Volozhin Region
Executive Committee

MINSK, 6 July (BelTA) - The Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BelCCI) and Belarusbank have signed a memorandum on joint actions to promote export for 2020-2021, BelTA learned from the BelCCI.

On behalf of the BelCCI, the document was signed by its Chairman Vladimir Ulakhovich and on behalf of Belarusbank – by First Deputy Chairman of the Board Aleksandr Polivko.

The document consolidates the efforts to promote Belarusian exports. The parties agreed to step up cooperation in such areas as dissemination of information on national export, organization of seminars on financial support for exports, joint market research and consulting services in support of exports, organization of national and international exhibitions, promotion of international contacts of Belarusian enterprises and raising the awareness about export financial support possibilities during foreign economic events.

After the signing ceremony, Belarusbank was given a certificate of accession to the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

MINSK, 1 July (BelTA) – Minsk National Airport has reopened for passenger traffic, BelTA learned from the press service of the airport.

“A flight of the Lufthansa airline arrived at Minsk National Airport on 1 July, the first one after a long break due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The previous Lufthansa passenger flight to the Belarusian capital took place on 18 March. The Embraer E-190 was greeted with a water salute upon landing, which is a tradition in international aviation,” the press service said.

In July, Lufthansa plans to operate three Frankfurt-Minsk-Frankfurt flights a week (on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays). In August, the number of weekly flights will increase to five. “The German airline launched regular flights to Minsk in 1992 and was one of the first European airlines to enter the Belarusian air transportation market,” the press service added.

The representatives of the airport noted that Turkish Airlines has also resumed flights on the Istanbul-Minsk-Istanbul route. In July, it will operate four flights a week.

BelTA reported earlier that the Belarusian air carrier Belavia has started operating charter flights. The schedule already includes flights to Albania, Turkey, and Egypt. The company also intends to launch charter flights to Tunisia, Montenegro, Greece, and Bulgaria.

MINSK, 1 July – The agreements on visa facilitation and readmission between Belarus and the European Union entered into force on 1 July, BelTA reports.

In line with the agreement on visa facilitation, the cost of a short-term Schengen visa for Belarusians has dropped to €35. The agreement also provides for a possibility to waive visa fees for certain categories of applicants. In addition to that, the maximum fee charged by visa application centers for facilitating visa processes has also been reduced, so has the period during which consulates should process visa applications.

Several groups of Belarusian nationals will be able to apply for multiple-entry visas with a longer period of validity (up to five years). The agreement simplifies the documentation which needs to be presented by certain categories of citizens.

Once the readmission agreement comes into force, Belarus and the European Union will have to readmit their own citizens, third-country nationals, and stateless persons, who do not meet or no longer meet the requirements to legally stay in each other's territory. The document provides for a two-year transition period in respect of the readmission of third-country nationals. The joint declaration attached to the readmission agreement obliges the European Union to provide technical and financial assistance to Belarus in this field.

The agreements on visa facilitation and readmission were signed in Brussels on 8 January 2020. The documents were ratified by the National Assembly of Belarus and endorsed by the European Parliament.

The visa facilitation agreement is expected to make mutual travel easier, to promote international contacts and tourism, and to strengthen trust and mutual understanding between peoples.

Amendments to the law on the legal status of foreign citizens and stateless persons will come into force on 1 July.

People who enter the country and intend to stay for up to ten days will no longer have to get registered with the police or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, representatives of the Belarusian Internal Affairs Ministry told BelTA.

According to the Citizenship and Migration Department of the Internal Affairs Ministry, the amendments are designed to bolster the country's tourism and investment appeal. At present foreigners can stay in Belarus without registration for up to five days at most. The requirement does not apply to Russians and citizens of some other neighboring countries Belarus has signed the relevant intergovernmental agreements with.

Hotels, sanatoriums, resorts, and farm stays will no longer have to take care of the registration of foreign visitors. These hospitality industry outlets will have to directly inform police via a dedicated website or by other means.

The list of reasons to grant temporary residence permits to visitors, who come to Belarus for education, has been expanded. The measure is expected to allow Belarusian universities to attract more foreign students, increase the export of education services, and address some issues with refresher courses before admission to university.

Highly qualified foreign specialists will be able to get temporary residence permits for a period of up to two years. The time such foreigners are required to temporarily stay in Belarus in order to get permanent residence permits has been reduced from seven to three years. The temporary residence period required to get permanent residence permits has been reduced from seven to five years.

If a foreigner invests in Belarus, he or she may also be granted a permanent residence permit. The minimum investment used to be €150,000. The new limit is 15,000 base amounts (Br405,000 at present).

The procedure for competent authorities to grant or deny visas or entry to foreigners has been streamlined. As of 1 July foreigners can request information, including via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, about why and for how long they have been added to the list of persons, whose entry to Belarus is forbidden or unwelcome.

BelTA

In the next five-year period, all students will be guaranteed accommodation in halls of residence, Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he met with prominent Belarusian pedagogues on 29 June, BelTA has learned.

“At present, places in halls of residence are provided for 89.5% of students who need them. In some regions, this rate is nearing 100%,” the head of state noted.

“We will continue working in this direction. We will sort out the problems with students' halls of residence in the next five-year period. Every student will be given a place in a hall of residence,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

The president added that Belarus takes pride in the Student Village in Minsk, a cutting-edge residential complex able to house 10,000 students. “The halls of residence in the Student Village are as comfortable as a hotel. A three-star hotel, but, nevertheless, a hotel,” he observed.

BelTA

MINSK, 26 June (BelTA) – Belavia launches charter flights to Egypt on 2 July, BelTA learned from the airline's Facebook account.

“We launch the charter program to Egypt on 2 July. Please, contact travel operators for more details," the statement reads.

Before flying to Egypt, passengers are recommended to get familiar with a number of requirements. All passengers must wear masks and gloves both in the airport and on board the aircraft. They are required to complete and submit a declaration on the proposed form before they board the plane. Hand luggage on flights is prohibited, except for ladies purse, manbags, laptops, cameras and baby carriers. The sale of duty free goods is completely prohibited, including on board.

MINSK, 25 June (BelTA) – Another fourteen countries have been struck off the list of countries with new COVID-19 cases, BelTA learned from the press service of the Belarusian Healthcare Ministry.

Being guided by the adopted criteria, the Healthcare Ministry has updated the list of countries that still register new cases of the novel coronavirus. As of 25 June, another 14 countries were struck off the list: Australia, Egypt, Israel, Georgia, Canada, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Kazakhstan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the USA, Turkey, and Japan.

“People coming from these countries are not required to self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival in Belarus. Those, who came to Belarus from the countries that were taken off the list on 25 June, are not required to self-isolate anymore,” the ministry noted.

MINSK, 24 June (BelTA) – The mercury is expected to hit 27°C in Belarus on 24 June, according to the National Center for Hydrometeorology, Radioactive Contamination Control, and Environmental Monitoring (Belhydromet).

MINSK, 22 June (BelTA) – As of 22 June, 37,923 patients previously diagnosed with COVID-19 recovered and were discharged from hospitals in Belarus, BelTA learned from the press service of the Belarusian Healthcare Ministry.

As many as 59,023 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in the country. Belarus has performed 876,639 tests.

A total of 351 COVID-19 patients suffering from a number of chronic diseases have died in Belarus.