Contents tagged with Belarus

  • Belarus wants to resume importing Ukrainian power

    Ukraine’s Minister of Energy and Coal Industry, Ihor Nasalik, has discussed the possibility of exporting electricity to Belarus once again with the Deputy Energy Minister of Belarus, Leonid Shenets. This was reported by the press service of the Ukrainian Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry.

    The export of electricity from Ukraine to Belarus was halted in November 2014.

    Belarus has proposed the restoration of Ukrainian-Belarusian working group on energy. This would be within the framework of …

  • Belarus refuses to sell globes with Russian Crimea

    In the city of Mogilev in Belarus, mapmakers withdrew the sale of globes that indicated that Crimea was a part of the Russian Federation. Local authorities advised against selling maps and globes showing a Crimean territorial status that differs from the one generally accepted by the international community.

    Initially, the appearance in stores of globes showing Crimea as a part of the Russian Federation drew the attention of the representative of the Belarusian opposition, Social-Democratic …

  • Belarus is unlikely to receive gas discount from Russia

    The price of Russian gas supplied to Belarus to likely to remain at the current level of $142 per thousand cubic meters, Radio Svoboda reported.

    This was announced by Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak.

    According to him, the current contract for 2015-2016 “has not been cancelled”. Russia believes that Belarus owes $125 million to Gazprom. Minsk does not recognize the debt, saying that, according to their own calculations based on the fall of the ruble against the dollar, their price …

  • Russia and Belarus agree on need for joint response to missile defense system in Europe

    Russia and Belarus have agreed on a joint response to the deployment of NATO missile defense systems near their borders. This was said by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus, Vladimir Makei. DW reports that he made these statements after meeting with the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Sergey Lavrov.

    “Because we are a union state[with Russia], we have agreed that we will jointly develop adequate response measures,” Makei said.

    Moscow and Minsk are planning to work closely …

  • Belarus does not recognize debt to Gazprom

    Interfax reported that the Head of the Ministry of Energy of Belarus, Vladimir Potupchik, told journalists in Mogilev before the Foreign Affairs Council meeting of the Union State that Belarus does not recognize its debt to Russia for natural gas supplied to the Republic.

    “There is no debt. Belarus pays in accordance with the intergovernmental agreements. There in court we will deal with this issue,” Potupchik said.

    He noted that Russia and Belarus interpret gas agreements differently. “ …

  • EU condemns Belarus after prisoner execution

    The European Union has condemned Belarus after receiving news that the former Soviet republic executed another prisoner, Radio Free Europe reported.

    Belarus is the only country in Europe that still practices capital punishment.

    In a statement issued on May 7th, the EU stated that the execution of Syarhey Iwanow was "particularly disturbing" because his complaint was pending with the UN Human Rights Committee.

    “Despite the many calls made by the European Union, another execution has been …

  • Canada to lift sanctions on Belarus

    Canada plans to lift sanctions against Belarus which have been in place since 2006, Rosbalt reported. A similar action was taken by the US and the EU in October of 2015.

    According the official website of the Canadian Government, Ottawa has recently seen “positive developments” in Belarus.

    “This announcement… reflects Canada’s acknowledgment that the Government of Belarus has made progress in key areas in recent months, including the release of political prisoners and conducting a …

  • Belarusian National Front submits application to recognize Night Wolves as extremist

    The Chairman of the Belarusian Popular Front, Alaksiej Janukievich, sent an application to the Prosecutor General of Belarus to label the Russian motorcycle club "Night Wolves" an extremist organization, as stated by the party's press service, Interfax-Ukraine reported.

    Janukievich submitted the application because the Night Wolves' leader, Alexander Zaldostanov, said "Belarus equals Russia."

    According to the opposition leader, Zaldostanov's words were aimed at undermining the country's …

  • U.S. and Belarus are ready to discuss the return of ambassadors

    The senior American diplomat in Belarus, Scott Roland, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus, Vladimir Mackay, declared on April 25th that their countries are ready to discuss the possible return of ambassadors to Minsk and to Washington.

    Mackay told journalists in Minsk that "there is a readiness on both sides for complete normalization of our relations.”

    The Foreign Minister of Belarus said that the United States and his country "shouldn't look at each other through gun sights, but …

  • Lukashenko: Russia should not consider Belarus its 'errand boy'

    Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko called on Russia to respect the sovereignty of his country. In his annual address to the Parliament and the people of Belarus, Lukashenko urged Moscow to not consider Belarus its ‘errand boy.’

    "I want Russians and especially the leadership of Russia to understand that we will not be their errand boy. We are an independent, sovereign state, which lives in the same house with them but has its own apartment. Maybe a tiny and small apartment, but still its …