of new infectious diseases in the EAEU,” the EEC said.

A comprehensive plan of short- and long-term activities aimed at the systematic strengthening of the public healthcare system, capacity building in epidemiological surveillance preparedness and development of effective diagnostic tools and vaccines against COVID-19 was approved in 2020 following the instruction of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council.

Written by belta.by

An international science and practice online conference on quantum electronics is scheduled to take place in the Belarusian State University (BSU) on 22-26 November, the university's press service told BelTA.

The conference is expected to gather over 100 scientists from eight countries: Belarus, Russia, Azerbaijan, Serbia, Lithuania, Latvia, Vietnam, and Germany. They will discuss matters concerning quantum electronics, laser physics, computerization of laser research, thermochemical laser resurfacing, hydrogen molecules in the atmosphere, methods of automatic processing of experimental data, photoluminescence, methodological aspects of teaching during seven panel sessions.

Poster presentations will become an unusual way of presenting the material during the conference. Speakers have prepared a set of illustrations on declared subjects in the form of holograms, electrodynamics modeling, and an Android app that shows information about customer orders.

A collection of materials will be published as a result of the forum. It will be available in the Belarusian State University's digital library. The forum has been organized by the university's Radiophysics and Computer Technologies Faculty.

Written by belta.by

The 3rd CIS Forum of Scientists will take place in Minsk on 25-26 November, Deputy Chairman of the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences Sergei Kilin told the media on 18 November, BelTA has learned.

“The forum will kick off at 10.00 on 25 November. Delegations will speak at a plenary session to discuss the development of science in the CIS countries. Three round tables will follow: State and prospects of development of fundamental science, Improvement of scientific cooperation in the digital era, Innovative research,” said Sergei Kilin. Plans are also in place to host the Congress of the International Association of the Academies of Sciences and the meeting of the CIS Council for Cooperation in Fundamental Science. The final declaration will be adopted at the end of the forum.

The forum will be held as part of the plan of the CIS humanitarian cooperation priority measures for 2021-2022, adopted at the meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of Government on 6 November 2020. “Special attention has always been given to cooperation in science and technology in the CIS. Over the past 30 years the CIS has managed to preserve the common scientific and educational space. It is difficult to overestimate the importance of scientific and technological cooperation of the CIS countries in the system of long-term interstate relations in the strategic perspective,” said Manuchehr Hojizoda, Deputy Director of the Department of Humanitarian Cooperation, General Political and Social Problems of the CIS Executive Committee.

The forum will bring together more than 150 participants - heads and leading scientists of academies of sciences and major CIS scientific and research centers, educational organizations, including delegations from Belarus, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan (online) and Uzbekistan.

The main objectives of the forum are to intensify scientific and technological cooperation of the CIS countries, to stimulate new joint research, to propose ways to develop the CIS innovation policy, to form an international mobility of scientists and young specialists in the CIS professional community. Scientists will analyze the state and prospects of fundamental science, and work out ways to improve scientific cooperation in the digital era.

Among the organizers are the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus and the CIS Executive Committee with the support of the CIS Interstate Fund for Humanitarian Cooperation.

Two CIS Forums of Scientists have taken place since 2015. The first was held on 25-28 October 2015 in Moscow and was organized by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Russia and the Federal Agency Rossotrudnichestvo with the participation of the CIS Executive Committee. The second Forum of CIS Scientists was held on 15-16 October 2018 in Yerevan with the participation of the CIS Executive Committee and with the support of the CIS Interstate Fund for Humanitarian Cooperation.

Written by belta.by

In January-September 2021 Belarus' export of merchandise and services rose by 32.3% year-on-year up to $34.919 billion, BelTA learned from the website of the National Bank of the Republic of Belarus (NBRB).

In January-September 2021 Belarus' foreign trade totaled $67.1 billion, up by 31% year-on-year. Import amounted to $32.181 billion (up by 29.6%). Surplus of foreign trade in goods and services equaled $2.738 billion, up from $1.566 billion in January-September 2020.

Belarus' merchandise trade expanded by 33.6% to reach $55.437 billion. Merchandise export went up by 36.3% to $27.413 billion, with merchandise import up by 31% to $28.023 billion. Merchandise trade deficit totaled $610.3 million. In January-September 2020 Belarus also had a deficit of $1.279 billion.

In January-September 2021 foreign trade in services reached $11.663 billion, up by 20% year-on-year. Export of services amounted to $7.505 billion (up by 19.5%), with import standing at $4.157 billion (up by 21%). Surplus of foreign trade in services equaled $3.348 billion, up from $2.846 billion in January-September 2020.

Written by belta.by

More than 30% of people living in Belarus have received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, Healthcare Minister Dmitry Pinevich told reporters, BelTA has learned. 

The first dose of the vaccine has already been administered to 3.12 million people. “As to healthcare and education specialists, social workers and those who come in contact with many people, the vaccination rate in these population groups is 70-80%,” Dmitry Pinevich said. 

According to him, this is bearing fruit as it helps break the chain of COVID-19 transmission. “We see a decline in the pandemic, and this is also due to the vaccination effort,” the minister said. 

Dmitry Pinevich noted that the vaccination is gathering pace. “I believe that we have managed to convince those people who were in doubts. Now vaccines - both Sputnik and the Chinese one - are in demand,” he said. The minister added that “at present about 600,000 doses of the first component of the vaccine are in circulation”. Another batch of the Chinese vaccine has arrived. More purchases are planned. Everyone who wants to get a shot, will be able to do it, the minister assured. 

According to him, at present Sputnik accounts for three quarters of all vaccines used in Belarus, the rest are the vaccines made by China. “The indications for administering these vaccines are essentially the same, with some exceptions. I think that the same will remain in place in the future when COVID-19 vaccination will become permanent (we are discussing it now),” Dmitry Pinevich said. The localization of the Chinese vaccine is also being considered. “Therefore, I believe that all types of vaccines will find their niche in the national vaccination calendar,” he added. 

Speaking about plans to resume providing routine medical care in hospitals, the minister noted that most of this work will be done within a month. Plans were developed for each region, and they are updated every day. “At the same time, we remain on standby. We urge everyone not to lower their guard and take precautions, and to opt for vaccination or get a booster shot if time has come,” the minister added.

Written by belta.by

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Belarus to China Yuri Senko signed a certificate of acceptance of humanitarian aid from the Chinese government at the Beijing airport on 8 November, BelTA learned from the Embassy of Belarus in the People's Republic of China.

The humanitarian cargo includes 500,000 doses of the COCID-19 vaccine produced by Sinopharm Corporation (Vero Cell) and 500,000 syringes.

"The humanitarian cargo will be airlifted by the Ilyushin IL-76 military aircraft on 10 November. It will also carry 1 million doses of the vaccine purchased by the Belarusian government," the Belarusian diplomatic mission said.

Written by belta.by