Republic of Belarus

Belarus. Republic of Belarus

A state in Eastern Europe. Area - 207.6 thousand km². Capital - Minsk (1 million 728 thousand as of 2004); largest cities: Brest, Vitebsk, Gomel, Grodno, Mogilev. The main administrative-territorial unit is the region (a total of 6). Population - 9 million 980 thousand (end of 2004); about 80% - Belarusians, 11% - Russians, 4% - Poles. The state languages are Belarusian and Russian. Religion: 70% of believers are Orthodox Christians, about 20% are adherents of the Roman Catholic Church, the rest are Greek Catholics, Muslims, and Jews. The currency is the Belarusian ruble.

Diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation were established on June 25, 1992.

The national holiday is July 3 - Republic Day (celebrated on the day of the liberation of Minsk by Soviet troops during the Great Patriotic War).

At the end of the 9th - 10th centuries, numerous East Slavic tribes living in the territory of Belarus united with Kievan Rus. In the 10th - early 12th centuries, the Polotsk, Turov-Pinsk, and other principalities were formed as part of the Ancient Russian state. In the 13th-14th centuries, their territories became part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and from 1569 - the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. At the end of the 18th century, Polish rule in the territory of Belarus was ended, and in 1795, Belarus was reunited with Russia. In October-November 1917, Soviet power was established in Belarus. On January 1, 1919, the BSSR was formed, and on December 30, 1922, it joined the USSR. In November 1939, there was a reunification with Western Belarus. During the years 1941-44, during the occupation by German-fascist troops, a powerful partisan movement unfolded in Belarus. In 1944, it was liberated by the Red Army. On July 27, 1991, the Supreme Council of the republic adopted the Declaration of State Sovereignty of Belarus.

On April 2, 1996, the Community of Russia and Belarus was established, and on April 2, 1997 - the Union of Belarus and Russia. Currently, Russian-Belarusian relations are developing in the context of the formation of the Union State. The Treaty on its creation and the Action Program for the implementation of the provisions of the Treaty of December 8, 1999, define the main directions and stages of bilateral integration.

The highest body of the Union State is the Supreme State Council, the chairman of which is elected on a rotational basis.

A Parliamentary Assembly of the Union of Belarus and Russia has also been established. The executive body is the Council of Ministers of the Union State.

The permanent working body of the Union State is the Permanent Committee.

A solid legal framework for Russian-Belarusian relations has been created, with more than 120 intergovernmental and interstate treaties and agreements in effect. According to the Treaty on the establishment of the Union State, a common external border is established. Within the framework of a unified migration policy, mutual trips of citizens of both countries are carried out using internal passports. In the context of forming a single economic space, since 1998, an Agreement on creating equal conditions for economic entities in the territory of both states has been in effect, and other integration agreements are being implemented. In order to further align legislation in the social sphere, in 1998, a Treaty on equal rights for citizens of both countries was signed.

Interregional cooperation plays a significant role in Russian-Belarusian relations. All 6 Belarusian regions and Minsk are connected by cooperation agreements with 80 subjects of the Russian Federation. There are representations of 6 Russian regions in Minsk. Branches of the Belarusian embassy have been opened in 10 regions of Russia.

Trade between Russia and Belarus is dynamically developing, with a volume of $17.6 billion in 2004 (an increase of 41%). The negative trade balance with Russia in 2004 amounted to $4.6 billion. Within the framework of the Union State, a number of cooperation programs are being implemented, and 6 major financial and industrial groups are operating - "Bel-Rusavto," "Electronic Technologies," "Defense Systems," and others.

The main principles of Belarus's foreign policy are multi-vectorism, independence, neutrality, and non-nuclear status. Belarusian diplomatic missions are open in 45 countries. It is a member of the UN (since 1945) and a participating state of the OSCE. Belarus is part of the CIS, within which it participates in the Eurasian Economic Community, the CSTO, and the EAEU. In 1998, it was admitted to the Non-Aligned Movement.

Belarus is a presidential republic. The head of state is the president. On July 10, 1994, A. G. Lukashenko was elected as the first president of Belarus, who was re-elected for a second term on September 9, 2001. The highest legislative authority is the National Assembly, consisting of the House of Representatives (lower house) and the Council of the Republic (upper house).

The executive power is exercised by the government - the Council of Ministers. The Prime Minister is S. S. Sidorsky.

According to the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Belarus, at the beginning of 2005, there were 2,338 registered public organizations in the country, including 17 political parties, 45 trade unions, and 17 associations.

Three parties are represented in the Belarusian parliament: the Communist Party of Belarus, the Agrarian Party, and the Liberal Democratic Party. Other major parties include the Republican Party, the Party of Communists of Belarus, the Belarusian Social Democratic Party "Narodnaya Hramada," and the United Civic Party.

The main trade unions are the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus and the independent Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions.

The republic has well-developed processing industries: chemical, automotive and transport engineering, electronics, a complex of defense industries, meat-dairy, and productive agriculture.

There are deposits of potash and rock salts, hard and brown coal, oil, iron ore, phosphorites, and mineral waters.

Belarus has a significant need for fuel and energy resources, rolled products, and pipes, which are met through imports, primarily from Russia. The main nomenclature of Belarusian exports includes cargo vehicles, tractors, metal-cutting machines, electronic equipment, chemical products, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, tires, flax fiber, potatoes, meat and dairy products, and consumer goods. The imports from Russia mainly consist of oil, natural gas, hard coal, non-ferrous metals, industrial timber and lumber, cement, machinery and equipment, food products, and consumer goods.

Belarus is characterized by a socially oriented market economic model with a decisive role of state management. Over the past few years, there has been a positive trend in GDP growth rates, which increased by 11% in 2004, and industrial production rose by 15.6%. At the same time, inflation rates remain relatively high (over 10%). The number of registered unemployed is 1.9% of the employed population. Real incomes of the population increased by 12.4% in 2004.

According to the UN Development Program ranking, Belarus belongs to the group of countries with a relatively high level of human development, ranking 53rd in the world.

The republic has a National Academy of Sciences, 43 state and 14 non-state higher educational institutions, 242 vocational and technical education institutions, and 153 secondary specialized educational institutions. Among the universities, the largest are Belarusian State University, Belarusian State Pedagogical University, and Gomel Medical Institute.

Belarus has 27 theaters, the most famous being the Bolshoi Theatre of Opera and Ballet and the National Academic Theatre named after Yanka Kupala. The annual music festival "Slavic Bazaar" in Vitebsk has gained international recognition. In 2004, the Year of Belarusian Culture was held in Russia, and in 2005, the Year of Russian Culture was held in Belarus.

The largest periodicals include the newspapers "Sovetskaya Belorussiya" (circulation - 500 thousand copies), "Narodnaya Gazeta," "Respublika," "Belorusskaya Niva." The non-governmental press is represented by publications such as "Belarusian Business Newspaper," "Belarusian Newspaper," "Free News," and others. Russian periodicals are also distributed. The largest news agencies are the state-owned "BelTA" and the commercial "BelaPAN."

There are 4 state television channels: "Belarusian Television," "National Television," "Capital Television," and "Lad." Russian channels "Channel One," "Russia," NTV, and TVC are retransmitted, although not in full. Cable television has developed.