Cherven Regional Executive Committee

Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko will pay an official visit to Egypt on 19-20 February, BelTA learned from the press service of the Belarusian leader.

In Cairo Aleksandr Lukashenko will hold talks with Egypt President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. The heads of state will review progress in implementing the agreements reached during the visit of the Egyptian leader to Minsk in the summer of 2019, as well as cooperation prospects in trade, economy and humanitarian affairs.

“The presidents will discuss cooperation on the international arena, regional and global security. The talks are expected to result in a package of bilateral documents,” the press service noted.

Aleksandr Lukashenko is set to have a series of meetings. Together with his Egyptian counterpart he will go on a tour to Egypt's new administrative capital located 45km to the east of Cairo.

A session of the Belarus-Egypt Business Cooperation Council will be held on the sidelines of the visit.

The number of challenges and threats on the Belarusian border is not reduced year after year, Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he approved the resolution concerning the protection of the state border in 2020 on 17 February, BelTA informs. Aleksandr Lukashenko remarked that border security is a priority of the state policy. 

Therefore, the resolution on the protection of the state border is approved by the president every year. “Unfortunately, the number of challenges and threats on the Belarusian border is not reduced year after year,” the head of state said. In his words, flows of illegal migration, drug trafficking and other criminal activities are increasing. 

“There is an escalation of military activities on the other side of our border. Belarus has never threatened anyone and will never threaten anyone in the sphere of the economy or the military sphere,” the president said. “Speaking about the economy, I mean recent statements and an avalanche of criticism towards Belarus from Russia. They say that we allegedly threaten either to stop the delivery of oil to the west or to take oil from the transit pipeline for our oil refineries.”  

Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized that an agreement on the delivery of 24 million tonnes of oil had been officially approved between Belarus and Russia. That's all,“ he said. Last year the president made a decision to increase staff numbers at border protection agencies in order to make them more efficient, set up new border outposts and battle-ready maneuver groups which had ceased to exist after the disintegration of the Soviet Union. 

Such divisions should be effectively deployed for border protection and have cutting-edge equipment for the prompt resolution of emerging issues in various conditions, the head of state remarked. Aleksandr Lukashenko also asked Chairman of the State Border Committee Anatoly Lappo to tell him how the agency was going to improve working and living conditions of border guards and their families. “What do we have to do today and tomorrow to raise the efficiency of border troops?” the president asked.

The new bleached sulfate pulp plant based on Svetlogorsk Pulp and Board Mill should strive for a new development stage. Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko made the statement as he visited the enterprise on 14 February, BelTA has learned.

Aleksandr Lukashenko said: “We need deep conversion of the pulp. We need to use the pulp to make appropriate packaging materials and sacks.”

The head of state reminded about the standing instruction to reduce the use of environmentally unfriendly plastic as much as possible: “This is why we have to stop using plastic. Everything – pastry, buns, and the rest – should be wrapped in paper. We have a lot of it. But this pulp should be used to create proper packaging and other materials.”

The president mentioned he had decided in favor of buying the necessary equipment and building a manufacturing division next to the plant this year at the latest. “It won't be cheap. It may cost €80 million. But we will go for it. We will place machine and will process pulp here. In this manner we will process 300,000-350,000 tonnes out of the 400,000 tonnes of pulp you will make here and will ship to our enterprises. We will have 50,000 tonnes left for export,” the head of state said.

Aleksandr Lukashenko mentioned the production of viscose pulp as another business avenue that should also be promptly explored. “This enterprise can do it. You will need asp and alder, of which we have plenty these days. This kind of wood just rots without use. This is why we have to hurry up and process it here,” Aleksandr Lukashenko stated.

The head of state remarked that viscose pulp will be in demand at a neighboring enterprise in Svetlogorsk. This raw material has to be imported for now.

“In other words, everything you make here today can be sold at a solid profit. It is normal. You will have to repay the loan you've taken and pay off the state budget,” the head of state noted.

Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed the importance of deep conversion of raw materials and the manufacturing of ready-made products that sell well. “It is a totally new level for our country,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

In his words, he came to visit the enterprise in order to make sure how the instructions to build a new enterprise had been fulfilled.

Speaking about past problems of cooperation with the Chinese company CAMCE in the course of building the enterprise, Aleksandr Lukashenko spoke in positive terms about the fact that Belarusian specialists had managed to independently commission the enterprise in the end. “Well done. I am grateful! It is the second goal of my arrival – to thank you for making this enterprise yourselves and making good products now after getting rid of the careless contractor,” Aleksandr Lukashenko concluded.

Belarus is ready to provide the most favorable investment conditions to Swiss business, Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he met with Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland Ignazio Cassis 13 February, BelTA has learned.

Welcoming the foreign guest, the head of state remarked that Belarus is often called Eastern Switzerland. “I am not against this definition at all. Switzerland has achieved this favorable status worldwide thanks to its policy, immanent neutrality and exceptional honesty in relations with other states,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said. “However, there are certain differences. Belarus is a plain country covered with forests, rivers and lakes. One of the most attractive things for people in Switzerland is the availability of mountain resorts. Your country is a beauty with its mountains. Unfortunately, there are no such landscapes in Belarus.”

The president remarked that Belarus and Switzerland have always had good and kind relations. “But I think we still have room for progress, especially in our trade and economic relations. The economy is the main thing. We are ready to provide the most favorable investment conditions to Swiss business,” he stressed.

As a positive example of interaction between the two countries, Aleksandr Lukashenko mentioned a decision to appoint the ambassador of Switzerland to Belarus and to open the Swiss embassy in Minsk. “This will be a good step in bolstering our cooperation,” the head of state said. “Your visit is very important and timely. And I am convinced that it will give an impetus to the enhancement of our cooperation.”

Political contacts between the two countries have been increasingly vibrant. In 2017, the first parliamentary group of friendship with Belarus was founded in the Federal Assembly of Switzerland. Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus Vladimir Andreichenko visited Switzerland in 2018. The first deputy prime minister of Belarus and the chairman of the board of the National Bank visited Switzerland in 2019.

In May 2019, the Federal Council of Switzerland decided to raise the level of diplomatic service in Belarus. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Switzerland to Belarus Claude Altermatt presented credentials to the Belarusian head of state in September. The embassy of Switzerland will open in Minsk on 13 February.

As far as the trade and economic cooperation is concerned, a record increase in Belarus' export of goods and services, investment raising has been posted in recent years.

In 2019, Belarus-Switzerland trade reached $258.2 million and exceeded the level of 2018 by 38%. Belarus' export went up 34.7% to $40 million, import soared by almost 40% to exceed $218 million. Specific goods, car bodies, products from stone and other minerals, vegetables were among Belarus' major export items. Switzerland delivered electric transformers, rolling stock details, medications and medical equipment, base metal products to Belarus. Equipment for the modernization of the Belarusian manufacturing industry accounted for a major part of the import.

Switzerland is one of the top ten consumers of Belarusian services, especially transport, computer, telecom and information ones. It is noteworthy that the trade in services with this country is bigger than the trade in goods. The export of services to Switzerland increased by 30.5% to $180 million in January-November 2019.

Switzerland is also one of the top five investors in Belarus in terms of foreign direct investments on a net basis ($41 million in January-September 2019). There are 103 organizations with Swiss investments, including 37 joint ventures and 66 foreign companies, 39 representative offices, in Belarus.

Chairman of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission Mikhail Myasnikovich met with Cyril Muller, World Bank Vice President for Europe and Central Asia, on 11 February, BelTA learned from the press service of the Eurasian Economic Commission.

The parties discussed promising avenues of cooperation between the Eurasian Economic Commission and the World Bank, the participation of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) in China's Belt and Road initiative, and a possibility to introduce a common product traceability system in the union.

Mikhail Myasnikovich noted that the World Bank cooperates with all the members of the Eurasian Economic Union in the bilateral format, however a more vigorous cooperation with the union as such could generate much more economic benefits. He suggested recalibrating the cooperation format in order to implement infrastructure projects at the scale of the entire Eurasian Economic Union. “These projects should be very attractive and should encourage the countries to get involved,” Mikhail Myasnikovich noted.

“The parties agreed on new approaches to cooperation and on implementation of joint projects to promote the economies of the EAEU member states,” the press service informed.

Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko met with heads of the country's biggest state-run media outlets on 11 February, BelTA has learned.

Taking part in the meeting were Chairman of the National State Television and Radio Company Ivan Eismont, Chairman of the Board of the Second National TV Channel (ONT TV channel) Marat Markov, Director General of the STV TV channel Igor Lutsky, Director General of BelTA News Agency Irina Akulovich, Director – Editor-in-Chief of the Belarus Segodnya Publishing House Dmitry Zhuk, Director – Editor-in-Chief of the Zvyazda Publishing House Pavel Sukhorukov, Director of the National Branch (Office) of the Interstate Television and Radio Company Mir Vladimir Pertsov.

As of early 2020, there were over 1,600 print media outlets, 9 news agencies, 20 online media outlets and 270 television and radio broadcasters in Belarus.

Belarusian audience has access to more than 270 foreign cable channels and about 3,000 foreign print media outlets.

The Belarus-Egypt Business Cooperation Council is scheduled to convene for the first meeting in Egypt on 20 February, BelTA learned from the website of the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BelCCI).

The council will discuss the issues of bilateral trade and economic cooperation, prospects for expanding contacts between business communities, export and import of goods and services, and joint ventures. Belarusian participants will have an opportunity to hold talks with Egyptian businessmen on cooperation in various fields.

Promising areas include engineering, metalworking, petrochemicals, woodworking, light industry, agriculture, medicine and pharmaceuticals, information and communication technologies, logistics, tourism.

The possibility of holding the meeting in Egypt's new administrative capital is being considered.

The one-on-one talks with Russia President Vladimir Putin focused on a wide range of issues, Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko said during broader negotiations involving members of the delegations in Sochi on 7 February, BelTA informs.

Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko is holding a meeting to discuss efforts to ensure the efficiency of the fuel and energy complex in the country on 6 February, BelTA has learned.

Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko has extended greetings to the participants and guests of the 27th Minsk International Book Fair and the 6th International Symposium Writer and Time, BelTA learned from the press service of the Belarusian leader.