Independence Day, Belarusian style

Darya Sologub for Russia Today

Standing in the centre of the Belarusian capital on July 3, you will see the soldiers of the Guard of Honor squadron marching through the streets of Minsk.

You’ll hear tanks and self-propelled artillery mounts roaring towards the Kurgan (Mound) of Glory and watch the combat super jets tearing up the sky. Belarus is celebrating its Independence Day – the country’s national holiday.

It is not that the celebrations happen with such fanfare every year. Last time Belarusians saw similar festivities with super jets and fireworks was 5 years ago. And nobody expected to have anything special this year. Among the Minsk authorities and military commanders, there were talks about giving up the idea of bringing any armored vehicles to the event. However, in the end, Belarus has shown everything it could.

Russia to preserve trade preferences for Belarus

Russia intends to preserve trade preferences for Belarus despite the switch of world energy prices, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin told parliamentary group leaders on Sunday.

Belarus is the only country enjoying preferences in trade with Russia, he said. “Thanks to the low price Belarus pays for Russian crude and petroleum products, it has become a leading exporter of oil and gas derivatives to Europe. We will keep the price in the near future alongside the trend towards world energy prices,” he noted.

Belarusian First Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Semashko said on Friday that Belarus hoped to retain current terms of Russian crude imports in 2010. “We have begun a new round of negotiations on Russian crude imports,” he said.

Minsk hopes the decision will be made in October or November.

Belarus offers Gazprom to legalize the average yearly gas price at $150 per 1,000 cubic meters, Semashko said. “We strictly comply with agreements and pay $150 per 1,000 cubic meters of gas. We will start paying earlier debts in the second half of the year,” he noted.

Being a member of the Russia-Belarus Union State, Belarus pays the smallest price for Russian energy resources, ITAR-TASSreports.

Gazprom announced on Friday it had sent Belarus a letter demanding it pay $244 million in gas debts, and warning that supplies could be cut if the sum is not cleared.

The debt has arisen due to differences between contract and average prices. In the first quarter Belarus paid $210 per 1,000 cubic meters, but by the end of the year this figure should have dropped to under $100. In line with verbal agreements the price should average out at $150 per 1,000 cubic meters.

Belarusian First Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Semashko said on Friday that the government expects Russian gas prices to reach $166 per 1,000 cubic meters on January 1, 2010 if oil prices remain around the $70 per barrel mark this year. The rate is still well below the average rate Russia charges European Union countries for its gas, rian.ru reports.

The countries have in the past also clashed over Russian oil sales to Belarus, which had also been heavily discounted until the end of 2006. After Russia raised the oil price for Minsk, while keeping it below international prices, Belarus imposed a tariff on oil pipeline transit via its territory, triggering a temporary cut-off in early 2007.

Belarus aims to become bridge between Orthodoxy and Catholicism

Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko is going on a visit to Europe for the first time in many years. He will travel to Rome to have a meeting with Pope Benedict XVI and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Lukashenko has been trying to develop closer ties with the European Union lately, which raises concerns with the Russian administration. The Belarussian leader tries to become a mediator between Orthodoxy and Catholicism to make his country become a bridge between Russia and the European Union.

 

Alexander Lukashenko embarks of an official visit to Europe for the first time in 14 years. He will meet the Pope on April 27 in The Vatican. Lukashenko will also attend official dinner that Silvio Berlusconi will give in his honor.

Russia plans to deliver advanced air defense missiles to Belarus

 

Russia will supply advanced S-400 air defense systems to Belarus under a recent agreement to create an integrated air defense network, a senior Air Force official said on Thursday.

“One of the provisions of the agreement is to upgrade the network. It must be equipped with the most advanced weaponry,” first deputy Air Force commander Lt. Gen. Vadim Volkovitsky said.

The S-400 Triumf (SA-21 Growler) is designed to intercept and destroy airborne targets at a distance of up to 400 kilometers (250 miles), twice the range of the U.S. MIM-104 Patriot, and 2 1/2 times that of the S-300PMU-2.

Russia, Belarus sign air defense pact

Russia and Belarus signed a military agreement Tuesday, pledging to jointly protect the skies over the two nations.

President Dmitry Medvedev and President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus signed the pact at a meeting in Moscow of the Russia-Belarus Union State Council, RIA Novosti reported.

Belarus president takes five-year-old ‘heir’ to military drills

 

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko took his five-year-old son with him to the recent Fall-2008 Russia-Belarus military exercises, Radio Liberty has reported.

The Fall-2008 exercises took place earlier this month and involved around 8,500 personnel, military and special hardware, including over 40 aircraft, more than 60 tanks and around 250 armored vehicles.

Lukashenko’s son Nikolai was photographed observing the exercises and receiving reports with his father. Both of them were dressed in the uniform of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Belarus.

Lukashenko also referred to his son as his “heir” and the future president of Belarus.

Following the military exercises, Lukashenko said the Belarusian army had “risen from its knees.”

“As a general and a man who has given his whole life to the army, I am ashamed,” former Belarusian defense minister Pavel Kozlovskiy told Radio Liberty.

Lukashenko says Belarus army ‘risen from its knees’

 

The Belarus president said on Tuesday that the country’s armed forces had “risen from its knees.”

Speaking after joint exercises between the Russian and Belarusian militaries, Alexander Lukashenko said that, “The period of the decline of the armed forces is over. The army we have today has risen from its knees.”

The Fall-2008 Russia-Belarus exercises involved around 8,500 personnel, military and special hardware, including over 40 aircraft, more than 60 tanks, around 250 armored vehicles and up to 40 artillery pieces.

“Our armed forces are not designed for offensive aims, but are the guarantee of security and territorial integrity for the state,” he added.

He also said that the country’s armed forces would meet accepted world standards by 2015.

Russian – Belarussian military exercise

Russian army Sukhoi Su-25 jets, taking part in a joint military exercise with the Belarussian army, drops bombs in Domanovo, about 200 km (124 miles) southwest of Minsk, October 21, 2008. More than 8,000 troops are taking part in the joint military exercise.

Lukashenko: “Our friendship with Russia isn`t for sale. You can be sure.”

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin advanced the Russian ruble for the Coalition State

Larisa Kaftan
KP.RU

Yesterday, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin flew to Minsk to attend a conference of the Coalition State’s Council of Ministers. But while on route to the Zaslavl residence just outside the Belarus capital, Putin decided to stop by the presidential administration to visit Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko.

The offices of the Belarus administration are now equipped with high-tech detectors and electronic walkways that court visitors and employees through the entrance. The technology allows secret service employees to scan all those entering the building.

Putin was exempted from the procedure. However, the officials and journalists who arrived to take part in the conference were thoroughly examined from head to toe. After meeting with Putin, Lukashenko unexpectedly made several statements, which sounded more like justifications or explanations, about some misunderstandings in the press that appeared as though Belarus was selling its friendship with Russia for links with the West.

Russia’s Northern Fleet joins Russia-Belarus war games

 

Naval task groups from Russia’s Northern Fleet have joined large-scale Russia-Belarus military exercises now in their third day, the fleet’s press service said on Wednesday.

Russian strategic bombers to join military drills with Belarus

Russian strategic bombers will conduct practice launches of various types of missiles on October 6-12 during large-scale Russia-Belarus military exercises which started Monday, the Air Force commander said.

The Stability-2008 exercises will last until October 21 in various regions of Russia and Belarus with the goal of practicing strategic deployment of the Armed Forces, including the nuclear triad, to counter potential threats near the Russian border. “The exercise will involve the majority of personnel and strategic aircraft in service with strategic aviation,” Col. Gen. Alexander Zelin said. “The crews will deploy the entire range of on-board weaponry.”

According to various sources, the Russian Air Force currently has in service at least 141 Tu-22M3 Backfire-C, 40 Tu-95 Bear-H and 16 modernized Tu-160 Blackjack strategic bombers.

The bombers carry long-range cruise missiles and short-range nuclear missiles as primary weaponry.

Moscow has repeatedly stressed the need to continue the development of Russia’s Strategic Nuclear Forces, including its airborne component, and said they should be able to respond promptly and effectively to any aggression.

The Russian Air Force combat training program has scheduled more than 200 exercises with 350 live firing drills for the second half of 2008.

Belarus says to recognize Abkhazia, S. Ossetia by weekend

The Belarusian ambassador to Moscow said Thursday that Belarus would in the next day or two recognize the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

“We are allies and this says it all,” Vasily Dolgolev said of Minsk’s relations with Moscow. He added that the relevant announcement would be made by President Alexander Lukashenko on Thursday or Friday.

Russia recognized the two separatist Georgian republics’ sovereignty Tuesday, but despite President Dmitry Medvedev’s call for other countries to follow suit, none has.

President Lukashenko sent a message Thursday to his Russian counterpart saying his country remained a reliable ally of Russia but calling for the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) to find a common position on the recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

“Under the circumstances Russia had no other moral choice but to support appeals of South Ossetian and Abkhazian peoples on the recognition of their right for self-determination in line with fundamental international documents,” Lukashenko said in the message.

The presidential press service said Lukashenko also proposed including the issue on the agenda of the CSTO session scheduled for September 5.

The CSTO is a post-Soviet security alliance that also includes Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan.

Belarusian Olympic gold winners to enjoy lifelong sausage supply

Belarusian athletes who win gold medals at the Beijing Olympics due to start on Friday will be provided with meat and sausage for the rest of their lives, a meat company said on Thursday.

The women’s national basketball team, which will take part in the Olympic Games for the first time, will get the reward if they secure any medal, Boris Tsyporin, general director of Latvian-Belarusian meat and frozen foods producer Belatmeat, was quoted by Belarusian media as saying.

In addition to monetary rewards from Games organizers and sponsorship deals, Belarusian athletes will be given $100,000, $50,000, and 30,000 each in their home country for gold, silver and bronze medals respectively.

Russian-Belarusian talks have taken place in Brest.

 

Meeting first one-on-one, Dmitry Medvedev and President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko discussed various bilateral cooperation issues and outlined practical steps to intensify cooperation in priority areas. The two leaders also exchanged views on a number of international issues.

The two Presidents were then joined by their delegations for further talks. The Russian delegation at the talks included Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Sergei Naryshkin, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Presidential Aide Sergei Prikhodko.

Mr Medvedev and Mr Lukashenko signed a Joint Declaration following the talks.

Dmitry Medvedev sent a message of congratulations to the President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko in connection with Belarus’s national holiday.

Dmitry Medvedev sent a message of congratulations to the President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko in connection with Belarus’s national holiday, Independence Day.

The message of the head of state reads, in particular:

“For Russia, Belarus is a reliable partner and ally with which we overcame the most severe test. At the recent meeting in Brest, we honoured the memory of soldiers who heroically fought with fascist invaders and defended the freedom and independence of our Fatherland. The bitter casualties and losses that the Belarusian people sustained during the Great Patriotic War gives special meaning to celebrating Belarus’s major national holiday on the day of its liberation from German occupation.

Many centuries of brotherhood and friendship unite our peoples, and today this heritage is essential for the successful development of our cooperation. Our main objective is to improve the living standards and welfare of the citizens of Russia and Belarus as well as continuously deepen interstate integration based on the principles of a market economy and democracy “.

Visit to Belarus. Visit to the Brest Hero-Fortress on the Day of Memory and Sorrow

 

June 22, 2008

Brest, BELARUS. Dmitry Medvedev took part in events commemorating the Day of Memory and Sorrow.

Mr Medvedev and President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko laid wreaths at the Eternal Flame at the Brest Hero-Fortress Memorial Complex and observed a minute of silence in memory of the fallen in the Great Patriotic War. The two Presidents then spoke with Great Patriotic War veterans gathered on the square before the Eternal Flame. The veterans thanked Mr Medvedev for coming to Belarus and enquired about the possibility of organising a special trip by train for them from Brest to Moscow. Mr Medvedev and Mr Lukashenko visited the Brest Fortress complex and then visited the St Nicholas Garrison Cathedral, located within the complex, where they lit candles before the icon of St Nicholas the Miracle Worker for the peaceful rest of the fallen defenders of the fortress. The two Presidents then visited the Fortress Defence Museum and Mr Medvedev wrote in the guests’ book. On the morning of 22 June 1941 the fortress was surrounded by German troops, and only about half of its defenders were able to escape and rejoin the Soviet Army. The remaining soldiers and commanders engaged the enemy, turning the citadel into a strong knot of resistance. The soldiers’ families and medical workers were trapped along with them. Despite the huge losses and dire conditions (no water, food or medical supplies), for almost a month the fortress’s defenders managed to hold out against the tanks, artillery and planes of the German division. Most of the defenders died in battle, some managed to escape and join the resistance and the rest were taken prisoner. In memory of the exploits of the heroes of Brest Fortress, on 8 May 1965 it was awarded the title Brest Hero-Fortress. Every year a hundred and ninety thousand people and more than three thousand tour groups visit the memorial. Over the past ten years, the fortress has undergone major repairs and restoration, thanks to contributions by Russia and the CIS, and provisions from the budgets of the Union State, the governments of Moscow and Belarus.

Belarus identifies new enemy

A Belarusian TV channel has broadcast a report showing what it says are opposition activists training at “right-wing” Ukrainian military camps. The footage, aired on Belarus’s state-run Channel One, shows the activists training with UNA-UNSO (Ukrainian National Assembly-Ukrainian Self-Defence). It describes them as a dangerous group preparing a coup against the Belarusian president.

 

According to Belarus’s Channel One, the trainees were polishing their hostage-taking skills, attack strategies, as well as reconnaissance and camouflage techniques. 

The report said the camp is sponsored by the U.S. National Democratic Institute through its Kiev office, which has allocated $US 250,000 to the body since June 2007.

However, commentators doubt that this is enough money to train a paramilitary group capable of staging a coup in Belarus. 

It is not the first time Belarus’s state-run media have run features on opposition figures, often showing them in compromising situations in neighbouring countries. 

In 2005, Belarus security services said they discovered camps of opposition members in Lithuania, and in 2006 security officials said radicals were planning to forcefully overthrow the government.

 

Ratification Agreement Belarus-Russia

Dmitry Medvedev signed the Federal Law ‘On Ratification of the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Republic of Belarus on Measures to Regulate Trade and Economic Cooperation in the Export of Oil and Petroleum Products’.

The agreement was signed in Moscow on January 12, 2007.

It sets out the mechanism for calculating customs duties in 2007, 2008 and 2009, and the conditions for exporting crude oil and petroleum products from Belarusian territory and the territory of third countries.  

US concerned about Putin appointment to Russia-Belarus post

International Herald Tribune The United States is concerned about a new sign of deepening ties between Belarus and Russia at a time of heightened tensions with both countries. On Tuesday, Russia and Belarus named Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to the post of prime minister of an alliance of the two neighbors. Officials and analysts in Washington say it is unclear whether the move is a step toward closer political union or a mere formality. But it comes as U.S.-Belarus relations have been in crisis. Belarus has protested U.S. sanctions aimed as punishment for its heavy-handed treatment of critics and intolerance of dissent. The standoff has led to the brink of cessation of diplomatic relations. While tensions have also flared periodically between Moscow and Minsk, the announcement could be a sign that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is seeking closer ties with Russia in the face of the U.S. sanctions, a bad local economy and greater domestic opposition. Karen Stewart, the U.S. ambassador to Belarus, told The Associated Press Tuesday, that the United States will be watching for signs that that the alliance is deepening. “We will have to wait and see what materializes,” she said. Stewart has been in Washington since March when she left Minsk under pressure from the Belarusian government. Her departure came after Belarus withdrew its ambassador to Washington. She said that the United States would object to any union between the two former Soviet republics, if their people were not given a say. “We have no objection to the integration of states as long as it is voluntary, as long as the people have been able to express their will and it is mutually beneficial and does not erect barriers to the wider community of nations,” she said. Belarus immediately downplayed the significance of Putin’s appointment, announced by the Belarusian and Russian presidential offices. The post — officially called the chairman of the union’s Council of Ministers — has been held by the Russian prime minister since 2000. The position was created in December 1999, along with the post of chairman of the Supreme State Council, which has been held since its creation by Lukashenko. Russia and Belarus signed an agreement in 1996 that envisaged close political, economic and military ties, but efforts to achieve a full merger have foundered. Structures of the alliance serve coordination purposes and have vague responsibilities. Lukashenko angrily rejected a Kremlin proposal in 2002 to incorporate his nation into Russia, and negotiations on strengthening the union have stalled. He has also sparred with Putin over Russian energy exports. Last year, he denounced Russia as a “huge monster” when Russia more than doubled the price of natural gas and imposed a customs duty that made oil more expensive. The new appointment follows Putin’s transition from president to prime minister earlier this month and the inauguration of his hand-picked successor Dmitry Medvedev as the new president. Kremlin observers are watching for signs that Putin is trying to consolidate power in the new post. Before the transition, some observers had speculated that Putin might become the president of a new unified state of Russia and Belarus after he stepped down earlier this month after eight years as Russian president. That speculation ended when Putin made clear he intended to become prime minister. Many say that Russian politics are particularly hard to read at the moment, because the lines of authority between Putin and Medvedev are unclear. Lukashenko’s decision making is even more murky. “As Alice in Wonderland would say, “It’s getting curioser and curioser,” said Leon Aron, director of Russian studies at the American Enterprise Institute. Aron said Lukashenko may be warming to Russia under the pressure of a bad economy, combined with rising commodity prices and the U.S. sanctions. Russia has recently provided loans to Belarus, ostensibly to help it handle rising Russian energy prices. “I think it is in his interest in staying in power to do pretty much whatever Putin wants,” Aron said.

Belarusian firms can live with U.S. sanctions – deputy premier

Belarusian companies subject to U.S. sanctions could face a number of problems but will not be seriously affected, the country’s first deputy prime minister said on Friday.

On Thursday, the United States extended the list of Belarusian companies affected by earlier imposed sanctions, including fiberglass company Steklovolokno, lacquer and paint producer Lakokraska and Belarusian Oil Trade House, a trading floor for exporting crude products.

“Of course, these enterprises could face certain problems and could be forced to diversify their deliveries, but I doubt these sanctions will seriously affect their work,” Vladimir Semashko told journalists.

He said Steklovolokno, which exported a significant share of its produce to the U.S., would be most affected. “But its products are also in demand by other markets,” the official added.

Washington imposed sanctions last November against Belarus’s state-controlled petrochemical company Belneftekhim and froze the assets of its U.S. subsidiary. American companies were also banned from dealing with the company.

The measure resulted in significant reductions of embassy staff in both countries.

The U.S. set the freeing of all political prisoners in Belarus as a condition for lifting the sanctions. The main Belarusian opposition figure, Alexander Kozulin, is currently serving a 5 1/2 year prison sentence for organizing protests against President Alexander Lukashenko’s reelection.

The U.S. and the European Union have accused Lukashenko of clamping down on dissent, stifling the media and rigging elections. Lukashenko, who was re-elected to a third term in 2006, and other senior Belarusian officials have been blacklisted from entering the U.S. and EU.

U.S. embassy in Belarus cuts staff to four

leven American diplomats are scheduled to leave Belarus May 3 leaving a total of four staff at the diplomatic mission, a spokesman for the U.S. embassy said on Friday.

The former Soviet state earlier this month demanded that the United States cut the number of its diplomats down to five, and expelled 10 diplomats in protest against sanctions against a Belarusian petrochemical company.

“The embassy will work in a routine regime,” the spokesman said. Meanwhile, the spokesman added that consular assistance will only be provided to U.S. passport holders, while Belarusians will be able to apply for U.S. visas in other countries.

U.S. State Department spokesman Tom Casey told reporters on Thursday the United States was still considering how to respond to Belarus, but has “not made a decision to formally ask them [Belarus], or informally ask them, to reduce staff further.”

“We made it quite clear both here and in Minsk that one of the options being considered was simply to pull our remaining staff out and then require them to do the same,” Casey said.

The Belarusian Foreign Ministry summoned the U.S. charge d’affaires in Minsk, Jonathan Moore, on April 30 and handed him a list of U.S. diplomats to be expelled.

The ministry said in a statement published on its website that the U.S. official had been summoned as Washington had failed to respond to a request made by Belarus last week for the U.S. to cut its embassy staff in Minsk to five by April 30.

Until recently, the U.S. employed 38 diplomats in Belarus, while Minsk had 18 staff in Washington. The number of American diplomats in the ex-Soviet country was halved last month.

Tensions between the two countries increased after Washington imposed sanctions last November against Belarus’s state-controlled petrochemical company Belneftekhim and froze the assets of its U.S. subsidiary. American companies were also banned from dealing with the company.

The U.S. and the European Union have accused Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko of clamping down on dissent, stifling the media and rigging elections. Lukashenko, who was re-elected to a third term in 2006, and other senior Belarusian officials have been blacklisted from entering the U.S. and EU.

Belarus wants U.S. to cut diplomatic contingent down to five

Belarus has demanded that the United States cut the number of its diplomats down to five, in protest against sanctions against the Belarusian petrochemical company, a U.S. Embassy source said on Thursday.

The Belarusian Foreign Ministry earlier issued a statement saying the U.S. had been asked to further scale down its embassy staff, but did not specify figures. The number of American diplomats in the ex-Soviet country was halved last month.

The source told RIA Novosti said that the ministry had summoned the U.S. charge d’affaires in Belarus, Jonathan Moore, and told him that the ministry wants the embassy to present by April 30 a list of five diplomats who will remain in the country.

Moore warned the ministry that such a step could have serious consequences, the source said.

Tensions between the two countries heightened after Washington imposed sanctions last November against Belarus’s state-controlled petrochemical company Belneftekhim and froze the assets of its U.S. subsidiary. American companies were banned from dealing with the company.

The U.S. and the European Union have accused Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko of clamping down on dissent, stifling the media and rigging elections. Lukashenko, who was re-elected to a third term in 2006, and other senior Belarusian officials have been blacklisted from entering the U.S. and EU.

Earlier this month Belarusian Foreign Minister Viktor Gaisenok asked the U.S. to cut its diplomatic staff to seven, i.e. the ambassador along with six embassy personnel, but Washington has yet to respond.

Last month Belarus recalled its ambassador for consultations and demanded that the U.S. cut the number of embassy staff in Belarus by half. The U.S. agreed.

Until recently the U.S. employed 38 diplomats in Belarus, and Minsk had 18 diplomatic staff in Washington.

EU (Bilderberg) prolongs sanctions against Belarus officials

Flag of European part of Bilderberg

 

 

 

The Council of the European Union has prolonged sanctions against Belarusian officials by another year, until April 10, 2009, an EU spokesman said on Tuesday.

The sanctions were originally introduced after the EU refused to recognize the results of parliamentary elections in Belarus in October 2004. The sanctions include restrictions on entering the EU and the freezing of bank accounts. In April 2006, the list was extended from six persons to 37, including President Alexander Lukashenko.

Lukashenko, who was re-elected for a third term in 2006, and other senior Belarusian officials have been blacklisted from entering the U.S. and EU. The U.S. and the European Union have accused Lukashenko of clamping down on dissent, stifling the media and rigging elections.

Tensions between the two countries heightened after Washington imposed sanctions last November against Belarus’s state-controlled petrochemical company, Belneftekhim, and froze the assets of its U.S. subsidiary. American companies were also banned from dealing with it.

Minsk announced last week it would be making additional cuts to its embassy staff in Washington and urged the United States to do the same.

Belarus advised the U.S. ambassador to leave the country in early March, and recalled its own ambassador from Washington for consultations. It also demanded that the U.S. cut by half the number of embassy staff in Belarus. The U.S. agreed.

 

Belarus leader accuses EU of pandering to U.S.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Thursday he wants better ties with the European Union, but cannot accept the bloc’s unquestioning obedience to the United States.

“Speaking about relations between Belarus and the EU, frankly speaking I would like them to be better,” the hardline leader of the ex-Soviet country said in an interview with Austria’s APA agency. “But we cannot accept it when the EU dances to the tune of the U.S.”

“We do not like it when European politicians portray themselves as independent, but line themselves up behind the U.S. when serious issues are at stake,” Lukashenko said.

Both the U.S. and the EU have accused the Belarusian leader of clamping down on dissent, stifling the media and rigging elections. Lukashenko, who was re-elected to a third term in 2006, is currently blacklisted, along with other senior Belarusian officials, from entering the U.S. and the EU.

 

The statement came after Lukashenko expelled the U.S. ambassador and recalled the Belarusian ambassador from the United States earlier this month over new sanctions against Belarus’s national petrochemical company, Belneftekhim.

Earlier today Belarus’s foreign ministry advised the U.S. to halve the number of its diplomats in Minsk, citing the Vienna Convention-stipulated parity in the diplomatic presence of countries.

“We believe this step would be logical. There are no top level visits and economic contacts have been reduced,” the ministry said.

 

The U.S. Embassy in Minsk said in a consular notice posted on its website that it had suspended visa services for Belarusian nationals.

 

U.S. to cut diplomatic presence in Belarus amid growing tension – 2

The United States will reduce the number of its embassy staff in Belarus in line with Minsk’s demands as bilateral relations hit a new low, a top U.S. diplomat in the ex-Soviet state said on Tuesday.

Belarus demanded last week, citing the Vienna Convention, that the number of the U.S. diplomatic staff be decreased to ensure that both countries have equal numbers of diplomats.

 

“The United States views this demand as groundless and inconsistent. But it will abide by it and the number of diplomats in Belarus will be reduced to 17 by the end of the day on March 27,” Jonathan Moore, the U.S. charge d’affaires in Belarus, said.

The U.S. employs 38 diplomats in Belarus, and Minsk has 18 diplomatic staff in Washington. Belarus has accused Americans of interfering in its domestic affairs.

Tensions between the two countries heightened after Washington imposed sanctions last November against Belarus’s state-controlled petrochemical company Belneftekhim and froze the assets of its U.S. subsidiary. American companies were banned from dealing with it.

 

Belarusian longtime leader Alexander Lukashenko, dubbed by Washington “Europe’s last dictator” for clamping down on dissent and stifling the media, is currently barred, along with other senior officials, from entering the U.S. and the European Union.

Earlier this month, Washington recalled its ambassador from Belarus following pressure from the country’s authorities. The Belarusian ambassador to the U.S. had been summoned home earlier.

The U.S. Embassy in Belarus was reported to have suspended issuing visas to Belarusians.

 

In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack confirmed that staffing levels would be reduced, regretting that Belarus “has taken a path of confrontation and isolation rather than a path of engagement and democratic reform.”

Belarusian Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Popov told reporters on Tuesday that relations with the U.S. can only be improved if Washington lifts economic sanctions, which he called “economic blackmail, banned by international law.”

 

“The key to getting out of this situation is the lifting of sanctions,” he said.

Popov said that the U.S. State Department “is leading the international and American public astray, trying to present the Belarusian side as being responsible for the current situation in Belarusian-American relations.”

Belarus Warns West About Closer Moscow Ties

New York Times

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko warned the West, which has placed sanctions on the former Soviet state due to its human rights record, that further pressure would push Minsk closer to Russia.

Belarus is involved in a diplomatic spat with the United States, which dubs the country the “last dictatorship in Europe” and has imposed a travel ban on Lukashenko after his re-election to a third term, which Washington says was rigged.

U.S. ambassador Karen Stewart left Minsk temporarily last week, after two requests for her departure over financial sanctions placed by Washington on a state company.
”I think that in the near future, under such huge pressure from the West on Belarus, our relations with Russia will become even closer,” Lukashenko told the Austria Press Agency (APA), state controlled BelTA agency said on Thursday.

Ties between the United States and Russia have been strained over a number of issues including Washington’s proposals to deploy a missile shield in eastern Europe and potential NATO membership of fellow ex-Soviet Georgia and Ukraine.

Lukashenko has been promoting a post-Soviet merger with Russia since he came to power in 1994, but has tried to improve relations with the European Union after rowing with Moscow over the price of gas.

DETAINEES

Stewart said on Tuesday Washington would only hold talks on easing sanctions if Belarus releases the most prominent of these detainees, Alexander Kozulin, who ran against Lukashenko in the 2006 poll that kept him in power.

Belarus shot back on Thursday suggesting Stewart would not be allowed back to Minsk until financial sanctions placed on the state oil products company Belneftekhim are lifted.
”In the future, Belarus-U.S. dialogue will depend on the full abolition of sanctions aimed at Belarussian economic objects,” a foreign ministry spokesman said when asked when U.S. ambassador Stewart could return.

Minsk had released some detainees over the past few months, earning cautious praise from the EU, which has also said ties may improve in the run up to September’s parliamentary poll.

The EU has not made any statement on Belarus and its diplomatic spat with the United States in recent weeks, but Lukashenko fired a warning at the 27-member bloc on its borders.

“As for our relations with the European Union, then frankly speaking, I would like them to be better. It is absolutely unacceptable when the EU dances to the tune of the United States,” he told the Austrian news agency.

In power since 1994, Lukashenko remains popular in the country of 10 million. He says his rule has saved ordinary people from the economic hardships and political chaos that other ex-Soviet states went through.
”Democracy in Belarus is the same as in Austria,” he told APA. “Democratic values in Belarus are no lower than in other European countries. What is unsatisfactory in the democratic portrait of Belarus? What more does Europe need from Belarus?”

US envoy leaves in Belarus row

The “American” ambassador to Belarus has left the embassy in the capital, Minsk, because of a diplomatic dispute.

A spokesman at the embassy told the BBC that Karen Stewart had not been expelled and her absence was temporary.

Belarus announced it was withdrawing its ambassador to Washington and asked the US to follow suit. The US initially refused. Minsk has accused the US of violating agreements aimed at normalising diplomatic relations. The Belarussian authorities accuse the US of tightening sanctions on the country’s state-controlled oil-processing and chemicals company, Belneftekhim.

Our correspondent in the region, Gabriel Gatehouse, said that for four days the two countries were “in a kind of diplomatic limbo”.

As well as sanctions on individual companies, both the US and the EU have imposed travel bans on Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko and some of his top officials.

They have demanded that President Lukashenko frees “political prisoners” (payed by the US), and allows “more democratic freedom”, before normal relations can be restored.

 

Belarus advises U.S. to halve number of diplomats in Minsk

  Belarus’s Foreign Ministry has advised the U.S. to halve the number of its diplomats in Minsk, ministry spokesman Andrei Popov said Thursday.

Popov said that according to the Vienna Convention, the diplomatic presence of countries should be on a parity basis. However, the U.S. employs far more diplomats in Belarus than vice versa.

“We believe this step would be logical. There are no top level visits and economic contacts have been reduced,” he said.

“It was not in the interests of Belarus to provoke tension between the two countries. Our actions were in response to the American side’s actions,” Popov said.

The spokesman said his ministry suggested that the U.S. decide for itself which diplomats should leave Minsk.

Touching upon the issue of visa suspension for Belarusians, Popov said there had not yet been any official notification from U.S. consular services.

The U.S. Embassy in Minsk said in a consular notice posted on its website on Wednesday that it had suspended visa services for Belarusian nationals.

“The U.S. Government is in the process of reviewing the request made by the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on March 17 that the U.S. Embassy in Minsk reduce its staffing. Therefore, visa processing has been temporarily suspended while our resources are engaged addressing other priorities,” the statement said.

It added that some visa appointments had been postponed.

U.S. Ambassador Karen Stewart left Belarus March 12 after a request from Belarusian authorities.

Almost two weeks ago, Minsk advised Ambassador Stewart to leave the country and recalled its ambassador from Washington for consultations over new sanctions against Belarus’ national petrochemical company, Belneftekhim.

Last November, the U.S. introduced sanctions against Belneftekhim and froze the assets of its U.S. subsidiary. Belarus said the moves breached a bilateral trade deal designed to give better access to Belarusian goods and services.

Alexander Lukashenko, the controversial Belarusian leader dubbed “Europe’s last dictator” by Washington, pledged last year to retaliate using economic means, and threatened Stewart with expulsion from Minsk.

He also said the U.S. sanctions were caused by Minsk’s decision to start oil production work in Venezuela. In December, a joint Belarusian-Venezuelan oil production company was opened in the South American country, with plans to produce about 7 million tons (51.45 million bbl) of oil annually. 40% is to go to Belarus and 60% to Venezuela.

The U.S. and the European Union have accused the Belarusian leader of clamping down on dissent, stifling the media and rigging elections. Lukashenko, who was re-elected to a third term in 2006, is currently barred, along with other senior Belarusian officials, from entering the U.S. and the EU.

 

Russia premier urges U.S. to review sanctions against Belarus

 

Russia’s prime minister said on Friday that Moscow regards U.S. sanctions against Belarus as political and urged Washington to review them.

Washington imposed sanctions in November against Belarus’s national petrochemical company Belneftekhim, freezing the company’s assets under U.S. jurisdiction.

“We discussed today the U.S. administration’s decision to extend sanctions against Belarus’s national petrochemical company Belneftekhim. Russia believes the step is political,” Viktor Zubkov said. “We are calling on Washington to review its policy toward Belarus and its businesses.”

Zubkov, on a visit to Minsk, said Washington continues to pressurize Belarus despite “positive steps by the Belarusian leadership, such as the gradual development of a market economy.”

Washington, which has dubbed the ex-Soviet state “Europe’s last dictatorship,” also banned all dealings between Americans and Belneftekhim over Minsk’s refusal to release political prisoners.

Belarus said the sanctions breached a bilateral trade deal, designed to give better access for Belarusian goods and services, as well as a “memorandum of security assurances” the countries signed after Belarus agreed to be a non-nuclear state.

The Belarusian Foreign Ministry recalled its ambassador earlier this month for consultations and demanded that the U.S. cut by half the number of staff at its embassy in Belarus.

The U.S. and the European Union have accused Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko of clamping down on dissent, stifling the media and rigging elections. Lukashenko, who was re-elected to a third term in 2006, and other senior Belarusian officials have been blacklisted from entering the U.S. and EU.

Lukashenko said the U.S. sanctions were caused by Belarus’ economic ties with Venezuela. In December, a joint Belarusian-Venezuelan oil production company was established there, with plans to produce about 7 million tons (51.45 million bbl) of oil annually, 40% will go to Belarus and 60% to Venezuela.

Belarus Warns West About Closer Moscow Ties

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko warned the West, which has placed sanctions on the former Soviet state due to its human rights record, that further pressure would push Minsk closer to Russia.
Long-strained relations between the United States and Belarus deteriorated further this month after President Alexander Lukashenko’s government recalled its ambassador in Washington for consultations in retaliation against U.S. sanctions. The move prompted Washington to pull its ambassador. U.S. ambassador Karen Stewart left Minsk temporarily last week, after two requests for her departure over financial sanctions placed by Washington on a state company.

“I think that in the near future, under such huge pressure from the West on Belarus, our relations with Russia will become even closer,” Lukashenko told the Austria Press Agency (APA), state controlled BelTA agency said on Thursday.
Ties between the United States and Russia have been strained over a number of issues including Washington’s proposals to deploy a missile shield in eastern Europe and potential NATO membership of fellow ex-Soviet Georgia and Ukraine.
Lukashenko has been promoting a post-Soviet merger with Russia since he came to power in 1994, but has tried to improve relations with the European Union after rowing with Moscow over the price of gas. The United States and the EU both say Belarusian authorities persecute independent media, rig elections and jail opponents, whose immediate release both have demanded.

Belarus advises U.S. ambassador to leave over sanctions

 Belarus advised the United States ambassador to leave the capital, Minsk, and recalled its ambassador from Washington for consultations, the Foreign Ministry said on Friday.The ministry said the move was made over sanctions Washington imposed last year against the former Soviet republic.”Belarus earlier said that retaliatory measures with regard to the United States would be strict and one of the steps is to recall the Belarusian Ambassador to the United States Mikhail Khvostov for consultations,” the ministry said.”At the same time the government of Belarus strongly recommends U.S. Ambassador to Belarus Karen Stewart leave the country for the same purpose,” the ministry added.In mid-November last year, the U.S. introduced sanctions against Belarus’s national petrochemical company Belneftekhim and froze the assets of its U.S. subsidiary, which Belarus said breached a bilateral trade deal, designed to give better access for Belarusian goods and services, as well as the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT).Alexander Lukashenko the controversial Belarusian leader, dubbed “Europe’s last dictator” by Washington, pledged last year to react swiftly in the economic sphere and threatened Stewart with expulsion.”She [the ambassador] would be the first to be kicked out. She attends opposition hangouts and says economic sanctions could be introduced against Belarus, heating up the situation. Let the American ambassador deal with her own problems, otherwise she may have to leave her post in Belarus ahead of time,” Lukashenko said.The president said the U.S. sanctions were caused by Belarus starting work in Venezuela. In December, a joint Belarusian-Venezuelan oil production company was opened there, with plans to produce about 7 million tons (51.45 million bbl) of oil annually, 40% will go to Belarus and 60% to Venezuela.The U.S. and the European Union have accused the Belarusian leader of clamping down on dissent, stifling the media and rigging elections. Lukashenko, who was re-elected to a third term in 2006, and other senior Belarusian officials have been blacklisted from entering the U.S. and EU. 

Belarus Expels U.S. Ambassador, Recalls Own Ambassador

Belarus has expelled the United States ambassador and recalled its own from the U.S. That move drew the ire of the White House on Friday. The White House criticized the authoritarian government, saying that the loss of ambassadors between the nations would further isolate Belarus from the West.Belarus acted Friday in response to travel restrictions placed on its authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko by Washington and U.S. sanctions on its state-controlled oil-processing and chemicals company.Along with ordering U.S. envoy in Minsk Karen Stewart to leave, Belarus has also recalled its envoy in Washington Mikhail Khvostov.The U.S. had not acted alone in restricting travel of Lukashenko, and his cronies, and imposing economic sanctions on Belarus, the European Union had also done so.In addition to those actions against the authoritarian rule in Belarus, there was a call to free political prisoners, especially opposition leader Alexander Kozulin, who ran against Mr. Lukashenko in 2006. Kozulin has been jailed since post-election violence there.

Profile: Alexander Lukashenko

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3882843.stm   Alexander Lukashenko’s victory in the presidential elections in Belarus came as no surprise to opposition supporters or Western observers.Since sweeping to power 12 years ago, he has consolidated his hold on the former Soviet republic.Mr Lukashenko was able to seek re-election for an unprecedented third term thanks to a controversial referendum in 2004 that abolished the constitution’s two-term presidential limit.Human rights campaigners and Western governments complain that opposition voices are harassed and stifled and independent media has been all but eliminated.Opposition activists are closely monitored by the secret police – still called the KGB.However, the president does enjoy the support of many Belarussians for maintaining political and economic stability – a campaign slogan in 2006.In a land which lost one-third of its population in World War II, most people fear instability and the prospect of civil war far more than they fear their president. That makes the kind of popular uprising seen in Georgia and Ukraine unlikely in Belarus. Humble originsAlthough Mr Lukashenko now appears firmly ensconced at the heart of the country’s Soviet-style establishment, a look at his early life reveals rather humbler origins.

My position and the state will never allow me to become a dictator but an authoritarian ruling style is characteristic of me  Alexander Lukashenko Lukashenko in quotes

 Brought up by a single mother in a poor village in eastern Belarus, he first made his mark as the manager of a collective farm in the late 1980s.Moving into politics at the end of the decade, he quickly established his reputation as an outspoken man with firmly authoritarian instincts.In August 1991, as a member of the Belarussian parliament, he declared his support for the attempted coup by hardliners against Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.Iron gripThe image has stuck ever since, and it is one he is perfectly happy to defend.”An authoritarian style of rule is characteristic of me, and I have always admitted it,” he said in August 2003. “You need to control the country, and the main thing is not to ruin people’s lives.”Mr Lukashenko’s early years in power demonstrated his commitment to this belief.In 1996, he disbanded parliament, which had been seeking to impeach him, and also strengthened his control over the judiciary.The new parliament which emerged was hand-picked, and subsequent elections to its successor in 2000 were widely condemned.Meanwhile, many former allies and government ministers have either fled abroad or joined the opposition.Others, such as former Deputy Prime Minister Viktar Hanchar and former Minister of Internal Affairs Yuryy Zakharanka, have simply disappeared.Russian friendsIt is an approach to power which has won Mr Lukashenko few friends and even relations with Russia, Belarus’s chief ally, have appeared to cool since Moscow moved to end subsidised oil and gas supplies.However, Russian observers said they saw little wrong with the 2006 vote and the two countries have long been in talks on forming a “union state”.Mr Lukashenko appears undeterred by criticism, whether it be from home or abroad.”I’ve been hearing these accusations for over 10 years and we got used to it,” he said before polling. “We are not going to answer them. I want to come from the premise that the elections in Belarus are held for ourselves. I am sure that it is the Belarus people who are the masters in our state.”He warned that anyone joining an opposition protest would be treated as a “terrorist”, adding: “We will wring their necks, as one might a duck”. 

Belarus : flag

Lukashenko calls Jews “dirty”, Israeli ambassador returns home

Minsk – Israel’s ambassador to Belarus has returned home after authoritarian Belarus leader President Aleksander Lukashenko called a once predominantly-Jewish city in his country ‘a pigstye.’

Ambassador Zeev Ben- Ari returned less than a week after October 12 remarks by Lukashenko to Russian reporters in Minsk, during which the Belarusian leader argued Slavic ethnicities such as Belarusians and Russians took better care of their cities than ethnic Jews.

‘Have ever been to Bobrusk, have you ever seen what state the city is in? It was terrifying to go inside, it was such a pigstye,’ Lukashenko said in a statement supporting his government’s high priority on picking up trash and cleaning city streets.

‘It (Bobrusk) was a predominantly Jewish city, and you know how Jews treat the places they live. Look at Israel, I’ve been there. I don’t want to offend any one, but they (Israelis) don’t try very hard that grass is neatly cut, not like in Moscow, among the Russians, among Belarusians.’

Tzipi Livni, Israel’s Foreign Minister, on Wednesday criticised Lukashenko’s comments, saying according to a Belapan news agency report ‘World leaders should take upon themselves the responsibility of fighting anti-Semitism when it raises its ugly head in various parts of the world, and not inflame it.’

‘In these remarks (of Lukashenko’s) one can today hear the myth that I had hoped had long been been buried in history: that Jews supposedly are ungroomed, dirty, and bad-smelling,’ he said.

Israel closed its embassy in 2002 citing Lukashenko’s poor human rights record, and reopened it in 2004 with Zeev as the ambassador, in a bid to improve frigid relations between the two countries.

Much of modern Belarus was heavily settled by Jews in the 18th and 19th centuries as a result of a Russian Empire policy the ethnic group should only live in selected, and usually poor provinces.