Lukashenka expressed on several occasions the hope that Russia would increase the volume of its subsidies to Belarus, taking into account that the West "wants to bend" him. Defence Minister Jury Zhadobin said that Russia should help through preferential supplies of gas and crude oil, so that the Belarusian military personnel get the same salary as Russian personnel: the significance of Belarus as Russia's western outpost increases in connection with the US' plans to deploy anti-missile defence sites in Central European member countries.
By Andrei Liakhovich
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Audronius Azubalis has denied that he spoke against plans for supporting political opponents of Alyaksandr Lukashenka. "I expressed a critical opinion of the abundance of the Belarusian opposition's plans, which often contradict each other and overlap. I spoke against not their support but only against the abundance of plans that have yielded no tangible results so far," Mr. Azubalis said in an interview with news agency BNS.
Belarus should be prepared to the rise in the Russian gas prices. This was stated by Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Uladzimir Siamashka at the plenary session of the Belarusian Industrial Forum on May 16. According to him, Belarus should use the existing gas pause to raise energy efficiency of its economy. According to the first vice-premier, Russia needs huge amounts of money to develop the gas sector. The development of Yamal along needs $150-180 billion of investment, that is $25-30 billion each year. In this regard, Russia will strive for the gas price parity, therefore the price of gas will increase in Belarus, too, said Uladzimir Siamashka, BelTA informs.
Relatives of executed death row prisoners in Belarus remain unable to recover their bodies for burial, Forum 18 News Service notes. The mother of Vladislav Kovalev – one of two young men sentenced to death on 30 November 2011 and executed on 15 March 2012 – has tried to claim her son’s body for a Christian burial. Lyubou Kavaliova told Forum 18 News Service that the family is not very religious and went to church only from time to time. “But it is important to give Vladislav – like other people – a Christian burial,” she stated from her home in Vitsebsk on 7 May. She refuses to believe that her son is guilty of the mysterious April 2011 Minsk bomb attack the authorities claim he participated in. Belarus is the only country in Europe that still uses the death penalty. Death row prisoners are not told until the last minute the date and time of their execution. For this reason, they do not have the chance to receive a visit from a priest, or make a last confession and take communion if they wish to do so. Nor are families of executed prisoners told when and where they are buried. This prevents them, if they wish, from holding a religious burial service.
The State Veterinary and Phytosanitary Service of Ukraine has lifted its ban on the import of dairy products made by nine Belarusian companies. Pursuant to an agreement concluded by a Ukrainian-Belarusian commission during a meeting on May 3, Rahachow Dairy Cannery, Shchuchyn Butter and Cheese Plant, Byaroza Cheese Plant, SVK Snow, Mazyr Dairy Products, Dairy Products, Savushkin Pradukt, Babulin Hladysh, and Bellakt are now allowed to supply their products to Ukraine.
International rating agency Standard & Poor's improved the outlook on ratings of the Belarusian National Reinsurance Organisation ("Belarus Re"). As S&P reported to Telegraf on May 14, the forecast was changed from "negative" to "stable."
A delegation of NATO officials began a three-day visit to Belarus on May 14. The visit is taking place in the framework of the country's participation in the Planning and Review Process of NATO's Partnership for Peace program and in accordance with a 2012-2013 bilateral partnership and cooperation program, said the Belarusian defense ministry's press office.
BISS presents the ninth issue of the BISS Trends - quarterly monitoring of the Belarus’s political, social and economic development. The first quarter of 2012 can be regarded as a pause before Belarus finally has to address a crucial geopolitical challenge. The end of this period saw the country in a position of considerable uncertainty, which is largely due to the impending geopolitical choice of its administration: Belarus will either embark on a multi-vector policy, or aim exclusively at further integration with Russia.
By Yaugeni Preigerman
The release of two political prisoners over the Orthodox Easter weekend, followed by the gradual return of the European Union ambassadors to Minsk (they departed en masse on February 28) has prompted supposition about the effectiveness of the relatively harsh sanctions against the Belarusian regime. Thus the “concession” on the part of President Alyaksandr Lukashenka to release Andrei Sannikau and Dzmitry Bandarenka could be perceived as a direct result of the firm stance taken by the EU. And indeed sanctions may have played some role. But it is doubtful that the Belarusian president took the step solely because of EU pressure. In fact, the move was carefully calculated and was even to some extent predictable.
By Siarhei Bohdan