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WEEKLY
DIGEST OF BELARUSIAN NEWS
August 11, 2005
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NATIONAL
NEWS A
Storm Caused a Significant Damage in Belarusian Regions
On August 9, 2005 the Minsk, Brest, Mogilyov,
and Gomel regions were suffered from a storm which caused damage to 2,917
residences.
Wind forces reached 28 meters
per second, causing a two-hour power outage and bringing 15 trains to a
standstill. The Ministry of Emergency reported that the power supply at
hospitals, schools, kindergartens, and industrial facilities had been
restored.
President of Belarus
Alexander Lukashenko asked Belarusian emergency services to do all possible
to overcome consequences of the storm by August 11.
Sergei Martynov: Belarus
Is not a Country to Work Under Pressure
Belarus will not live at anyone’s bidding,
Foreign Minister of Belarus Sergei Martynov stated.
“We invite the USA and the
European Union to cooperate. There are many spheres where we have serious
common interests. Belarus is not a petitioner. We act as a donator in many
ways such as providing security and stability in our region and this is
important for the present day Europe. Reasonable people in Europe and in the
USA recognize that. We invite to cooperate but we will not beg for
cooperation and live at anyone’s bidding. Belarus is not a country to work
under pressure”, the Minister stressed.
Sergei Martynov added that this year Belarus
celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War.
“The resistance, which Belarus offered in this war and a colossal number of
victims shows that there is no way Belarus can be subdued”, Sergei Martynov
said. Sergei
Martynov: Belarusian-Russian Integration Processes Reach New Level
Foreign Minister of Belarus Sergei Martynov
believes that the Belarusian-Russian integration processes are reaching a
new level and becoming more noticeable.
“We do not doubt the
importance, necessity and prospects of our union with Russia as the
cooperation adds a new value to the potential of the two countries which
meets interests of the general public,” the Minister noted.
Sergei Martynov underlined, that “events show
that our relations with Russia are developing in the right direction, each
day gaining more importance and becoming more substantial”. “Our relations
are strengthening due to the efforts taken by the leaders of the two states
over the last years,” Sergei Martynov declared. |
INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
Beltelecom and
Ericsson Sign Contract To Modernize Telecommunication Network
Ericsson Company and Beltelecom signed a
contract aimed at modernization of Beltelecom’s telecommunication network.
In accordance with the contract, Ericsson will supply to Belarus AXE
switchboard that will be installed in Gomel by December 1, 2005.
This year Ericsson supplied $3 million worth of
equipment to Beltelecom, which exceeds the 2004 supply volume 2 times.
Ericsson already delivered over 430,000 AXE-10 lines to Belarus, that make
it one of the key agents of the development of digital networks in the
country. IFC to
Increase Investments in Belarusian Small, Medium Business
The International Finance Corporation (IFC)
intends to increase investments in Belarusian small and medium businesses,
Ivan Ivanov, Head of the IFC Office in Belarus said. As of May 2005 the IFC
invested $44 million of loans to the financial and real economy sectors of
Belarus, including $34 million as loans to small and medium businesses.
Ivanov noted that about U.S. $110 million was
allocated for small and medium enterprises by Priorbank and Belgazprombank
which, as the expert noted, is a tiny part of the market. “There is still
enough to explore,” Ivanov said.
UNDP Grant Program on Support of Ecologic Initiatives of
Public Organizations Launched in Belarus
The UNDP Small Grant Program was officially
launched in Minsk on August 2, 2005.
UNDP representative in
Belarus Cihan Sultanoglu noted that the UNDP Small Grant Program is being
carried out in 80 countries. It is aimed to solve the problems in terms of
climate change, biodiversity support, protection of transboundary water
basins, tackling land degradation, and etc.
The program is designed to support local
communities in solving ecologic problems and grant an opportunity to
exchange experience on efficient implementation of projects. Thus, in 2005
Belarusian public organizations and initiative groups will receive funding
for the most important projects, Cihan Sultanoglu stated.
Cihan Sultanoglu noted that the program was a
kind of intermediary between state scientific societies, NGOs and
international experts aiming to develop cooperation in the sphere of
tackling ecologic problems. |
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BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
Prime Minister of Belarus Sergei Sidorskiy: Belarus Exports $ 50-100
Million Worth of Information Products Yearly
Annual exports of
information products from Belarus range from USD 50 to USD 100 million.
Setting up a Silicone Valley’s analogue in Belarus will both promote the
national science and strengthen Belarusian export of software and
technologies, Prime Minister of Belarus Sergei Sidorskiy said at a
meeting dedicated to the draft decree “On Park of High Technologies”.
Belarus, which is leading
among other European states in the software development, has gained
certain experience in stimulation of information technologies
development. In particular, Belarusian State University founded a Centre
of Information Technologies which proved to be effective. Thus, over the
last two years, its associated members issued Br78 billion worth of
information products.
In January-June
Inflow of Foreign Investment Increases by More Than 20%
In January-June the
inflow of foreign investment in Belarus made up USD 797.8mln (21.7%
increase), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of reported. Direct
investments account for USD 261.9mln, foreign credits and loans, and
trade loans, for USD 535.9mln.
The most active
countries-investors are Russia as well as Switzerland, Austria, the
Netherlands, Germany and Cyprus. Russian investment in January-June made
up USD193.9mln what is 63.8 % more in comparison with the same period of
the last year. Investment from Switzerland amounted to 22.3% of the
total investment (USD 177.9mln), Austria, 13.9% (USD 111.1mln), the
Netherlands, 6.2% (USD49.6mln), Germany, 4.6% (USD 36.7mln), and Cyprus,
4.5% (USD 36.1mln).
The investments were
distributed among the following branches of the Belarusian economy:
industry (49.7%), trade and public catering (10.7%) and communication
(7.5 %).
For First Six
Months of 2005 International Turnover of Services in Belarus Grows by
19.7%
In January-June 2005 the
international turnover of services in Belarus made USD 1.529 billion,
what is by 19.7% more in comparison with the same period of 2004.
For the six months export
of services made USD 991.3 million (growth by 21.5%) including to CIS
member-states, USD 321.8 million and to other states, USD 669.5 million.
Transport services take the biggest share in the total export volume.
The surplus in trade in
services increased by USD 99.3 million to USD 453.8 million over
January-June.
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CULTURE AND SOCIETY
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Belarusian Government to Consider Draft Chernobyl Program for 2006-2010
in September
A draft state program
aimed at alleviation of the effect of Chernobyl catastrophe in 2006-2010
will be submitted for approval to the Belarusian government in
September, 2005, the Chernobyl Committee reported.
The program is designed
to recover health and improve living standards of the victims of the
nuclear accident. It also involves projects aimed at environmental,
social and economic revival of radiation-polluted areas. The program
aims at stepwise rehabilitation of the polluted territories, create a
favorable environment for economic activities unrestricted by the
radiation factor, and promote the production of foodstuffs and
commodities which meet radiological safety regulations both domestically
and internationally.
A complex program was
developed to offer additional benefits to those who work in the polluted
areas to make them settle down there. Belarus will focus on conducting
special activities in agribusiness and forestry aimed at producing
radionuclide-free products. At the same time, authors emphasized on the
point of exercising proper radiation control of the environment,
agribusiness products and drinking water. The program is also aimed at
promoting international co-operation within the framework of the
Chernobyl alleviation projects.
Gomel Region
Children and Youth Association Launches New International Project
Gomel Region Association
of Children and Youth has launched a new international project called
“Youth for Healthy Lifestyle”, Head of the organization Vladimir
Kovzelev stated.
The project is
implemented in association with German Youth Union Janun (Niedersachsen).
It aims to promote sports and healthy lifestyle among young people and
combat bad habits (alcohol, tobacco, drug addiction). It is also
expected to reduce juvenile delinquency rate, Vladimir Kovzelev added. |
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