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The First Belarusian-Russian Forum
Shows Strong Mutual Interests to Strengthen Cooperation
The President of Belarus considered the first
Belarusian-Russian Economic Forum held 6-9 of September, 2005 in Minsk, the
capital of Belarus, as a successful event.
The President reminded forum’s prehistory. Everything started
from a visit of Russian local reporters to Belarus. They got familiar with
life in Belarus and reported about what they had seen. This time Russian
authorities and businessmen came to Belarus.
The Head of the state emphasized “One cannot propagate
something which he has never seen and understood. Businessmen visited our
country and saw the real situation here. The motto of the forum was ‘We will
do like Belarus does it’. This is the most important thing”.
Belarus and Russia made one more step towards the Union State
construction during discussion of the issue on granting equal rights to
Belarusians and Russians, prime minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail
Fradkov declared while summing up the results of the Union State Council of
Ministers meeting September 6 in Minsk.
The agenda of the meeting included consideration of draft
agreements on taxation, medical assistance and equal rights guarantees to
the citizens of the Union State, as well as on cooperation in the social
security field. These documents might be signed in November 2005.
Migration and boundary policy, promotion of high-tech
cooperation and development of joint-venture productions were also
discussed.
Besides, the Union State Council of Ministers endorsed draft
budget of the Union State for 2006. The budget will be boosted by 10
percent.
Russian ruble will not be introduced in Belarus on January 1,
2006, prime minister of Russia Mikhail Fradkov told at briefing tonight
after the meeting. He also noted "we continue cooperation in the area. We
have the joint action plan of the governments and the national banks". In
turn, prime minister of Belarus Sergei Sidorski said that introduction of
the single currency in the Union State between Belarus and Russia is not
considered as an end itself, but as a result of implementation of the whole
complex of economic measures to give equal rights and conditions to our
businesses.
UN Data: Belarus Is In High Group with
Medium HDI
According to the United Nations Development Program report on
human development for 2005 Belarus is in the high group of countries with
the medium human development index /HDI/. The country ranks the second among
the CIS countries giving way to Russia. Belarus took 67th place among 177
countries.
Belarus has preserved its leading position among the CIS
states in the sphere of education and healthcare.
Thus, education expenditure in Belarus makes 6 per cent of
GDP, healthcare expenses – 4.7 per cent /Russian expenses make 3.8 and 3.5
per cent respectively, Ukraine – 5.4 and 3.3 per cent, Kazakhstan – 3 and
1.9 per cent/. Belarus legs behind of only 12 of 57 countries from the high
HDI group in the education expenses. In the sphere of healthcare expenses
per capita a year Belarus ranks 1st among the CIS countries with the $583
index.
100 per cent of the Belarusian population has an access to
the improved drinking water resources, other CIS countries failed to reach
that.
HDI is calculated by independent experts taking the national
statistic data as a basis. It includes a number of parameters – life
expectancy, education level, utilization of new technologies and incomes per
capita.
Belarus holds Positive Migration
Balance
Among the CIS countries only Belarus and Russia have a
positive migration balance president of the International Association of
Pension and Social Funds Alexander Kurtin reported at the conference
dedicated to social protection of migrant labor and globalization, which
started on September 7 in Baku, Azerbaijan. Mr. Kurtin noted that the 2003
migration increase offset the natural population loss by 10 percent in
Russia and by 10.5 per cent in Belarus.
According to Alexander Kurtin, all the other CIS member
states have registered a migration decrease: in 2003 Armenia had the highest
population outflow - 25 people per 10,000, Kyrgyzstan – 33, Tajikistan - 17.
He also reported, that emigration from Russia to the CIS member states slid
from 80,000 people in 1999 to 48,000 in 2003; that from Ukraine – 48,700 to
23,000; from Kazakhstan – 45,000 to 25,000; from Belarus –6,000 to 5,000.
The President Approves Draft Supplement
to Memorandum between Belarus and NATO
President of Belarus Alexandr Lukashenko approved draft
supplement B to the memorandum on understanding between the Republic of
Belarus and NATO on technical maintenance and supply in cooperation process
on logistics.
The supplement deals with specific aspects of interaction
between the Ministry of defense, other authorized governmental bodies of
Belarus and NATO' relevant structures on demilitarization issues.
National Bank Extends List of
Terrorist Organizations
National Bank has addressed to the country’s commercial banks
the additional list of persons and organizations involved in terrorist
activities connected with Al Qaeda and Taliban, whose accounts are to be
frozen if revealed in Belarus.
The list now includes a number of organizations and
individuals connected with Al Qaeda that reside in Italy. The full list is
available on the UN official website.
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