Volozhin Region
Executive Committee

BELAZ is the enterprise that should remain in the hands of the state.

This opinion was expressed by the chairman of Minsk Oblast Executive Committee Alexander Turchin during a conversation with the labor collective of the plant. Together with the head of the region, the leader of the Belarusian mechanical engineering was visited by the Minister of Industry Petr Parkhomchik.

Alexander Turchin and Petr Parkhomchik refused to visit the museum of the enterprise and went straight to the production line. The head of the region got acquainted with the production process and the prospects for the development of the enterprise, visited several shops, including the mechanical assembly shop No. 1, thermo-galvanic, press and the main conveyor shop. The visit turned out to be unusual - Petr Parkhomchik is familiar with the work of the enterprise like no other. For more than 12 years he was in charge of the BELAZ plant, and on June 4 he was appointed Minister of Industry of Belarus. By the way, Petr Parkhomchik's official visit to this enterprise was the first after his appointment.

Alexander Turchin also talked with the team of the enterprise.

— BELAZ is not only a Belarusian, but also a global brand. We are proud that there is such a production facility in the region. This is one of the strategic enterprises of our country, which in its share occupies 30% of the world market. And this is our pride. It is impossible to call this year any extraordinary event, because in the history of BELAZ these periods are usually repeated. And the company always gets out of these situations with honor. I think that next year, and maybe in the second half of this year, there will be positive dynamics in the development of the enterprise, — Alexander Turchin said.

The chairman of the regional executive committee is convinced that BELAZ is the enterprise that should remain in the hands of the state.

- I am a supporter of a market economy, but with regard to BELAZ I have a firm conviction that the enterprise should remain in the hands of the state. Such a campaign as BELAZ is a large transnational corporation that competes with global brands. This is a very serious company. If there are those who want to buy it, probably only in order to eliminate competitors from this market. Those competencies and the experience accumulated by the enterprise, which allow making such complex machines, are worth a lot.

One of the main topics discussed at the meeting was the expansion of the range and range of products. There is movement in this direction. This year the company plans to bring a new product to the market.

The chairman of the regional executive committee drew attention not only to the development of the plant, but also to the city as a whole. He noted that a new polyclinic is being built in Zhodino, which will be commissioned next year, residential buildings are being built, and courtyards and streets are being improved. Alexander Turchin asked what the residents of Zhodino still lack, as well as those who come to work from the surrounding areas.

- In any, even a small regional center, residents have ideas for improvement, construction of social infrastructure. I am ready to discuss all these questions and give answers to them, - said the chairman of Minsk Oblast Executive Committee.

OJSC "BELAZ" - the management company of the holding "BELAZ-HOLDING" - the world's largest manufacturer of mining dump trucks and transport equipment for the mining and construction industries. The company owns 30% of the world market of heavy-duty mining dump trucks, and the geography of equipment supplies is more than 80 countries. The next breakthrough of the Belarusian car industry was the creation of unmanned quarry equipment. And literally at the beginning of July it became known that the BELAZ car got into the Guinness Book of Records. Dump truck weight - 810 tons, power - 4,600 horsepower. These parameters placed the car at the top of the ranking of the largest cars.

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia to Belarus Dmitry Mezentsev and Minister-Counsellor, acting head of the Ukrainian Embassy in Belarus Piotr Vrublevsky were invited one by one to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, BelTA has learned from the press service of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“The Russian side has been communicated substantive information about a group of Russian citizens, who were detained by law enforcement agencies in Belarus a day before, who belong to the so-called Wagner private military company,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

The ministry also said that “the Russian ambassador has been asked for detailed explanations regarding the goals and other aspects of the arrival and stay in our country of this organized group of persons, many of whose members have a proven combat experience.”

“Taking into account the confirmed information on the participation of a number of detainees in combat activities in Donetsk and Lugansk regions of Ukraine as well as the Ukrainian origin and Ukrainian citizenship of some of them, Piotr Vrublevsky was asked to provide the relevant information for a comprehensive analysis and assessment of the reasons for their presence in Belarus,” the press service said.

“Taking into account this alarming fact, as well as the ongoing election campaign in Belarus, an agreement has been reached with the Ukrainian side to intensify cooperation between border agencies and strengthen the border control in order to prevent destabilization of the situation in both countries,” the ministry said.

There are plans to implement an international technical assistance project “Developing eco-tourism to promote the green transition to inclusive and sustainable growth” in Belarus, Nikolai Svidinsky, the deputy head of the main department of waste management, biological and landscape diversity at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, said during a press conference in BelTA's press center.

“This year, we are planning to launch the international technical assistance project aimed at promoting eco-tourism to promote the green transition to inclusive and sustainable growth. It will popularize not only nature, flora and fauna but also folklore culture and traditions,” Nikolai Svidinsky noted.

The project will be implemented in cooperation with the Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve, the sanctuaries Ozery and Krasny Bor and in coordination with Russia. According to Nikolai Svidinsky, the main task will be to increase the attendance of the unique places of unspoiled nature in Belarus.

Natural ecosystems occupy more than half of the territory of Belarus. These include forests, shrubs, natural meadow areas, swamps, rivers, and lakes. Specially protected natural areas hold 9% of the country's territory. “There is a plan of action to expand the network of such territories. New ones are being set up. Among the specially protected are the Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve, four national parks, national and local reserves, and natural monuments. Each object is unique in its own way,” Nikolai Svidinsky believes.

The Belarusian national airline Belavia resumes flights to Warsaw and Tallinn, BelTA learned from Belavia's Facebook account.

Daily flights to Warsaw will resume on 29 July.

Flights to Tallinn will resume on 1 August. Flights will be operated twice a week (Tuesday/Saturday) from 1 to 15 August. The Belarusian airline plans to increase the number of flights in the future.

Belavia reminds travelers that entry restrictions are in place in Poland and Estonia. The airline recommends checking the information before buying a ticket.

The adoption of the development strategy for the Interstate Council for Standardization, Metrology and Certification of the Commonwealth of Independence States (CIS) through 2030 was one of more than 20 issues included in the agenda of the 57th meeting of the council.

The meeting was held in the format of a video conference, BelTA learned from the press service of the State Committee for Standardization of Belarus.

The development strategy reflects a common vision of cooperation areas. They have been harmonized with the CIS development strategy and the norms and rules of international organizations. An action plan of the strategy will be ready by the end of the year, the press service said.

The participants of the meeting also adopted Amendment No.1 to the Program on Interstate Standardization for 2019-202. It included 167 draft interstate standardization documents related to the fuel and energy, mining, metallurgical, petrochemical, chemical, agro-industrial and electrical sectors, as well as light industry, healthcare, engineering, information technology and other areas. The amendment was proposed by Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia.

The fund of interstate standards includes 240 new interstate standards and amendments.

The participants of the meeting approved of a new wording of the procedure to compete for the CIS product and service quality excellence awards. The approved version of the document will be submitted to the CIS Executive Committee.

The eighth contest for the CIS Quality Excellence Award 2021 was announced at the meeting to stimulate the production and export of high quality products and services, innovative technologies and methods of effective management in the organizations of the CIS member states.

In the field of metrology, some national standards of Belarus and Russia have been recognized as interstate standard samples of composition and properties of substances and materials. They are intended for application in the field of state metrological control and supervision, state regulation to ensure uniformity of measurements.

The participants of the meeting discussed draft agreements on technical barriers in mutual trade in the CIS, and also on mutual recognition of accreditation of conformity assessment authorities.

More than 900 healthcare professionals have been honored in Minsk Oblast for their efforts to combat the coronavirus, Natalia Boyarskaya, the head of the main healthcare department of the Minsk regional administration, told BelTA after the awards ceremony in the Minsk trade union culture center.

“Today, we have honored 40 healthcare professionals of the region. All in all, more than 900 people have been rewarded since the pandemic started. The main criteria for the award is selfless work in the fight against COVID-19,” Natalia Boyarskaya said.

First Deputy Healthcare Minister Dmitry Pinevich noted that the fight against COVID-19 continues. “The Healthcare Ministry highly appreciates the work of medics. They worked as one team and professionally. It goes without saying that doctors need to meet the challenges of time, and the authorities help them with this. Otherwise, we would not have had these results. Now healthcare workers can take a breath and get well-deserved applause and awards. This is only a small part of gratitude to them. I feel proud of medics. All the technology and equipment would be useless if it weren't for our doctors and nurses. The work continues. We need to prepare for the autumn,” Dmitry Pinevich said.

The national air carrier Belavia has extended suspension of air travel to Russia till 7 August, BelTA learned from the website of the airline.

Flights to Krasnodar and Sochi were suspended till 15 August.

Customers who purchased tickets for these travel dates will be able to apply for a refund or to reschedule the flight till 30 March 2021. Tickets can be refunded and flights can be rescheduled at company's offices and customer service centers.

More than 300 polling stations will be involved in the exit poll at the forthcoming presidential election in Belarus, Candidate of Science [Sociology], scientific adviser of the poll Igor Pinchuk told reporters on 28 July, BelTA has learned.

The number of polling stations was determined using scientific standards and taking into account international practices. “We rely on the formula that provides for sampling without replacement. Based on the total number of polling places, we calculated the necessary number of polling stations to be involved in the poll. Thus, over 300 polling stations across the country will be included in the poll,” the expert said.

About a thousand specialists will be involved in the study. “The number of respondents is to exceed 12,000 people,” the scientific adviser said.

The exit poll will be held throughout the day. Interviewers will sample a certain number of people her hour. “Everything will be done strictly in line with the instruction and within a specific time frame,” he noted.

The exit poll will be held 10-15 meters from a polling station. “This is important, as the international methodology provides for sampling people at a certain distance. An interviewer cannot approach every person who leaves a polling station,” Igor Pinchuk said.

The results of the study will be published after polling stations are closed. “Not earlier than 20 minutes after. This is an international standard,” the expert added.

“The forecast error we will strive to achieve is 2%. However, the error of up to 5% is acceptable,” the sociologist noted.

Igor Pinchuk recalled that an election exit poll is a poll of voters taken immediately after they have exited polling stations. “In other words, this is not a phone poll or an online poll, but a direct interview with a person who has already cast his/her ballot,” the expert said.

The exit poll presentation was held in Minsk on 28 July, during which journalists were also shown the uniform that interviewers will wear. The uniform will have logos of the Belarusian Committee of Youth Associations. The interviewers will have name tags confirming that they represent the Youth Laboratory of Sociological Studies. Every interviewer will wear a face mask and gloves.

The harvesting season, despite the fact that it started two weeks later in the Minsk region, is already called fruitful.

More than 200 tons of blueberries have been harvested! Organizations from the population also accept strawberries, currants, raspberries, cherries. There are more than fifty procurement points in the central region. Belarusian berries are also exported to the Baltics, Poland, Russia, Belarus reports 1.

Vadim Dvernitsky, Chairman of the Board of the Minsk Regional Union of Consumer Societies: "This year we have harvested 144 tons of garden strawberries, of which 67 tons are marketable berries. The harvesting season for blueberries this year came a little later, this is 2 weeks. Nevertheless we managed to procure 225 tons this year - 162 tons compared to the previous period. That is, we have grown today, despite the fact that our harvesting season for this berry began a little later. As for the mushrooms, over the past period we have prepared 3 tons."

In addition, vitamin products are processed on an industrial scale, sent to the distribution network and delivered to restaurants.

The exit poll at the presidential election in Belarus will be monitored by international and national experts, Director of the office of the Interstate Broadcasting Company Mir in Belarus Vladimir Pertsov told reporters in Minsk on 28 July, BelTA has learned.

According to Vladimir Pertsov, the office of the Interstate Broadcasting Company Mir in belarus addressed international experts to help monitor the exit poll. “We have sent invitations to many experts in a number of countries. These are the UK, Austria, Sweden, Poland, Russia, Armenia, and other states,” he said.

Some of them have responded already. The director of the office of the Interstate Broadcasting Company Mir in Belarus did not specify the countries. “We expect answers from all the invited experts and changes to restrictions in some European countries due to the coronavirus epidemic,” he explained. According to Vladimir Pertsov, the initiators of the exit poll hope that more experts will confirm their participation in early August.

Apart from international specialists, national experts will observe the exit poll, too.

The national exit poll is due on 9 August. The sociological research has been initiated by the office of the Interstate Broadcasting Company Mir in Belarus. The survey will be conducted by the Youth Laboratory of Sociological Studies of the Belarusian Committee of Youth Associations.