Volozhin Region
Executive Committee

The next mission of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will asses physical protection of the Belarusian nuclear power plant (BelNPP), Aleksandr Dokuchayev, Deputy Head of the Nuclear and Radiation Safety Department of the Belarusian Emergencies Ministry (Gosatomnadzor), said, BelTA learned from the ministry's website.

“In accordance with international recommendations, one of the most important ways to improve nuclear power and radiation safety infrastructure in newcomer countries is hosting various advisory missions of the IAEA. One of them is the International Physical Protection Advisory Service (IPPAS) mission. Preparations are underway to host this mission in 2021,”Aleksandr Dokuchayev said. He specified that this mission is expected to come to Belarus in mid-summer.

Belarus has put together an interdepartmental working group consisting of representatives of government agencies and organizations. An initiating meeting of Belarusian experts with the IAEA, as well as a national seminar on hosting IPPAS missions and an IPPAS pre-mission were held. According to the Gosatomnadzor representative, all events were held in the format of video-conferences in view of the pandemic.

“As a result, Belarus and the IAEA agreed that the IPPAS mission would consider four thematic modules. The mission will assess the physical security of nuclear materials and installations, the physical protection system of a specific nuclear installation (the Belarusian nuclear power plant) and nuclear materials during transportation, as well as information and computer security,” Aleksandr Dokuchayev said.

The IPPAS mission in Belarus will be led by Joseph Sandoval, a staff member at the Sandia National Laboratories in the United States of America.

Written by: belta.by

Flydubai has launched flights to Minsk, BelTA learned from the press service of Minsk National Airport.

The air carrier will operate three flights a week between Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Minsk National Airport (MSQ) on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Departure from Dubai is at 18.50 on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, arrival in Minsk - at 23.50. The return flight departs from Minsk at 00.50 on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays and arrives in Dubai at 7.45.

“We are convinced that the development of air service between Belarus and the United Arab Emirates, including the launch of air service by Flydubai, will contribute to closer cooperation between our countries in economy, culture, and tourism and to the increase in both direct and transfer passenger traffic,” Director General of Minsk National Airport Vyacheslav Khoronenko said when commenting on the new flight.

Founded in 2008, Flydubai is a state-owned airline of the United Arab Emirates, based at Dubai International Airport. The airline offers passengers the opportunity to travel to 155 destinations through Dubai International Airport to the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Europe.

The visa-free regime between Belarus and the UAE has been in force since 16 January 2021. Citizens of Belarus can enter, travel and transit through the UAE, as well as stay there without visas for 90 days from the date of entry.

The Belarusian air carrier Belavia has also launched regular flights to Dubai.

Written by: belta.by

"As an economist, who experienced the Soviet Union and the economy in transition, I vote for the current model of economic development. Perhaps it needs some cosmetic improvements. But its main thing is social justice, which the president repeatedly emphasized in his address to the Belarusian People's Congress," Mikhail Kovalev said.

According to him, social stratification in Belarus is low. "It is 25% if we measure it using the so-called Gini coefficient. Together with Slovakia we share the third or fourth place out of 190 states. We are a tenth of a percent behind the Czech Republic and Slovenia. In Scandinavian countries such as Denmark and Sweden this ratio is 27%. This shows that we are a socially just state where all citizens enjoy equal rights and, as the president said, we will remain so in the future,” the professor said. In terms of gender equality, we are ranked 31st in the world. If someone measured the equality of religions, I think we would rank in the top three. Therefore, the main feature of our state is social justice, and it has helped the Belarusian economy to grow quite quickly."

Mikhail Kovalev stressed that the share of the small Belarusian state in the world economy was only 0.10% in 1995 and 0.17% in 2014. “Over 19 years we have increased our share in the world economy by 1.7 times. I made some calculations and compared the data of neighbors: the increase in the shares of Poland, Lithuania was much smaller. Indeed, Poles and Lithuanians are a little richer than us in terms of the so-called gross domestic product per capita. But the difference was the same in 1995. They started from higher positions. We were catching up,” he explained.

According to the expert, Belarus is an export-oriented economy. “Exports in 1995, the first year of the presidential republic, was only $5 billion. In 2012 the figures stood at $52 billion, increasing more than tenfold. Today, due to a drop in oil prices, it has shrunk a little. However, over 25 years our exports have increased 7 times.

"Therefore, the five-year plans to reach $50 billion in exports, regardless of oil prices, are achievable. So is the adjusted new strategy which says that our exports to the Eurasian Economic Union and Russia will slightly expand, too. We need to do our best to level off the trade deficit with Russia,” he said.

Mikhail Kovalev also talked about the smart country, one of the priorities of the future five-year plan. “The Belarusian biotechnology corporation is planning very good projects with China. Even in a difficult COVID-19 year, our agriculture rose almost 5%, our dairy and meat exports increased by almost 5% thanks to China. It is clear that we need the new types of fodder, which the biotechnology corporation is working on. The Hi-Tech Park, which has become one of the world's leading software developers, needs to continue its rapid growth ($2.5 billion). I am sure that this sector will also develop successfully. Probably we do not talk enough about such sector as transit of services, which has been growing nicely too. I will give you just one figure: when we switched to the presidential system, the export of transport services was as litle as $200 million. Today it stands at $4 billion. This is primarily thanks to ahalf a million containers transported from China to the European Union via our country. I think that the Belarusian model has proved its worth, and I hope it will be preserved in the future. It is clear, as the president said, that changes and adaptation to the situation are always necessary,” he concluded.

Written by: belta.by

About 25 million trees are planned to be planted in the spring in the forestry enterprises of Minsk region. Andrei Shevelev, head of the forestry and reforestation department of Minsk State Forestry Production Association, BelTA reported.

"Every year we try to plant empty areas, as well as areas that have undergone felling. This time for planting and sowing a little less area was allocated than last year, because there were practically no negative natural factors that could significantly damage the tracts," he said Andrei Shevelev: “About 5 thousand hectares have been allotted for planting and sowing trees in Minsk region, where in the spring we plan to plant about 25 million plantings. These are mostly spruce and pine.”

Most active reforestation is planned to be carried out in Logoisk, Lyubansky and Borisov experimental forestry enterprises.

Written by: minsk-region.gov.by

Volunteers of the BRCS "Kind Heart" detachment of secondary school No. 2 in the city of Smolevichi as part of the annual action "Test Love!" held a game "Fidelity", timed to coincide with Valentine's Day and aimed at preventing HIV infection.

During the game, volunteers shared their opinions about volunteering, adherence to the ideas of humanism and the activities of the BRKS, talked about a healthy lifestyle. Also, the chairman of the regional organization, Grafutko Galina expressed gratitude to all those present for their dedication to volunteering and the Red Cross.

In addition, information sessions were held at the educational institution, the main purpose of which was to popularize responsible behavior among young people, to draw the attention of young people to the problem of the spread of HIV infection, to disseminate reliable information on the ways of transmission and ways of protecting against HIV; raising awareness of the fundamental principles and activities of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.

Written by: minsk-region.gov.by

The regional stage of the republican competitions among children and adolescents in biathlon "Snow Sniper" for the prizes of the President's Sports Club started on Friday, February 12 in "Raubichi".

The Friday program of the competition includes sprint races, and on Sunday, February 14, mixed relay races will take place. Taking into account the cancellation of last year's races due to the coronavirus pandemic, the organizers decided to increase the number of participants, including the starts of shooting skiers born in 2004 in the tournament program, the press service of the organization said.

196 schoolchildren - amateurs of biathlon - passed the multistage selection from 32 thousand participants in regional competitions. They have been in Raubichi since the beginning of this week, actively preparing for the competition, during which the representatives of the Belarusian Biathlon Federation will test and select the most talented children for their favorite sport on a more serious level.

In recent years, interest in one of the most popular winter sports in Belarus has noticeably increased, especially in the regions, because the competitions are now held in a biathlon format. If earlier children fired separately at the shooting range and then skied around the stadium, now, thanks to the Presidential Sports Club, which has purchased and transferred target installations and modern air rifles to all regions of the country, it has become possible to equip a biathlon shooting range right on the ski slopes.

Recall that in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic, the starts will be held without spectators and with all precautions, however, for biathlon fans, an online broadcast will be organized from the scene on the official YouTube channel of the Presidential Sports Club and on the Belarus-5 air.

Written by: minsk-region.gov.by

In the industrial park on February 9, an agreement of intent was signed to cooperate on the development of a project in the field of Chinese traditional medicine.

The document was signed by the future founders of the Novoera joint biotechnology company, the Administration and the Industrial Park Development Company.

The enterprise will be established in the "Great Stone" with the participation of the Jintai Institute of Culture and Economics, the Xishanqingxue Clinic of Chinese Medicine (Beijing) and the Xishanqingxue Pharmaceutical Technology Company (Beijing).

The project involves such areas of work as the Eurasian exchange center for the culture of traditional medicine, a center for diagnostics and treatment of traditional Chinese medicine, as well as a plant for the production of medicines against a new type of coronavirus infection.

Written by: minsk-region.gov.by

Coronavirus vaccines will be distributed in Belarus free of charge, Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he addressed the 6th Belarusian People's Congress in Minsk on 11 February, BelTA has learned.

“I think it is vitally important to vaccinate residents of Belarus free of charge, which we are doing right now,” the head of state said.

The president assured that Belarus will definitely develop its own vaccine, but for now there are agreements on the supply of Russian and Chinese vaccines. Moreover, there is an agreement to manufacture these vaccines in Belarus.

“Our scientists will create a vaccine. This will be done not only for the purpose of protecting people now. A Russian vaccine will be produced in Belarus for this purpose. We have realized that this infection – not necessarily COVID, but some kind of swine, bird flu - will reappear, and we will have to confront it in the future. Therefore, developing a vaccine against COVID today we are creating a groundwork for the future. It will come in handy in this crazy world. You must understand that it costs a lot of money. However, unless we do it today, we will pay ten times more to purchase vaccines from other countries in the future,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

Written by: belta.by

About 60% of Belarusians believe that the current Constitution meets the needs of the society, the head of the analytical center EcooM Sergei Musiyenko told media while commenting on the results of the sociological study "Social Thinking" conducted in the run-up to the Belarusian People's Congress, BelTA has learned.

The block of questions in the survey concerned the constitutional reform. "The basic questions were ‘Do you think the current Constitution meets the needs of the society and the state?' 57.8% of respondents has a positive answer to this question, and 27.3% answered negatively," Sergei Musiyenko said.

The sociological survey was preceded by a telephone survey. Its results were a little different. "60.1% believe that the current Constitution corresponds to the public needs. This is my opinion too. But it turns out that it is shared by the majority of the country's residents," said Sergei Musiyenko.

The national public opinion poll was commissioned by the BelTA news agency. It was conducted from 12 January to 8 February by the analytical center EcooM with the involvement of the Ukrainian Policy Foundation and in cooperation with the sociological centers accredited in Belarus. Using paper questionnaires and tablets, pollsters interviewed 9,896 respondents in 108 localities of all regions of Belarus, sampling the Belarusian population older than 18 by gender, age, level of education, municipality size and region. Statistical sampling error does not exceed 2.5%.

The two-stage field survey was preceded by the pilot telephone survey to prepare the necessary tools and build up the tactics for collecting primary sociological information.

The first stage featured a territorial survey of the economically active population. Following the first stage a decision was taken to conduct the second stage with a wider coverage of different categories of citizens. Respondents were asked to fill in formal questionnaires. Pollsters also asked respondents of their needs and expectations, and collected proposals to improve the government policy in various fields. The emphasis was on open-ended questions.

Written by: belta.by

The vaccination of Belarusian healthcare workers with Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine is nearing completion, BelTA learned from the press service of the Healthcare Ministry.

The first to get the COVID-19 vaccine were frontline healthcare workers. The Healthcare Ministry distributed the vaccines across the regions depending on applications of healthcare institutions. The cold chain compliance procedure was observed.

Brest Oblast vaccinated more than 91% of those who signed up for the first stage of the immunization program. The figure reached 100% in Vitebsk Oblast, Gomel Oblast, Grodno Oblast and Minsk, 78% in Minsk Oblast, and 94% in Mogilev Oblast.

The Healthcare Ministry added that immunization is critical to ending the pandemic. Vaccination is voluntary. The vaccination of healthcare workers will be completed this week. Simultaneously with that, vaccines will be delivered to employees of educational institutions, care homes, nursing homes and social services - all those whose jobs place them in contact with many people.

Written by: belta.by