Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Republic of Cube to Belarus Omar Zenon Medina Quintero is set to promote a maximum quantity of new projects for developing even more effective Belarusian-Cuban cooperation. During presentation of a credentials to Alyaksandr Lukashenka, a Cuban diplomat stated that “our countries have similar viewpoints at the people’s aspirations to defend principles of sovereignty, independence, justice and mutual respect, which are endangered by a policy of hegemony conducted by some states”.
Russian Security Council Secretary Igor Ivanov believes that “all kinds of anti-Belarusian campaigns in the West are counter-productive”. “We certainly are not supporting them, and would never support them,” Ivanov said. The answers of the Security Council Secretary to the reporters’ questions have been disseminated by the Russian Security Council press service on Thursday.
Pro-American. Anti-Russian. Germany-skeptical. Lech Kaczynski, the conservative Warsaw mayor who stormed to victory in a presidential runoff in Poland on 23 October, seems to fit all three descriptions. Analysts say Poland could be poised to send a policy jolt through both the European Union and Russia by intensifying its support for democracy among its eastern neighbors and its criticism of the emerging energy partnership between Moscow and Berlin. But campaign promises are one thing, and government policies are another.
On October 26 the European Parliament in Strasbourg meetings dedicated to the current problems of Belarus were held. The leader of the Belarusian Popular Front Vintsuk Vyachorka and the chairman of the United Civil party Anatol Lyabedzka took part in the meetings. By the efforts of Volha Stuzhynskaya, an assistant of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, and activists of the Belarusian communities of France and Belgium a picket was held in front of the European Parliament. The aim of the picket was once again to support European institutions’ aspirations to support political parties and movements of Belarus, which are in opposition to the existing regime, and to express gratitude to the deputies of the European Parliament actively involved in Belarusian problems and supporting democratization of Belarus.
On October 26 the Supreme Economical Court upheld the warning of the Information Ministry for the editorial office of the newspaper “Belorusy i rynok” in the part that concerned the title of the newspaper. Judge Katsyaryna Karatkevich cancelled only the second part of the warning concerning the infringement of the state standard GOST 7.4-95 by the newspaper. Thus, the newspaper cannot use the abbreviation “BR”, by which the readers had been recognizing the newspaper for two years, the Belarusian Association of Journalists informs.
“It’s all right with us that open discussions are held whenever they may take place, but in practice unfortunately the European parliament has shown that open discussions do not succeed,” said Foreign Minister of Belarus Syarhei Martynau answering the question of the BelaPAN on October 26. As we have informed, on Wednesday following the results of the session of the European Parliament’s delegation on relations with Belarus, a decision had been made to organize public hearings on Belarusian question with the participation of European experts and journalists.
The Human Rights Center Viasna received the appeal of the convict Siarhei Iahoravich Karytkin who has been serving his sentence in Mozyr-based correctional facility #20 that witnesses against inhuman treating of prisoners. The convict failed to receive the evidence of consideration of his appeals in appropriate agencies. That is why his last hope is to send the appeals to an independent human rights organization to attract in order to attract attention of international structures to the condition of the penitentiary system in Belarus and his particular case.
Only nine percent of the Russians residents believe that Belarus and Russia are making good progress in the formation of their Union State, said the All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion (VTsIOM) referring to the findings of its poll conducted earlier this month. In a similar survey conducted by the VTsIOM six months before, 13 percent said that they believed so.
A new state called the Russia-Belarus Union could appear on the political map as soon as March 2006. All that`s required is the goodwill of two presidents - Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko. Even that, however, won`t enable them to extend their periods in office.
“It is important that the Parliament of the European Union would took on an active role in support of the democratic forces of Belarus,” this conclusion is contained in the statement made by the European Parliament delegation on relations with Belarus, which had been adopted at the session in Strasbourg (France) on October 26. According to the members of the delegation, the democratic opposition of Belarus before of the presidential elections “needs not only support, but also maximum coverage of the Belarusian question in mass media, in international interest, in assistance for ensuring security of oppositional politicians”.
A provision has been added to the Belarus Criminal Code. The amendment states that the death penalty is introduced in the country temporarily. The House of Representatives of the National Assembly approved on Wednesday the corresponding amendments proposed by Alexander Lukashenko, an Interfax correspondent reports.
Delegation of the Armed Forces of Belarus will visit the Republic of Kazakhstan on October 27-29, a BelTA correspondent was told in the defense ministry’s press service.
“There is a need to consider closely the importance for the country of the construction of a TV tower, and not only from the angle of expanding the telecommunications networks”, president of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko noted when speaking today at a sitting on the issue of the TV tower construction in Minsk.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko visited the site of a future high-technology park in Belarus Tuesday and urged that construction work be started as soon as possible. The Belarusian "Silicon Valley," which is expected to cost $930 million, will consist of a scientific research sector, company offices, housing and hotel complexes, and a conference center.
Belarus will place its Russian-made satellite in orbit in March 2006, Aleksandr Viktorov of the Russian Federal Space Agency said at an international conference, the Second Belarusian Space Congress, that opened in Minsk on October 25.
The Chamber of Representatives of the Belarusian parliament ratified October 26 two international agreements with Brazil and Argentina on visa free trips on diplomatic and service passports.
Dear Colleagues. Remember, please, you are expected to refer to the Charter`97 Press Center when using the site materials. News export , javascript-informer
, javascript-informer
