Belarus (magazine #8 2015) by BELARUS Magazine

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No.8 (983), 2015

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Беларусь. Belarus

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Беларусь.Belarus Monthly magazine No. 8 (983), 2015 Published since 1930 State Registration Certificate of mass medium No.8 dated March 2nd, 2009, issued by the Ministry of Information of the Republic of Belarus

Founders: The Ministry of Information of the Republic of Belarus “SB” newspaper editorial office Belvnesheconombank

Worthy place in influential company

Editor: Viktor Kharkov Executive Secretary: Valentina Zhdanovich

Design and Layout by

A two-way road

Dialogue creates understanding

Regular communication is the best path to mutual understanding, inspiring a delegation of US congressmen to visit Belarus

Canvassing without negative PR

‘Here I am in Europe’ says Maxim

Marvellous treasures of Stary Dedin

Meeting with the past face to face

54 Support team

Belarus-style Silicon Valley High-

If conditions are favourable Investors

A taste of the past Our reporter investi-

Archaeological excavations are held and festival of medieval culture is organised on Zamkovaya Mountain in Mstislavl

Singers of the World Nadezhda Kuch-

er, winner of the international opera singer competition at the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World, is ranked alongside those who have stood on the Olympic podium

Creative boundlessness Anniversary personal exhibition of artist and

designer Irina Kuznetsova Rhythms of Time, hosted by Republican Art Gallery of the Belarusian Union of Artists, showing techniques in glass, painting, photography and computer graphics

Tech Park transforms Belarus into a major IT supplier in Europe

gates Belarusian products sold in Moscow

Gérard Depardieu finds Belarus to his liking

беларусь.belarus 2015

Беларусь.Belarus is published in Belarusian, English, Spanish and Polish. Distributed in 50 countries of the world. Final responsibility for factual accuracy or interpretation rests with the authors of the publications. Should any article of Беларусь.Belarus be used, the reference to the magazine is obligatory. The magazine does not bear responsibility for the contents of advertisements.

Publisher: “SB” editorial office This magazine has been printed at State Entertainment “Publishers “Belarus Printing House”. 79 Nezavisimosti Ave., Minsk, Belarus, 220013 Order No. 2050 Total circulation — 1871 copies (including 724 in English).

Write us to the address: 11 Kiselyov Str., Minsk, Belarus, 220029. Tel.: +375 (17) 290-62-24, 290-66-45. Tel./Fax: +375 (17) 290-68-31. www.belarus-magazine.by E-mail: mail@belarus-magazine.by

come and stayа

28 Endless possibilities for technology 30

Osidulov from Sakhalin, who entered the university in Minsk

Vadim Kondrashov Nadezhda Ponkratova

Subscription index in Belpochta catalogue — 74977

For future foreign subscribers for ‘Belarus’ magazine, apply to ‘MK-Periodica’ agency.

Vitebsk of all times

E-mail: info@periodicals.ru Telephone in Minsk: +375 (17) 227-09-10.

editor's note

Heat is no hindrance to business

his hot August! What can we say of this incredible heat, which is breaking all meteorological records? August usually crowns the summer and everything seems in decline: but not this year! Hot weather is a trial for those intent on harvesting, although it’s good to avoid rain. Nevertheless, we will endure. Despite the stifling temperatures, the political life of the country is seeing a high degree of activity, with the electoral campaign for the Presidential Election (the fifth in our country’s sovereign history) in full swing. Belarusians will be able to express their will on October 11th. We have never restricted the number of international observers at our elections, having over a thousand accredited in 2010. No fewer are expected this time. Materials dedicated to the pre-election topic can be viewed on this edition’s pages. The capital of Russian Bashkortostan enjoyed a hectic few days in July, hosting the summits of the BRICS and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. While Belarus itself is not a BRICS or Shanghai Cooperation Organisation member, it does enjoy close partner relations with almost all their participating states. As regards membership, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is an expanded version of the Eurasian Economic Union. In establishing this club, the focus was on interaction between states with the additional goal of strengthening regional security. Over the course of time, the regions involved have discovered many other spheres of mutual interest but they primarily aim at economic development. Since Belarus is playing an increasingly important role in these processes, its participation in inter-state dialogue seems logical and necessary. This topic is further explored in Worthy Place Among Influential Company. The pragmatic and constructive position of Belarus within the international arena is receiving ever more attention from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which is proved by a recent visit by its Chairman-in-Office. Our country has been a fully-fledged participant of Europe’s

largest international organisation for 23 years, interacting with its institutes, so the visit is quite expected. Belarus supports the OSCE’s primary role (fixed in the Charter of European Security) in settling conflict within the area of its responsibility. We respect the sovereignty and state integrity of the organisation’s member states. As a result, Minsk’s official foreign policy aims to develop dialogue, and our well-considered position on the Ukrainian issue is positively perceived by member states and by the OSCE Chairman-in-Office. "Reforms are a Progressive Phenomenon" is dedicated to the importance of reform within the OSCE. Regular communication is the best path to mutual understanding. Three American congressmen recently arrived in Belarus for the first time and, although representing different political parties, shared common surprise at the extent to which our country is a civilised European state. All agreed that we are more forward-thinking than they had imagined and have returned home with a positive image of Belarus. According to the American politicians, the enhancement of diplomatic ties — embodied by the return of a US Ambassador to Minsk, as well as a Belarusian Ambassador to Washington — will be the first step in this direction. The American congressmen also noted the contribution made by Belarus towards peaceful settlement of the conflict in Ukraine. "Dialogue Creates Understanding" is based on the meeting between the American congressmen and Alexander Lukashenko. The development of new business can be both beneficial and rewarding to net investors. Belarus has recently announced at the highest level that new businesses are to be welcomed with an attractive package of offers and privileges. This is justified by the need to awaken interest in investors and encourage them to place their money into Belarus. Participants of a round table discussion, organised by the editorial office, had the chance to outline favourable conditions for investors here. The heat is no hindrance to business, especially when it’s worthwhile and beneficial. By Victor Kharkov

2015 беларусь.belarus

TOPICAL  Good tendency The population of Belarus has increased to 9,485,300

Belta

Minsk — Islamabad: steps forwards The first official visit to our country by the Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, can be called logical continuation of the May meetings at the top level in Islamabad

t that time, Alexander Lukashenko visited Pakistan — first in the history of the bilateral relations. In general, it’s a rather rare case in world practice when the two sides exchange visits within just two and a half months. This fact vividly demonstrates mutual desire and aspiration of both states to move from intentions and declarations to fullyfledged co-operation. The more often politicians meet, the higher the level of trust is and the stronger the friendship is, which is a factor of successful development of economic interrelations. Last November, the Belarusian Embassy began its work in Pakistan while this year the Pakistani Embassy will open in our country. The interests are quite definite. Pakistan, with a population of almost 200m people [the whole Eurasian Union] is the world’s fourth grain manufacturer and the planet’s fifth milk producer — a huge and rather promising market for our manufacturers.

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Probably, few are aware that the word ‘Belarus’ is strongly associated in Pakistan with tractors and only then with the country — a wonderful example of efficiency of economic diplomacy. Moreover, this year, MTZ plans to increase by one third the sales of its tractors to Pakistan: from 3,000 to 4,000 pieces. However, Mr. Lukashenko offers not to be limited to pure trade but to expand the potential of production co-operation, i.e. to shift towards the establishment of assembly productions of agricultural machinery in Pakistan. Mr. Lukashenko and Mr. Sharif have agreed to develop a ‘roadmap’ of the development of the Belarusian-Pakistani relations in the nearest future. The negotiations in Minsk have also proven joint readiness to expand collaboration in the sphere of struggling against terrorism, extremism and transborder organised crime. The President noted that there’re six densely populated countries in the world, including Pakistan. Mr. Lukashenko believes that the climate on our planet will depend on the situation in these states. After the negotiation,s 15 documents have been signed, with the Agreement on Friendship and Cooperation being a key one, outlining major principles of political and economic dialogue between the two states.

s of July 1st, 2015, the number of people who live in Belarus totalled 9,485,300 — up 4,474 from the start of the year, BelTA has learned from the National Statistical Committee of Belarus. In January-June this year, the natural decline in the population was measured at 6,077 people — up 1,897 against the same period in 2014. In 2015, migration doubled from 5,362 to reach 10,551 people compared with the period of January-June 2014. Belarus was the major migration des-

tination within the CIS states. Over the first six months of the year, Belarus welcomed 12,007 new residents, including 10,867 (90.5 percent) from Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan. A total of 2,843 people moved to the CIS states, with 2,361 of these going to Russia. In January-June 2015, the number of registered marriages reduced by 1,939 (5.8 percent) in comparison with the same period a year ago. The number of divorces fell down by 777 (4.5 percent). There were 520 divorces per each 1,000 marriages (against 513 divorces in January-June 2014).

VISIT

A two-way

road

Around a thousand kilometres separate Minsk from Chisinau, relatively speaking, we’re neighbours

he two republics have enjoyed good relations since the Soviet era and we’re very familiar with the Moldovan black cherry, peaches and apricots, as well as its wines and cognac. Moldovans are highly appreciative of Belarusian machinery. At the political level, diplomatic relations have been based on trust, and consequently, there was a warm welcome for the visiting president, Nicolae Timofti, from Alexander Lukashenko. After the orchestra had finished playing the anthems of the two states and soldiers of the Guard of Honour had solemnly paraded, the two presidents enjoyed a friendly conversation before moving to their business meeting. During the negotiations, the two sides expressed a mutual interest in strengthening their economic partnership. There is

already an existing basis for this. Moldova, with a population of 3.5 million, is the fourth biggest trading partner of Belarus within the CIS (after Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan). The trade turnover, which initially reached $400m, surprised even Alexander Lukashenko. The two countries are still keen to raise the volume of bilateral trade. Mr. Lukashenko is convinced that even Moldova’s orientation towards the EU and European integration won’t be an obstacle, “We don’t politicise the fact of Moldova’s signing the association agreement with the European Union. Relations between the two countries have always been amicable in trade as well as politically, and we are confident that it will remain so on both sides”. Nicolae Timofti affirmed the desire of his country to build such bilateral relations with all neighbours, as they have with Belarus. “The future of the countries of Europe and of the world is

in our hands,” he adds. He referred, of course, to the will of the political leaders of these countries. Both presidents understand well each other; such is their long-term relationship. This understanding certainly is worth valuing, particularly when we consider that Belarus and Moldova have obligations to their partners in other alliances. It’s necessary to use the advantages of integration and minimise the risks for bilateral trade. Mr. Lukashenko sees the most logical path as setting up joint production, aiming to enter the markets of the third countries, including the European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union. In other words, our states should become a bridge between the two markets. The first steps towards industrial collaboration have already been made, with Belarusian trolley buses and tractors being currently assembled in Moldova; MAZ buses are next in line. There’s also

The first steps towards industrial collaboration have already been made, with Belarusian trolley buses and tractors being currently assembled in Moldova; MAZ buses are next in line. There’s also interest in organising the joint processing of Moldovan fruits and vegetables in Belarus. Considering our developed industrial and logistical infrastructure, Belarus should become a base for the processing, storage and promotion of Moldovan goods to the markets of the Eurasian Economic Union

2015 беларусь.belarus

Belta

VISIT

Nicolae Timofti during his visit to the Stadler Minsk enterprise

interest in organising the joint processing of Moldovan fruits and vegetables in Belarus. Considering our developed industrial and logistical infrastructure, Belarus should become a base for the processing, storage and promotion of Moldovan goods to the markets of the Eurasian Economic Union. The proposals are welcomed, and Mr. Lukashenko has only one condition, “It’s imperative that these goods are of high quality and that entrepreneurs come to us with transparency, winning tenders and gaining contracts fairly.” In the economic respect, Moldova currently lags behind its neighbours, with its GDP standing at slightly more than $2,000 per capita. Belarus is eager to share its developments and experience in industry, agriculture and construction. For example, Moldova will need to reconstruct almost 10,000 kilometres of roads, and Belarusian specialists are ready to aid the construction of the ring road around Chisinau. Modernisation of the railway infrastructure is also in the pipeline, and up-to-date electric trains, manufactured by Stadler AG near

беларусь.belarus 2015

Minsk, are planned. The Belarusian Oil Company will jointly organise wholesale and retail networks in Moldova to sell Belarusian oil products. Agriculture is still the major source of revenue for Moldovans. As in our country, Moldova doesn’t have deposits of mineral resources, so it has to use what nature has given it to the utmost: fertile soil and a temperate climate. The 20102014 national agricultural development strategy is still being implemented. There is also an increase in cultural exchange programmes, with Days of Belarusian Culture held in Moldova this autumn and a return visit planned for next year. Following the negotiations in Minsk, a considerable package of measures has been agreed upon, dealing with the exchange of legal information, as well as liaisons in industry and cultural ties. Mr. Lukashenko stressed that, during the visit, considerable attention was given to looking for new ideas for interaction, aiming to develop bilateral tradeeconomic ties. According to the Head of the Belarusian state, industrial co-operation is a promising area for collaboration

in all spheres of mutual interest with the entry of joint production to the markets of the third countries, including the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union and European Union. The Head of State confirmed that there are no political issues between Belarus and Moldova. The two countries constructively cooperate on international platforms, including the UN, OSCE, CIS, and other universal and regional organisations. According to the Belarusian leader, more dialogue between the parliaments should be encouraged. He emphasised that the two heads of state had concluded a productive and substantial meeting, with especially positive plans for the spheres of science, education and sport. Mr. Lukashenko believes that both states have a strong base on which to build bilateral relations. He expressed confidence that, after the current visit of the Moldovan President to Belarus, the two states will significantly expand their co-operation. “We now need to move forward together and we are ready to do so,” stated the Belarusian leader. By Yevgeny Kononov

Belta

CONCURRENCE OF INTERESTS

Worthy place in influential company

hile Belar us its elf is not a BRICS or Shanghai Co-operation Organisation m e m b e r, i t does however, enjoy close partner relations with almost all their participating states. As regards membership, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is

an expanded version of the Eurasian Economic Union — uniting Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. When establishing this club, the focus was on interaction between the states with the additional goal of strengthening regional security. Over the course of time, the regions involved have discovered many other spheres of mutual interest; they primarily aim at contributing to the economic

The capital of Russia’s Bashkortostan region has a hectic few days hosting the summits of the BRICS and Shanghai Cooperation Organisations development of the states in question. Since Belarus is playing an increasingly important role in these processes, its participation in the inter-state dialogue seems logical and necessary. On arrival in Bashkortostan’s capital, Alexander Lukashenko met his Russian colleague, Vladimir Putin. The President of Russia shared their thoughts during their bilateral meeting in Ufa:

2015 беларусь.belarus

CONCURRENCE OF INTERESTS

Vladimir Putin:

reached its potential. Minsk and Brazil enjoy good prospects for expanding their co-operation in the aviation and agro-industrial spheres. In their discussion, the presidents outlined some firm plans for promising joint projects. Belarus currently buys Embraer planes from Brazil. Our country has well trained staff and the necessary production base to establish a regional centre of technical maintenance for these aircraft. Ms. Rousseff expressed her interest in the initiative. An agreement has also been achieved to set up a production cluster in Brazil to manufacture agricultural machinery, heavy-duty trucks and tractors at joint facilities. The two presidents agreed that, in the future, four or five major areas of interaction would be defined; these will be overseen by a special inter-state commission (to be formed under the heads of state’s decision). At the end of the meeting,

Belta

Belarus is our closest neighbour and a strategic partner. The country is our ally. We co-operate in all areas including military and humanitarian spheres, while solving social issues to meet our citizens’ interests. We are developing co-operative ties as part of the Union State and the Eurasian Economic Union, and have many important plans in mind. The task of enhancing the status of Belarus within the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation is in focus and the issue is virtually settled. Belarus will gain observer status at this authoritative international organisation whose role is increasing in the modern world. We are convinced that your participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s activities would benefit Belarus and other participants of the process.

The BRICS interstate union is steadily transforming into an important counterbalance in the complicated processes of the global economy. This was voiced by the Belarusian President in his speech at the meeting of the BRICS heads and leaders of the invited states. Ufa’s Congress Hall hosted the summit of the BRICS heads of state and, as it ended, a large meeting of its participants took place. The Belarusian President’s tough working schedule in the Russian city began in advance of the major event when Mr. Lukashenko set up meetings with several heads of state. His working day began with talks with the President of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff. In the amenable and constructive dialogue, the heads of state paid attention to the high level of our turnover at almost $1bn. However, this impressive sum has not yet fully

During summit meetings

беларусь.belarus 2015

Belta

CONCURRENCE OF INTERESTS

Mr. Lukashenko invited Ms. Rousseff to visit Belarus at her convenience; the Brazilian President accepted the invitation. On meeting Afghanistan’s President, Ashraf Ghani, Mr. Lukashenko reminded him of the recent telephone conversation between the heads of state and the visit of Afghanistan’s special representative to Minsk soon after. These events promised even greater co-operation. As the Belarusian President noted, the world is interested in a strong and stable Afghanistan as a reliable shield against diverse threats from the region. At the same time, Afghanistan occupies a strategic position in Asia, boasting a significant transit potential. The reliability of its transport arteries is also extremely important for many states. With this in mind, Mr. Lukashenko expressed an opinion that heads of states (gathering in Ufa) need to unite to strengthen Afghanistan. Belarus would not stay on the sidelines of it. Mr. Ghani accepted the Belarusian leader’s sentiments with gratitude. The presence of a mutual interest in expanding co-operation was also acknowledged during Mr. Lukashenko’s meeting with the President of Mongolia — Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj. We have products to trade, in addition to developments of mutual

interest. We also remember our successful co-operation in the past. The Mongolian Head of State shared the view, noting that his country is well aware of Belarusian tractors, lorries, BelAZ trucks, refrigerators and ‘Minsk’ motorcycles. This is probably the basis on which strong collaboration should be built. Mr. Lukashenko proposed an exchange of delegations of specialists to make firm development plans. Belarus enjoys long lasting and warm partner relations with Iran. As Mr. Lukashenko noted on meeting Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, our two countries have had to overcome some serious obstacles in the past, related to outside pressure. Thankfully, these issues are in the past and it’s time to look into the future with optimism. Mr. Rouhani confirmed Tehran’s readiness to strengthen ties with Minsk. Talks and negotiations were later continued at a major meeting of the heads of state. While delivering his speech in front of his colleagues, Mr. Lukashenko paid attention to the uniqueness of the direct dialogue observed during those days between the BRICS leaders and other states participating in the forum. This is a good basis to expand inter-state interaction. Such approaches meet

Minsk’s philosophy of integration. Belarus is a firm BRICS ally ready to actively join any avenue of co-operation with the organisation. The President of Belarus assured all those present that our country can be truly called a member of the ‘BRICS club of friends’. We are a reliable and predictable partner, having no conflict on its territory and creating no problems for its neighbours. We are in a good position to ensure the security of our common borders and the safe transit of energy resources. Belarus also efficiently counteracts drug trafficking and illegal migration, pursuing a peaceful foreign policy. This year, the country chairs the Eurasian Economic Union and is ready to support special formats of our economic union’s interaction with the BRICS. It’s likely that these approaches will open up the possibilities of a closer interaction between Belarus and the BRICS states in the future. Behind the scenes at the forum, the First Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus, Vasily Matyushevsky, noted that, on acquiring an observer status with the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation, the country needs to achieve a similar rapprochement in its relations with the BRICS. This process looks logical: the world is constantly producing new threats and even major states are unable to counteract them when acting alone. Accordingly, projects of regional integration are playing an increasing role in securing nations. Mr. Lukashenko’s intensive working schedule in Ufa confirms the key: the country is stably and purposefully pursuing a multi-vector foreign policy. Belarus is ready for an open, constructive and trust-based dialogue with any state, on an equal footing and mutually respectful basis. This position of Minsk is accepted and respected by many countries, including those who are members of the club of absolute world leaders, and this is very precious. By Dmitry Kryat

2015 беларусь.belarus

EUROPEAN CONTEXT

Reforms are a progressive phenomenon The pragmatic and constructive position of Belarus on the international arena is gaining more recognition not only in the East but in the West as well

hairman-in-Office of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe and Serbia’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Ivica Dacic, visits Minsk and meets the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko. There’s nothing surprising in the visit, as our country has been a fullyfledged participant of Europe’s largest international organisation for 23 years while interacting with its institutes. Belarus supports the OSCE’s priority role (established in the Charter of European Security) in settling conflict within the area of its responsibility. The country respects the sovereignty and state integrity of the organisation’s member states. As a result, Minsk’s official foreign policy aims of developing dialogue and the country’s well-considered position on the Ukrainian issue, have been positively perceived by the member states and the OSCE Chairman-in-Office. Belarus has provided the venue in Minsk for negotiations and for the achievement of firm agreements to deescalate the situation in the east of Ukraine. This has helped to strengthen the image of Belarus as a neutral state with serious peacekeeping intentions. Nevertheless, we are not complacent about our success. On the contrary, the President believes that

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other heads of the OSCE member states could have made a more proactive contribution to the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis. “If there’s a war, then the heads of state should have met urgently to discuss this problem and take some decisions to implement various measures. Even if they were unable or unwilling to implement these measures, at least they would have a chance to discuss their opinions with other states. So far this is not happening,” stated the President of Belarus.

Mr. Lukashenko consequently has a somewhat ambivalent attitude towards the OSCE. He is convinced that the organisation could play a much more positive peacekeeping role, despite the difficulties it has within its own organisation. “The OSCE is doing its best to help regulate the conflict in the east of Ukraine. However, with the powers the OSCE has today and no support from the heads of state, the organisation is powerless in this situation. This is the reason why we have new formats like Normandy, Berlin, Minsk and others. It could have been done by one organisation, the OSCE. It is its function,” noted the Head of State.

Serbia’s Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic

In return, Mr. Dacic pointed out that Serbia, currently presiding over the OSCE, is doing its best to promote the political process in the region, especially regarding the Ukrainian issue. Serbia also attaches equal importance to other conflicts in Europe. The Foreign Minister was quick to confirm the peacekeeping contribution of Belarus, “Numerous agreements are reached here, in Minsk, with meetings of a trilateral contact group, as well as its working subgroups. In this respect, Belarus has made a huge impact on the peace process.” It continues to do this and there have been discussions as to whether Belarus could take on the role of a secretariat in the negotiations process with Ukraine. Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei confirmed, “Belarus completely supports the efforts of the Serbian presidency in the OSCE, aimed at strengthening the organisation and enhancing security and stability within the zone of responsibility.” Mr. Dacic conveyed greetings from Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic and Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic to Alexander Lukashenko and commented on the friendly relations between the two countries, “We’re committed to developing the comprehensive relations between our two countries including those in the political, economic, scientific, cultural, educational and defence sectors.” By Maksim Osipov

CONTACTS

Dialogue creates understanding

he three American congressmen were arriving in Belarus for the first time and, although representing different political parties, shared common surprise at the extent to which our country is a civilised European state. All agreed that it is more progressive than they had imagined and have returned home with a positive image of Belarus. The US representative for California, Dana Rohrabacher, noted, “I hope this visit will open up new possibilities for our relations. I’ve been happy with what I’ve seen. It does justice to your efforts and those of your country, made for public benefit. I hope Belarus can be proud of many things and that we may enjoy various avenues of co-operation.” He believes that the enhancement of diplomatic ties — embodied by the return of a US Ambassador to Minsk, as well as a Belarusian Ambassador to Washington — will be the first step in this direction.

Belta

Regular communication is the best path to mutual understanding, inspiring a delegation of US congressmen to visit Belarus

US representative for California, Dana Rohrabacher:

“What I’ve seen does justice to your efforts and those of your country, made for public benefit. I hope Belarus can be proud of many things and that we enjoy various avenues of co-operation.” Even during the most complicated periods, interaction has continued between Belarus and the US regarding issues of global and regional security and counteracting the illegal transit of nuclear materials. The US supports Belarusian initiatives at the UN and is in favour of our country’s application to join the WTO. In recent times, there has been a pleasant tendency to ignite contacts. Our turnover has also risen slightly:

reaching just over $260m from January to May 2015. American corporations are demonstrating increasing interest in Belarus, especially regarding our participation in the Eurasian Economic Union. The USA views our country as geographically important, believing that we have a role to play in establishing political balance in the region: as an effective connecting link in American-Russian relations.

2015 беларусь.belarus

GUIDED BY MULTI-VECTOR PRINCIPLE At present, there are about 400 companies using American capital in Belarus. However, Mr. Lukashenko is confident that our potential for economic co-operation is considerably larger. He emphasises, “The USA is a promising trade partner and investor. Accordingly, we are keen to secure our Belarusian manufacturers’ access to the vast, solvent American market, raising investments, promoting manufacturing co-operation, and taking out loans. Belarus has never created obstacles and has no intention of doing so, being ready to co-operate with every partner to the greatest degree possible. Political discord is no reason for alienation. In fact, our shared points of interest outweigh those separating us. This inspires hope that contacts will continue, helping restore our mutual trust.” A modest yet important step has been taken in Minsk, thanks to the American congressmen’s appreciation of the contribution made by Bealrus to the peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian conflict. They have expressed readiness to continue promoting peace and admit that the agreements of the ‘Normandy Four’ (reached in Minsk this February) remain the foremost mechanism for settling the crisis. Mr. Lukashenko continues to be concerned that the USA has refrained from openly becoming involved, asserting that stability in Ukraine is impossible without the USA. The President’s meeting with the congressmen lasted for two hours, ending with informal conversation on a warm note. Tennessee House of Representatives member Steve Cohen mentioned that his grandfather was born in Lithuania and his grandmother probably had Belarusian roots. His colleague, Mr. Rohrabacher, has no such close ties with our country. However, he mentioned that he had brought his granddaughter to Belarus, and was impressed to learn that Mr. Lukashenko has seven grandchildren. At the end of the meeting, the guests expressed hope that our children and grandchildren will live in peace, through the joint efforts of our two states’ politicians. By Yevgeny Kononov

беларусь.belarus 2015

New page in relations The principle of multi sector investment, underlying the Belarusian foreign policy, is largely due to the need to diversify markets for domestic products. The African continent offers a huge potential for it.

here are many elements of Belarus that are novel to African guests: its nature, cuisine and well-developed infrastructure. But what they didn’t have to get used to is the July climate. July is the coldest month in Zimbabwe; the temperature there at this time is about the same as ours. Acclimatisation was not a problem for the delegation. There is hope that there will be no obstacles to cooperation in the trade and economic sectors. The flagships of our domestic industry (MAZ, MTZ, BelAZ, BSW) have worked for the Zimbabwean market for a while now and even managed to sign some contracts. In truth however, their implementation leaves much to be desired. In recent years, the country has experienced a severe financial crisis. Inflation has reached a truly cosmic scale. This summer, one US dollar was equivalent to 250 trillion Zimbabwean dollars. But this is, presumably, a temporary difficulty. Zimbabwe has an abundance of natural wealth with commercial production of iron, coal, gold, silver, nickel, platinum and diamonds. Alexander Lukashenko has offered to begin a programme of interaction: “I think that we should start with a few specific projects. It will be a message to entre-

preneurs not only from your country but also from other countries, with which you share the border.” Zimbabwe has relied on the development of the mining industry and the construction of its social and economic infrastructure. In this respect, they are interested in our experiences. The Zimbabweans are keen to purchase dumper trucks as well as road and construction equipment. Only the problem of maintenance and servicing of the vehicles is an issue for them. Mr. Lukashenko suggested we should study the possibility of establishing a single powerful service centre in the region for all Belarusian equipment. Emmerson Mnangagwa personally made sure of the quality of our products by driving one of the vehicles at BelAZ. He declared that he is probably the only man in Africa who is lucky enough to have been on such a heavy truck. In Zimbabwe, they have undertaken mechanisation of agriculture. The country grows a lot of quality cotton, tea and tobacco, one of the best on the continent. Local farmers will certainly like Belarusian tractors. African banks and the Bank of Development of Belarus are potential sources of financing for the purchases. By Vladimir Khromov

ELECTION 2015

‘Many promises are made in election campaigns; the president-elect will have to fulfil them’

Support team

President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko

What have Belarusians to expect from the Presidential Election campaign this autumn?

Alexander Stadub

he Presidential Election campaign has been launched in Belarus — the fifth in the history of the democratic country. Belarusians will be able to express their will on October 11th. The election date has been approved by the national Parliament at the final meeting of the seventh session. According to the legislation, a candidate for the post of the President can be put forward only via collecting signatures of voters. For this purpose, an initial group of at least 100 members is needed. In total, the Central Election Commission has allowed eight such groups to participate, including the support team of the current President Alexander Lukashenko. They must each collect 100,000 signatures by August 21st, enabling their contender to gain the official status of a candidate. It’s very difficult to gain such powerful electoral support, especially if there’s no strong team of like-minded people in the form of a public organisation or a political party that already enjoys a level of trust. The experts’ opinions are similar: the current President Alexander Lukashenko boasts the greatest chance of victory. His usual sparring partners are the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, Sergei Gaidukevich, the Chairman of the Belarusian Left Party ‘A Just World’, Sergei Kalyakin, and the Chairman of the United Civic Party, Anatoly Lebedko. Of course, the big question is whether they will gain enough votes for a second round. Some representatives of the Belarusian opposition have assessed their chances and are calling on each other

to withdraw from participation in the elections, or even to boycott them. However, a prohibition on calling a ballot strike is one of the innovations of the current election campaign. In this respect, the Secretary of the Central Election Commission, Nikolai Lozovik, spoke clearly, “Belarus has joined the CIS Convention on Standards of Democratic Elections, Electoral Rights and Freedoms, according to which the ballot strike is forbidden. The Campaign-2015 also differs from the previous campaigns in the order of financing of the candidates’ election activity. In 2010, they had to form private election funds. The Central Election Commission decided to go even further, allowing funds to be allocated to the candidates for the position of the President, as well as to those who register their initiative groups and plan to collect signatures for putting forward a candidate.

Moreover, the size of the fund has been tripled to about $105,000. This can be used to buy additional pages in newspapers, time on television, print leaflets and pay for the work of one’s team. Funds of political parties, legal entities and citizens can be used to replenish the fund while anonymous and foreign donations are forbidden. Each candidate will have to specify whether they have a conviction (even if it’s removed from the official records) and which funds they use to live on (even if they don’t work anywhere officially).” Belarus has never restricted the number of international observers. For example, over 1,000 foreign observers have been accredited during the 2010 Presidential Election. No fewer are expected this year. Invitations have been sent to all international organisations, with observers from South Korea first arriving in our country. Moreover, the OSCE ODIHR representatives will be joined by observers from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (where Belarus isn’t represented). The Chairman of the Executive Committee and CIS Executive Secretary, Sergei Lebedev, was appointed the head of the CIS observation mission. Sociologists have calculated that over 70 percent of Belarusian citizens plan to take part in the Presidential Election. Such high political activity is easily explained: the consequences of the global economic crisis, sharp confrontation between large states, the escalation of tension in RussiaEU relations, and the events in Ukraine worry people and encourage them to use their vote to make a difference. By Yevgeny Kononov

2015 беларусь.belarus

ELECTION 2015

Upon right of responsibility Chairman of Russia’s Central Election Commission, Vladimir Churov, notes our civil duty to vote in elections, honouring the memory of past generations and those to come

Alexander Stadub

Authorised to observe The presence of two groups, candidates and voters, is obligatory when carrying out any election. But an election campaign has one more indispensable side, the observers. These are people authorised to observe the activity of the election commission, they supervise the counting of votes, check the validity of the summation of results and other issues. The Secretary of the Central Election Commission, Nikolay Lozovik, told us how the forthcoming Presidential Election, set for October 11th, will look for observers:

“O

ur purpose is as follows. We have introduced an amendment to the law to allow observers to monitor the counting of votes, thus ensuring transparency in our election process. They are not simply looking from afar, but watching closely to see how the ballot papers are counted. It is a requirement of the law. Therefore, if they are not allowed to do their job properly, it means that the commission will be breaking that law. And it will be necessary to report it.” At the same time, relying on the experience of recent years, the Secretary of the Central Election Commission noticed that even with the absence of barriers, observers do not always give objective assessments in their final conclusions,

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“At times observers say that they have no comments concerning the election process, but when the final conclusion is prepared, some officials turn their minor points into significant issues.” Nikolay Lozovik assumes that in the forthcoming Presidential Election, there will be a large number of international observers, in particular, there will be present a large group of the ODIHR (Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights) from the OSCE officials. The Secretary of the Central Election Commission also noted that local observers will be working as usual, comprising a whole army of helpers in the region of 30-40 thousand people.

peaking during the Moscow-Minsk video-bridge, dedicated to 70 Years of Peace: Lessons of War and History of Common Victory, Mr. Churov commented on the Belarusian Presidential Election campaign. He underlined, “Belarus is preparing for an important event: the Presidential Election. Of course, if, 70 years ago, our ancestors had failed to claim victory in the Great Patriotic War, we wouldn’t be electing presidents of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine today. We’d be electing a fascist prefect instead. Voting in elections is our civil duty to past generations and those to come.” Mr. Churov believes that it’s too early to speak of who might form the Russian observer team, or how many people it will comprise; the decision should be announced by October. However, he added that Russian observers will be represented within the OSCE, CIS, and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation delegations (on a bilateral basis). The 2015 Belarusian Presidential campaign may set a record for its number of international observers, including representatives of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, the UN Parliamentary Assembly and the CIS, in addition to observers from PACE (an influential international organisation to which there are no Belarusian members).

POLITICAL TECHNOLOGIES

Canvassing without negative

There are those who are of the opinion that voters are more predisposed to believe in pre-election promises, even the unrealistic ones, in hard times. As a result, politicians try to appeal to the masses in order to achieve their political goals. For the politicians, relying on a firm vote is preferable to banking on the strength of the economy to boost their count. Some people use rational

critical thinking during the election campaign while others make their decision purely on their opinion of the candidate’s photo just before filling in the form, judging candidates on the basis of their appearance. Analytical voters appear to be in the minority in most countries. The difference is based on how a certain political system functions. The two-party system in the USA ensures that parties act as a filter,

Election campaigns now make full use of all available political tools. Our reporter speaks to Denis Melyantsov, a political scientist and senior analyst at the Belarusian Institute of Strategic Studies, who tells us of the tricks used by politicians worldwide and of voters’ reaction to them

preventing extreme personalities from joining the political scene. Non-party candidates are unlikely to be chosen for significant posts. Each country has its own restrictions, and the better developed these are, the less the chance a populist politician will succeed. Should we study a manifesto in detail or should we pay more attention to the candidate’s biography and achievements?

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POLITICAL TECHNOLOGIES A minority of voters read the candidates’ election pledges, according to estimates, there are no more than about 10-15 percent of voters reading the publicity thoroughly. These are mostly political scientists and analysts. Biographies of the candidates are to be found on flyers, on TV or in voting stations. Interestingly, when the voters were asked what sort of person they would prefer to win the election, the overwhelming majority preferred candidates with managerial experience, especially if this had been gained in a large company. What tricks do politicians use to influence voters’ opinions to their advantage? There are plenty of political technologies and positive PR is among them. With this philosophy, a politician appears in the mass media as often as possible, irrespective of the reason. In line with current thinking, politicians need to appear in public a certain number of times in order to be recognised by the public. However, ‘black’ or ‘dark’ PR also exists, aimed at discrediting the other candidates. On occasion, fake leaflets for a rival candidate are distributed in letterboxes and stuck to car windscreens, with intentional mistakes and provocative information. This causes natural bad feeling amongst politicians.

Satirical candidates can apply, but they are unlikely to collect the necessary number of signatures or engender trust. It’s not enough to be outrageous; political strength and motivation is the key In many countries, an election can turn into a public spectacle, with flamboyant eccentric candidates included in the voting lists. Could personalities like this appear in our country? In this respect, Belarusians are conservative and treat elections extremely seriously. Satirical candidates can apply, but they are unlikely to collect the necessary number of signatures or engender trust. It’s not enough to be outrageous; political strength and motivation is the key. Unusual personalities always arouse great interest however, and, to achieve this, it isn’t always necessary to don a Darth Vader costume, as was recently seen in Ukraine. The current Polish President, Andrzej Duda, for example, benefited from the distinction between

himself and the other candidates. In contrast to his rival Komarowski, he applied unusual psychology, not previously seen in the Polish political sphere. He visited all regions by bus, talking to people informally and treating them to coffee. He created an impact, which piqued people’s interest in his personality. How would you describe our voters? Conservatism is their main feature; it’s seen even in their reluctance to vote for female candidates. Men are still preferred, moreover, our voters do not view voting as a right, for most of them it is a duty or habit. Most of the population vote during any election campaign, including regional ones. As a rule, attendance is no less than 70 percent, which is a high turn out compared to other countries. By Irina Sudas

Rapid-fire question

What do our parties need to do to increase their popularity? Alexander Lazarev, entrepreneur: The parties themselves primarily lack a desire to be popular. Their image should not be perceived through unsanctioned meetings or law violations; actions such as these turn voters away and create mistrust. They need to promote themselves through social actions such as helping others in showing kindness in the community.

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Valery Guzov, Deputy Chairman of the Shklov District Executive Committee: I don’t consider any party to be outstanding or capable of creating a government at the moment. Our existing government has helped us to avoid some of the shocks seen in other parts of the world. Political and economic stability is natural for our country and I abhor it when blood is shed or people have to leave their homes for a better life because of someone’s excessive ambition.

Tatiana Radivilina, Head of the Chausy District Executive Committee’s Department of Ideology, Culture and Youth Affairs: They probably do work with the community. But if so, this is mostly done in secret and needs to be better publicised. There is a general lack of enthusiasm or at least of publicising their policies and their successes. I think most Belarusians have no idea that some of the politicians even exist.

Alexander Ruzhechka

INNOVATIONS

Belarus-style Silicon Valley

n undergraduate at one of the most prestigious Minsk higher educational establishments — the Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics, Maxim Demchenko, speaks of his choice, “This University is connected with IT companies and it will be easier to find a job in the future. I would love to live and work in Minsk and, like my friends,

hope to join one of the resident companies in the High-Tech Park.” The Belarusian is not attracted by working abroad. “My uncle and his wife went to the USA in the mid-1990s. At that time, Belarusians and Russians were highly thought of by major IT recruiters as we were thought to have a unique ‘Slavonic’ way of thinking. Our people were able to think outside the box and find a solution to virtually unsolvable problems,” the young man says. “My relatives went to earn some money to buy a flat

High-Tech Park transforms Belarus into a major IT supplier in Europe and then planned to return home. It took them five years to accumulate savings. During that time, babies were born and their career was developing. In 2000, they could have returned only to their own flat in Minsk and there were no jobs in Belarus suitable for their qualifications. The situation is different now.”

No longer a brain drain The situation has changed drastically. Primarily, this has become possible as Belarus has developed its own serious

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INNOVATIONS IT industry. The High-Tech Park transformed the country into a major producer of software in Central and Eastern Europe. Established in September 2005 by a Presidential decree, the Park has already earned $1bn. At present, the HTP annually exports $500m (last year, the figure exceeded $585m) of its products globally. “Last year, we ensured a 44 percent growth of exports of services in the country’s payment balance,” admits HTP Director Valery Tsepkalo proudly, he was among the founders of this grand and successful project. In the past, the former assistant of the President and the Belarusian Ambassador to the USA spent over a year trying to convince us that Belarus needed generous tax and other benefits for the IT industry and a special venue for hightech companies. Crucially, we preserved a high level of staff training in the field of electronics and radio-technics. To retain our talented staff, favourable conditions were created for the development of the software industry and the enhancement of export production based on high technologies. High calibre employees do not need to move away when they can find jobs and earn comparable salaries at home. The average salary in the IT sphere is approximately 1,000 Euros, which is not bad for Minsk. What conserns the regional centres of Belarus, this money can allow people to have an address to gain a bank credit or build a house... and consequently their future. HTP programmers enjoy one of the highest salaries in Belarus, even higher than in most Eastern European states (in the same sphere). Specialists from Russia, Europe, America and Japan work at

A saying has been invented by businessmen working in the IT sphere: if you have any job — send it to India; if you have a complicated job — send it to America; if you have a job which is impossible to do — send it to Belarus. Managing General and Founding Partner of Siguler Guff & Company investment company, Drew Guff

the Park’s best companies. The HTP is justly proud of gathering a team of true professionals under its roof.

Virtual Park The HTP has its own peculiar feature: as distinct from most European and Asian colleagues, Minsk’s Park is virtual. Accordingly, its legal regime is operational over the whole Belarusian region. You can register as a resident and use all the advantages of the Park. Moreover, your office can be located anywhere: in a regional centre or a small village. As Mr. Tsepkalo noted at a press conference on the 2014 results, such an approach makes it possible to fully use the country’s educational, scientific-research, professional and infrastructure potential. “The HTP resident companies actively participate in the implementation of major science-intensive projects and industry modernisation. Moreover, 88 percent of the HTP production is exported, with companies from 56 states of the

world being among our customers. 43.5 percent of our exports head for Western Europe, 40.1 percent go to the USA and 14.4 percent — to the CIS,” he said. Interestingly, a single HTP programmer produces the same added value as fifty workers from the country’s leading companies. Intermediate imports occupy a significant share in exports of the tractor and automobile works while the HTP lacks this. As a result, the Park’s influence on the country’s economy is annually increasing. One of the major tasks for 2015 is the opening of a HTP business incubator. The Park also plans to create the largest venue in the post-Soviet area (and probably in Europe) for freelancers to communicate and work together; among these ‘distance’ employees would be programmers and designers. By Olga Bebenina

Figures alone  Last year, the Park attracted $34.3m of direct foreign investments. At present, 137 resident companies work here — including 58 (42 percent) set up by Belarusian investors. 46 (34 percent) companies of the HTP are foreign and 33 (24 percent) companies are joint commercial organisations. The total number of employees exceeds 20,000.

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INVESTMENT PLATFORM

he development of new business can be both beneficial and rewarding to net investors. Belarus has recently announced at the highest level that new businesses are to be welcomed with an attractive package of offers and various privileges. This is justified by the need to awaken interest in investors and encourage them to put their money into Belarus. In today’s conversation, we’ll focus on the advantages of the investment climate in Belarus. The participants of the round table discussion will have a chance to outline favourable conditions for work of investors in the country. Representatives of the business sector will also describe their personal experiences of investing in various branches. We will also consider any difficulties that are likely to be faced by investors in Belarus. The participants of our round table discussion are: • Vladimir Ulakhovich, Deputy Chairman of the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry; • Rimantas Purtulis, Head of projects at ARVI Group (Lithuania); • Alexander Shchurko, official representative of ARVI in Belarus; • Svetlana Zaburuyeva, Head of the Department of Foreign Economic Activity at the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

If conditions are favourable

Vladimir Ulakhovich

Investors come and stay Belarus magazine: Let us begin by explaining the rationale behind the desire of Belarus to attract foreign investments to the country? V.U.: A high level of investment activity is an indicator of the level of development of the economy. Often, this relates not only to financial business, but also to the field of technology. The most advantageous investments are linked to the transfer of technology, and the development of industrial cooperation. I would primarily outline these as our peculiarities. In the early 1990s, investments were mainly in the form of privatisation, to ‘clear out’ the competitive environment. Unfortunately, we are aware of many examples in neighbouring countries (in the Russian Federation and Ukraine, for example) when rather successful enterprises were privatised but quickly disappeared. Belarus today has a significantly different approach. It seems to me that our concept of ‘pin-point’ (selective) investment in our

country is justified. We place heavy emphasis not only on the financial assets, but the reputation of a partner or investor, who will guarantee the most effective development of our enterprises. If we try to assess our experience, we must primarily consider this factor. Moreover, this unique conceptual approach has justified itself already, and is in line with the social profile of our state, which aims to preserve businesses even when this might be difficult. Essential key enterprises are retained and privatised on the basis of effective management. This brings us closer to similar implementations in the European Union. Neighbouring countries have a different experience of unlimited capitalism and privatisation. Speaking purely about Belarus, it must be said that our country has its own advantages. Its geographical position, for instance; for Europeans, Belarus is a door to the Eurasian Economic Union. In this large market, barriers are minimised and cus-

Alexander Shchurko

toms conditions are simplified. Our second advantage is that Belarus has managed to preserve its industrial profile of manufacturing. We have learned from the experiences of our neighbours, when they wasted such potential. In this respect, the state has acted prudently in deciding to take care of these holdings and to organise industrial chains. Today they work, sometimes it’s hard and there are certain difficulties, but, nevertheless, they do work. We have a further advantage compared to the Eurasian Economic Union. For our

2015 беларусь.belarus

INVESTMENT PLATFORM

Rimantas Purtulis

Svetlana Zaburuyeva

first two partners, Kazakhstan and Russia, raw materials dominate the economy. In our country, industry accounts for over 30 percent of GDP. This means that there’s a basis into which investments can be fed and used to develop manufacturing. Production is the sphere where it’s necessary to invest now. In my opinion, one of our advantages is the policy of optimising investment legislation, which has been carried out during recent years. If we look at the ratings, we can see that we are high achievers among countries that take the most

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determined steps in dealing with business procedures and on the optimisation of the tax burden. One further benefit is our people. New investors have commented that we have well-trained personnel, we have retained a formal quality high school education as well as a stable and peaceful political climate in our country. Levels of crime are low and corruption is dealt with severely, new business leaders are appreciative of all these things. In addition to the advantages I’ve already described, we have a whole range of preferential zones. For example, the Industrial Park offers 10 years of tax exemption and then payment of 50 percent tax for another 10 years. There are six free economic zones, and many privileges in small cities for the development of small and middle-sized businesses. There is also an investment agreement, according to which the state undertakes guarantees. We offer benefits but with our own specific criteria: we follow a well-considered and perhaps cautious investment policy, but the figures show that there is a great deal of interest in what Belarus has to offer. R.P: There are those who are of the opinion, incorrectly I believe, that investors will come if they are promised piles of money. For example, there’re some discounts for income tax, but first this income must be earned and only after that you should receive discounts. Why did our group come here? We are not a large, global company that would step on others on its way to the top. In Belarus, as in other countries, some technology appears before it is seen in other countries but in other cases, it’s long after. Our enterprise is leading in one sphere but may lag behind in another. We had no plans to invest in Belarus ‘at any cost’, but as we were invited, it was to our mutual benefit. Business must be beneficial for both sides. It is a question of public private partnership. This is a real advantage of investing in Belarus and it is clear that the state supports its partners. We have a specific manufacturing process, which was not privatised in Lithuania; our new technology was created from scratch. Our main business is the process-

ing of animal waste. Cattle-breeding and poultry-farming branches as well as farms have waste, and there is also loss of cattle to consider. Previously this was all buried in the ground, or minimally processed. With the new technology that is available, we can now process this waste without polluting the environment. Lithuania joined the World Trade Organisation (WTO), which has strict requirements on such environmental issues. If the environment is polluted during the processing of waste, then meat from such enterprises cannot be exported to other countries. Belarus is currently negotiating to join the WTO. Our technology in this area would help you to reach the required level. We are happy to share our new ideas with the support of an investment agreement to offer us stability and the preservation of benefits. Even when regulations and laws change, these will remain irrespective of political or economical fluctuations. During our time in Belarus, we have revived a dying industry and in just two years have developed a project and constructed a working plant. People from Russia, in particular from Siberia, come to see how to make new technology from old, having invested the minimum amount of cash. Our main task was not to create new workplaces, but to preserve those already existing, to bring them to a higher level. Machine operators have been retrained to work with a variety of complex machinery. The workforce is highly skilled as a result of developing businesses. Our second field of activity is the creation of a large complex for the cultivation and manufacture of turkey meat. Why do we come here with turkeys? Young chickens are available everywhere, this industry is already well developed in your country, and similarly in Lithuania. Poultry grow quickly, within a month, and provides for the demand for affordable meat. Of course, turkey meat does not belong to the luxury products market, but it is already developed to a higher level of industry. At first, this was also at a low level in Lithuania and we were the only enterprise to turn this into an industry. As result, the consumption of this meat increased from 300g per head/year to 2-3kg, while the av-

INVESTMENT PLATFORM

with proposals for the Mogilev district, the Minsk Region’s Soligorsk and the Grodno Region. Waste free production is a state responsibility: a recycling plant will utilise manufacturing wastes from turkey breeding facilities, including feathers. Apart from this project, we are also building a feed mill. A recycling plant produces protein tankage which is then supplied to a feed mill to produce forage and forage additives. In turn, turkeys eat this and meat is the final product. As a result, a closed cycle is created, with no production waste. R.P.: It’s important to add that if a car manufacturing plant is established, for example, it does not mean that other similar enterprises wouldn’t be allowed nearby. A group of small enterprises such as rubber and component manufacturing would enhance the development. In Lithuania, we work with regional authorities, and investigate where a feed mill can be located. It should be located not merely in areas where factories operate but in areas where farming enterprises are well developed. We aren’t afraid of competition with the farmers, as they have small capacities, but the more turkeys we breed, the more meat people buy. We sell young turkeys to farmers (in line with agreements), providing them with forage. We are trying to build relationships with farmers to ensure they become our assistants. A.S.: Production employment is an important issue. However, farm construction has another aspect to consider, the provision of accommodation, usually provided for workers on the farm. Additionally, we have a large amount of fish waste produced by such enterprises as SantaBremor, Belryba and others. ARVI run a facility processing fish waste in Latvia, which produces cod liver oil as a result. The latter is purchased by companies, who go on to make Omega-3 poly-vitamins from it. This year, we plan to increase the plant’s capacities three fold while also studying the issue of processing fish. Belarus magazine: What is the approximate potential investment capacity of the Belarusian economy? Or alternatively, what branches of the economy need investment urgently at the moment?

V.U.: It’s difficult to discuss capacity, since investment in new technology is an endless process. In general though, Belarus has preserved its industrial potential and taken significant steps to modernise our industries, including the machine building sphere and the petrochemical sector. However, there are still many enterprises that can be invested in; particularly the wood processing industry and machine manufacturing. Competition in this market is huge. Our giants, the flagships of the industry, are being modernised, and adapting their products is a continuous process. Secondly, we’ve preserved Belarusian

Belta

erage European indicator is about 8-10kg a year. In Belarus it is approximately 1kg. Turkey is more expensive than young chicken, but we believe in the purchasing capacity of the population. We have seen our niche, we have been promised good conditions, and we have met with local authorities, and signed the investment agreement. As a result: both investors and consumers are happy, as the latter have the opportunity to buy quality useful meat. This is the essence of our concept which we’re developing with the help of the state; it’s a classical example of public private partnership. V.U.: You have touched upon a very good theme. I want to focus attention on the fact that there are niche markets that are not obvious, but investors can discover new directions. This is a very interesting role played by investors. There are many other examples of absolutely new manufacturers in Belarus. It is not simply ready cash, when someone buys assets. It is very important to us to have the dynamics of development and new opportunities. A.S.: Ecological safety is of paramount importance today. We all know the situation with waste disposal, especially that of animal origin. It also concerns mortuaries, which are criticised constantly by the President. We have had discussions with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection. We need to bring everyone’s attention to the question that all economic entities should recycle animal waste through the businesses that have been already created in the country. In the future it will be necessary to focus attention on this issue. These are also issues of ecology and safety when disposing of carcasses. People receive many different illnesses from meat. Therefore, recycling is a very important issue for environmental safety. There is also the issue of food safety to which the Government of Belarus pays a great deal of attention. Poultry, beef and pork are good but are we ‘spoilt’ by turkey meat? According to the experts however, turkey is a very useful meat for our diet, it is good for children and does not contain cholesterol. As far as recycling is concerned, we are now constructing a recycling plant,

science. When I attended the Helsinki business forum, I was shown a Drone pilotless aircraft, which has already been tested in Finland and used to survey forest animals. When we hear about new technology and materials, such as nano-materials, we know this is an area for investment. There are advanced industrial states where little time passes between innovations and their implementation. Sadly, we’ve not yet learnt how to do this quickly. This is a key area for investment and venture capital for us. The state should regulate industries to ensure balanced economic development and upgrading of the infrastructure. State programmes do exist. Looking at the policies of the National Agency for Investment and Privatisation for example, we can see a fo-

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INVESTMENT PLATFORM cus on the development of biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, alternative energy and car manufacturing. These are extremely promising avenues, offering special benefits to investors. In the sensitive area of pharmaceuticals, where global companies dominate the market, Belarus has an edge in our home country. We realise that we can manufacture many products domestically. We can produce import-substituting items; moreover, we have the potential to manufacture new types of pharmaceutical products. Not long ago, we hosted a business forum featuring Chinese partners (from Qinghai Province) who proposed an

ARVI waste recycling plant in the Gomel Region

interesting pharmaceutical development. We know that flax can be used to produce many drugs, which lower the cholesterol level; traditional Chinese medicine has used this knowledge for a long time. We grow flax and we also have the Industrial Park offering its residents ten years of work in ideal conditions, a plan to merge the two opportunities is in place. As for the national economy, we are incredibly dependent on energy resources. A state programme ensures sustainability for our energy balance; it aims to achieve 25 percent local energy. Unsurprisingly, a project to develop our own nuclear power station is being developed. Alternative en-

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ergy is also very important, especially at a local level. At present, these issues are overseen by local authorities. We also have local electricity stations that use alternative fuels. Waste recycling factories operate in Belarus. Sadly, compared with more industrially developed countries that have more than four decades of experience, we are not experts in their technology. There are German and Swedish technologies that we can borrow and use. This is also a very worthwhile and exciting investment opportunity. Car manufacturing, in particular, the production of car components is next in line. In recent years, BelGee was launched (producing Chinese automobiles) while Unison liaised with Ford and General Motors, actively conducting talks with the Industry Ministry. Among the factories manufacturing car components is Borisov’s BATE. A separate programme for the industry’s development has been produced. Whilst developing car manufacturing, our infrastructure is also simultaneously being developed alongside the services and transport sectors. This is a major industry, which requires accompanying production facilities. These are the key areas, but if you visit the Industrial Park, you will note their five major avenues. There is a preferential zone open to investors embracing IT, pharmaceuticals and other spheres. It’s also important to make products that will be sold outside the Belarusian market. The latter is not large — as distinct from the markets of the European Union or the Eurasian Economic Union. The manufacturing of products to ‘service’ these markets is a major goal for us. R.P.: The state publicises its policies with the help of the Investment Agency and the officials of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce. Investors will however, choose the area they are most interested or experienced in, in spite of our desires. At one of our feed mills, old boilers consumed three times more steam (which generates expenses) per kilogram of feed flour. Modern boilers — irrespective of where they’ve been produced (Germany, Belarus or Russia) — consume three times less. If we need to attract capital to a particular

area such as this, we must make that sector more attractive to potential investors. V.U.: Some years ago, sceptics voiced the opinion that the market should be left to regulate itself independently, but the crises of recent years have shown that the market can collapse without a well thought out plan and consistent state management. We see crises occurring in states not far from us; with this in mind, the state’s role should be circumspect. It should not merely take care but support, direct and see potential. This is the value of state management. Belarus magazine: Certainly, an investor has the right to personally choose where they inject their capital. They’ll probably turn to the areas with the most profitable returns. What features does Belarus have to attract foreign investors, from the point of view of those around the table? V.U.: Our clear advantage is our geographical location and our country’s economic focus. We have a good base for future development. There are many opportunities to modernise businesses from currently operating facilities — such as car component production, as an example. We have enterprises that produce small parts that should be steadily expanded. It’s possible to create a separate industry entirely for the production of car spare parts and components. A German businessman told me that investors and their money love peace and that he enjoys staying in Belarus where everything is ordered and stable. Last year, we had a business forum in New York, attended by our Prime Minister. I was asked to deliver a speech. I told our partner that I would quote him when he said, “I’m happy to run a business in Belarus as I love being here. It’s calm and I employ well-trained personnel. The city is peaceful, beautiful and clean. However, I’d like to give you a piece of advice: you should be more aggressive in promoting your image, your opportunities and your potential”. There are aspects in Belarus not set in the law. This is the quality of life. If your daughter went to Minsk’s Gorky Park at 11pm, she would be safe, not something that can be said of many European capitals. The quality of life is certainly an attraction, as is the quality of our staff, working condi-

INVESTMENT PLATFORM tions and confidence in the future. We are sometimes criticised for our extensive administrative resource; however, this can be an advantage. Investors are very pragmatic and shrewd. They pay little attention to political analysts’ commentaries but study the real situation. They consider the history of business successes and real opportunities. R.P.: Of course, investors read newspapers but treat political-economic analysts with a pinch of salt. An analyst can be passionately in favour of a policy one minute, then shortly afterwards, just as passionately explaining the reasons why it has failed. V.U.: In recent decades, much investment went to China which is, in turn, a key investor. Nobody then spoke of the country’s tough public relations or serious punishments. Nobody paid attention to that. When the possibility emerged, investments were placed there. As a result, all major market players operate there and transnational companies run their own production facilities. R.P.: Belarus and Lithuania are close from the point of view of geography. The countries are tied historically. Around twenty years ago, our industries were at almost the same level. At present, Belarus leads in some areas and Lithuania tops in others. If investors see that they are in need and can repeat the process they’ve already followed in their own country it will be easy for them. Investors repeat their experience in Belarus with state support. Belarus is a neighbouring and familiar country for us — a Lithuanian company, and it’s easy for us to see opportunities here. There’re no big conglomerates here which wouldn't let strangers in. In my opinion, anyone who is needed for the industry becomes friendly. S.Z.: Lithuania is a relatively small state, but occupies third place as far as the volume of investments into Belarus is concerned. Belarus magazine: Investments are focused on the centre of the country. This is probably because any difficulties are easily solved here: agencies and ministries work in the capital and the local infrastructure is more developed than in the regions. We would like to clarify the situation for investors in other regions of the country. What is their investment competitiveness

Dynamics of investments  In the first six months of the year, Br92.5 trillion of investments have been used into basic capital, with major share of injections coming into processing industry (29.6 percent), agriculture (11.4 percent), transport and communications (9.3 percent), production and distribution of electrical energy, gas and water (6.2 percent). Construction and installation works amounted to Br51.2 trillion.  Remarkably, the amount of investments into construction is falling, with construction and installation works accounting for 55.4 percent of the total volume of injections into basic capital. Over this period, investments for the purchase of machines, equipment and transport vehicles stood at Br29.9 trillion (32.3 percent of the total amount). in comparison to the centre? Are there any advantages to investing in such areas? R.P.: Your opinion is outdated really. Investors are often reluctant to locate in large cities — except for highly sophisticated technology. Generally speaking, the regions are characterised by greater flexibility and freedom. They have more jobs and great interest is shown in them. Minsk is already a ‘crowded bus’. V.U.: The regions have a different atmosphere compared to the rest of the country but it is also a problem that needs to be solved. The Economy Ministry is now developing a strategy of direct foreign investment attraction for 2016-2020 and investment development in the regions is one of this programme’s aims. According to our statistics, regions receive 20-25 percent of all investments. Many investors have come to Minsk, which is an industrial and financial centre, but there are excellent opportunities for business in other parts of the country. The programme also outlines clusters, the so-called inner division or co-operative areas. For example, the Brest Region’s Pinsk area is a wood-processing centre. Food and textile industries are concentrated in Brest, while Mikashevichi is known for its mining industry. Alternative energy, industry and textiles are developed in the Vitebsk Region and Gomel boasts a new industrial park. Each regional centre has its own free economic zone and an

investment portfolio. Grodno is a chemical base. Everything has a clear focus and we promote businesses joining these sectors. The situation should be managed in a more concentrated way to ensure balanced development. R.P.: I believe Minsk is attractive for those who need a high concentration of science businesses: for science intensive rather than energy intensive facilities. V.U.: I can describe what major investments were made last year and what spheres they covered: those were transport and logistics (the major share), trade (primarily in the capital) and industry. The logistical cluster is now actively developing: as soon as a large barrier-free market opened, it became easier to launch a business in Belarus. It’s now possible to register a company in just one day, where this may be connected with various difficulties in some other countries. Moreover, it’s more predictable to run a business in Belarus. A Belarusian driver’s salary and a logistical service would cost less than in Europe while the quality is the same. Accordingly, we are experiencing a boom in logistics. Belarus is beginning to realise its new role. R.P.: It’s clear that the regional authorities are quick to overcome any issues. They know their area and its needs well. The issues which come under the jurisdiction of governors and regional executive committees are settled rather promptly. Meanwhile,

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INVESTMENT PLATFORM there are some problems that cannot be so easily solved, where issues are of a centralised nature. In this case, decision making might take some time. Whilst our investment is welcomed in the regions, this is not the case in Minsk itself. The capital needs projects relating to the major electricity stations; outside Minsk, areas might need just 5km of electricity cable laid but the local authority does not have the power to authorise even small projects such as this. We do not have time to wait for numerous permissions from Minsk; the regions should be given more powers in this regard. V.U.: We do have an administrative policy where each governor needs to be responsible for investment attraction, but this must be centrally regulated to begin with. They have indicative figures, which should be achieved and this inspires them to reach these goals. A.S.: You are right. A governor signs an investment agreement on behalf of the Republic. However, during the implementation process of this investment agreement, subdivisions of central management are involved and, it’s not often so easy to deal with them. There are issues that can be settled only at the highest level. Belarus magazine: What problems do foreign investors face in Belarus: complex legislation, red tape, or lack of interest among local authorities to liaise with investors? A.S.: As I see it, if an investment agreement is signed, then state management bodies must continue to work to make it happen — including contributing to the selling of the products outlined in the agreement. They should not leave investors alone to face any subsequent difficulties. We see that authorities are interested in giving assistance to our present developments. Local authorities contribute to the implementation of not only investment projects but also everything that is created as a result of it. This is encouraging to see and this positive response will generate a desire for further success. R.P.: Foreign currency fluctuations are one of our acute problems. Everyone talk about it. We inject Euros and need to generate profit in Euros as well. In Rus-

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sia, there are cases where the state needs investments, and the possibility of compensation for banking rates is envisaged. This is not as a kind of charity to investors. Banking rates are regulated by the Central Bank, and the Government wishes to offer incentives by removing some of the risks and contributing to the attraction for new businesses. Support of this kind would be very much appreciated in Belarus, in all areas of industry. Price fluctuations are also important. This is especially topical for energy resources. Clearly, we are doing our best to cut costs as much as possible. However, a situation might occur when energy prices (regulated by the state) rise. In this case, our business is negatively affected. I’m speaking about the most vulnerable issues that businesses might face. We need to be aware of them and react if necessary to continue to promote favourable conditions for our investors. There are a few who complain that they have come to Belarus but their businesses have not flourished here. I have studied these cases in detail and not all of the failures are the state’s fault. When signing an investment agreement, we consider the small print carefully and reputable investors should do the same so that they are able to fulfil their obligations to us. A.S.: The investment agreement to launch our factory was implemented three years earlier than planned. We could have been waiting until 2017 but the plant was put into operation in 2014. This indicates the investor’s serious intentions. V.U.: Another aspect refers to the responsibility of the state and the investor, which they need to share. We sometimes have to say goodbye to investors who fail to fulfil their obligations. I think that our legislation can still be improved however. Our Ministry of Economy is working constantly to update the laws. It would also be desirable to simplify our administrative procedures; some, such as accounting, require rigour and we wish to avoid corruption at all costs but there could be improvements nonetheless. At present, there are certain IT technologies available which would help optimise accounting and other areas of administration.

Of course, the Belarusian rouble’s sustainability is vital for all of us but, sadly, we depend on the global market situation in it. The situation observed recently in our neighbouring states has played its role: 40 percent of our exports head for Russia while Ukraine imports 17 percent of our products. We are interested in ensuring sustainability. The Government and the National Bank are now conducting a tough strategy to preserve the rate. We must also pay attention to the issues of financial guarantees with our ministries and people responsible for the investment policy in the Government. R.P.: I think it necessary to stress that the state organises different forums in the provinces with the help of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry. These involve an exchange of opinions and often heated debate. At such forums, all aspects of trade and investment alongside possible solutions can be considered. S.Z.: At the moment, diverse strategies for attracting direct foreign investment are being discussed, in addition to the small and medium sized businesses’ development (in the coming five years). State management bodies are actively attracting different international companies to develop strategies themselves. The International Finance Corporation and the International Monetary Fund have been invited to assess how our legislation could be improved. Their opinions are also important to improve working conditions. Belarus magazine: Considering the facts already mentioned, we can speak about Belarus objectively as an attractive country for foreign investors. What are its advantages compared to other countries in the post-Soviet region? R.P.: We are situated close to the European Union where an industrial nucleus is located, with new technology and financial resources. We are close to the centre of European dynamic development. Although our paths of development differ, our starting point was the same. Our mutual experiences enable us to occupy our own niche and find our own place. The market is not large in Lithuania; moreover, there is no language barrier there. The industrial po-

INVESTMENT PLATFORM tential also matters. Of course, it’s easier for us to enter the markets of the Customs Union and the Eurasian Economic Union via Belarus than via the Kaliningrad Region. A.S.: I’d like to add some practical experience. In Belarus, it took three months to register and a year to implement an investment agreement. In some neighbouring states, this procedure takes much longer. Belarus magazine: What does the experience of foreign investors in Belarus demonstrate? Is there a need to change our approach when dealing with them? V.U.: It is never the case that nothing needs changing. In this case, business activity ceases. Of course, it’s always necessary to move along the path of improvement, optimisation and perfection. Speaking of the current situation, I believe it’s vital to truly fulfil investments in the strategic areas, which have been outlined, such as car manufacturing and the production of components and spare parts. The industrial base is key. We also have increased availability of markets. It’s now not a problem to sell Turkey- or China-made products to Russia or Kazakhstan. In the meantime we can look forward to the possibility of manufacturing quality products domestically. If this aim were reached, then our machine manufacturing would reach a new level. It’s necessary to breathe new life into our holdings and the realisation of these goals is of paramount importance at the moment. We do have a disadvantage in that the state governs a major part of the economy. However, the state is sometimes able to act as an umbrella to support enterprises and inject resources into them. Our managerial personnel have enjoyed a privileged position: they did not have to struggle to increase their market, as they were well aware that the state would not abandon them. As a result, we lack a good deal of experience of working in very competitive markets. Of course, we need to ensure a staff potential of a slightly different level: to be able to work with partners and achieve technologies and funds coming into the country and its serious, strategic branches. We need long-term investments, not companies who will leave as soon as they turn a profit. There are several governmental documents aimed at enhancing

our marketing services and improving the quality of people who work on the global markets, this is necessary for us to compete effectively in the modern world. R.P.: I think the state is not fully utilising its financial tools. Many companies used to receive subsidies or investments from the government. However, developed enterprises would be satisfied with more complex financial packages rather than cash, such as governmental guarantees or guarantees of sales. So far, these measures are not used to the full, in comparison with other countries even Russia and Kazakhstan. Certain flexibility in this issue would make it possible to attract more financial resources. Belarus magazine: Investors rely on a greater share of the market than Belarus offers. Do the Customs Union, the Eurasian Economic Union and other associations offer increased possibilities for investors? V.U.: This summer is the busiest we have ever seen. In a single week, we hosted a business forum with China’s Qinghai Province — featuring around 100 Chinese enterprises. A Japanese delegation consisting of the flagships of the Japanese business — Hitachi, Panasonic, Mitsubishi and JTI — has also paid a visit. The visit by a Moldovan delegation was part of the Moldovan President’s visit to Belarus. The majority of our guests are interested in how they could co-operate with Belarus to break into the vast market of the Eurasian Economic Union. This is our great advantage as our own market is not large; our economy is export oriented. As an example, several years ago, I read a thesis paper by a Russian author who spoke of the indices of the export-oriented economy. According to him, Belarus is second in Europe after Belgium. In some areas, especially dairy production and machine manufacturing, our small country is a global market player. We have excellent opportunities for investors who come here. Belarus magazine: Envisaging the future. How do you see the Belarusian investment position in 2-3 years? V.U.: We are optimists and I’d like to say that, judging by the last year, the volume of international investments has fall-

en by 8 percent but Belarus has sustained its positive dynamics: losing only slightly more than 1 percent. One of the issues making investors cautious is the lack of regional stability in our neighbouring states. From the regional point of view, they see how this situation influences the rouble exchange rate. I think the situation in the country will be continuously improving. Our Industrial Park has around ten large companies in residence already, with expressions of interest from twenty more. In the pharmaceutical sphere, Bayer is a good example; the company has signed a draft contract with the Park. I believe our preferential zones will develop further. Most of the Belarusian-Chinese Great Stone Industrial Park’s infrastructure investments come from China. However, the Park is open for anyone and it aims to combine the most advanced production facilities. Pharmaceutical investment, in particular, introduces technologies that will have far reaching benefits. Similar to the oil industry, in terms of its significant financial value and high investment potential, pharmaceutical manufacturing and development encourage global markets. A.S.: In terms of prospects, as a representative of a foreign company, it is important to stress that we all have high hopes when investing in Belarus. We have no plans to develop our business in the Grodno region alone. We’ll continue investing in the Belarusian economy — in particular, focusing on the Mogilev and Minsk regions. We are also investigating the possibility of investing in Belynichi’s Waste Processing Plant (in the Mogilev Region), with the aim of modernising it. Our company plans improvements in turkey breeding in the Klimovichi District (as a result of the Presidential decree on development of the country’s south-eastern areas). All our agreements are signed and we are now sorting out final issues. We’ll then sign an investment agreement. R.P.: Apart from pure investments, we are also ready to share technologies and are now negotiating with a Belarusian farmer on the issue. We are not closed competitors, but are willing to share our experiences. By Victor Mikhailov

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PANORAMA  Task for tomorrow Reducing inflation remains main task of monetary and credit policy for 2015-2016, with ambition of limiting consumer price index to no more than 10 percent growth, notes Prime Minister Andrei Kobyakov, addressing Presidium of Council of Ministers

Business leaders Heads of the most successful companies have been awarded the title Person of the Year: twelve businessmen won awards in the contest from a field of 130 candidates

mong the award holders are those who’ve managed not just to remain afloat in the present difficult economic climate but also to significantly strengthen their position in the market. A Chinese guest, Li Haixin, the Director General of the Industrial Park Development Company, is one of those receiving the award. He has twenty years of experience in the field of design and construction, and is personally responsible for twenty engineering projects in China. At the moment, Mr. Haixin is working on a major local development and declared it was a pleasure to receive an award in Belarus. He has no plans to rest on his laurels however, as much work lies ahead.“My key goal is to promote the Great Stone project on the international arena, whilst offering qualitative services to interested companies. So far, over 30 firms have expressed their desire to join the BelarusianChinese Industrial Park which aims to become an exemplary project of the Silk Road Economic Belt.”

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This year, the Person of the Year business contest celebrates its twentieth anniversary, attracting an incredible number of high-tech, export oriented and import substituting companies. Among them are BeSmart JSC (developing the ERIP payment system), the Bank BelVEB (supporting several major projects such as the construction of the Ostrovets nuclear power station) and Tabak-Invest JSC. The business-magazine DELO editorial board comprising authoritative entrepreneurs, economists and representatives of the various ministries, has chosen the best of the best. The board is headed by Piotr Nikitenko, an academician, a Doctor of Economic Sciences and a Professor, . Addressing the awards ceremony, he stressed that the winners of the awards are progressive, artistic and strong-willed personalities who do not wait for external support but rely on their own strength and logical analysis of market conditions. More importantly, these people have a driving passion for their business. By Irina Sudas

h e r e c e nt m e e t i n g o f t h e Council of Ministers included forecasts for social and economic development for 2016. Mr. Kobyakov underlined, “Our second task is to escalate gold and exchange currency reserves, aiming all the tools of our monetary policy at achieving these two tasks, taking into account external and internal conditions.” Mr. Kobyakov added that the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Finance and the National Bank have prepared conceptual approaches towards forecasting budgetary-tax and credit policy for 2016 for use by the Govern-

ment. He explains, “It’s important to define initial conditions correctly, primarily external economic conditions under which our economy will develop. Recent years’ experience shows that it’s not an easy task, as the world economy changes rapidly.”

TRADE MARK

A taste of the past

t’s not difficult to find Belarusian products in Moscow: almost all the shops have separate shelves for Belarusian meat and dairy products. “Our shelves emptied last year when sanctions were introduced and we were not allowed to sell European goods,” recollects the manager of Moscow’s major shop chain, Natalia. “We had to find new suppliers immediately. Our domestic businessmen were slow off the mark while Belarusians reacted immediately. Our customers show great interest in the products, they are very popular.” It is however, only a small share of Belarusian products that can be found in the chain of shops. “The reason is that our products have a short shelf life,” explains Sergey Troshin, who owns two shops selling Belarusian products. “Everything is made of natural ingredients, rather than using preserving agents which can be stored for ages.” According to the statistics, the Belarusian-Russian turnover has fallen. Mr. Troshin explains the reasons, “In general, people now buy less, and this applies not only to Belarusian products but to all others.”

Our reporter investigates Belarusian products sold in Moscow All-Union Exhibition of National Economic Achievements as a venue Where else can Belarusian products be found if not at the Belarus pavilion of the All-Union Exhibition of National Economic Achievements? The beautiful building is crowded inside. Belarus-made products occupy spaces

I make purchases here because Belarusians have retained the quality of their products since Soviet times amidst the columns: among them are mannequins wearing bathrobes, traditional sarafan pinafores and dresses and stands of cosmetics. “Everything has risen in price in the shops and we are now turning to Belarusian products

from abroad,” explains Muscovite Maria who has come to buy clothes. Food stalls are also seen at the exhibition and have proved an extremely popular attraction according to the shop assistants. “It is mostly tourists who come to the Exhibition but there are also plenty of Muscovites. I was born in Belarus: our company tries to employ Belarusians as shop assistants. Not because of discrimination; our staff have grown up with these products and know them well. I can explain how each product, for example, is cooked. It’s saltison — a blood sausage which is very useful and tasty.”

Nostalgia over all-Union standards Tents with fruit, vegetables and other treats are to be found near the Bagrationovskaya metro station, some way from the market itself. On enquiring where I can find Belarusian products, I hear an irritated shout, “You are all crazy about these Belarusian products! We are representing Mariy El and our produce is good too!” A queue is normal for a small Belarusian shop located in the market. “A Krakovskaya sausage please as usual,”

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TRADE MARK an elderly woman asks the shop assistant. “I also need a bottle of kefir.” This shop amazes with a wide range of goods and demonstrates true patriotism: flags are everywhere on the walls and shelves. The shop owner, Sergey, explains that he’s decorated the shop to his own taste. The customers love this as many view Belarusian goods as a sign of quality. “I make purchases here because Belarusians have retained the quality of their products since Soviet times,” comments pensioner Zinaida who previously worked at a meat factory. “Our country has destroyed the AllUnion Standards (GOSTs) while Belarusians have managed to preserve the taste of the past.” Most of the interviewed customers mentioned this ‘taste of the past’ with nostalgia — saying that it reminds them of their childhood in the Soviet Union. The current retrospective trend towards the Soviet is benefiting Belarusian products. The Zakroma Belarusi shop is decorated with a village fence and has a cat on the staircase. Its façade is truly unique and is well known to buyers and sellers. “People from all the surrounding areas come to us,” the shop assistant explains. “This is no surprise as the quality of our products is perfect. While on holiday in Russia and abroad, I could not eat anything: I’ve got used to the Belarusian quality. It’s not true that only elderly people buy from us. Many young people come, especially those with children.” The range is rich and varied, including Belarusian beer, chips, milk products, canned and meat products and fresh bread. “Bread is taken out of the ovens in Belarus at 2am and we receive it at 2pm,” boasts the assistant, who considers that sanctions have not seriously affected the number of buyers but they have been influenced by the rouble devaluation. Last December, all the price tags were replaced as prices grew. However, in early 2015, the shop owner dropped prices slightly by 20-50 roubles depending on the product. Shops selling Belarusian products in Moscow need no advertising

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By Nina Beroeva

ENERGY OF INVENTION

Endless

possibilities for technology

On transplanting this printed kidney, a human organism would not reject it

Tatiana Stolyarova

The A.V. Lykov Institute of Heat and Mass Transfer welcomes visitors to its long hallway and numerous doors; a miracle is happening behind each of them. The local laboratory of micro- and nano-material analysis is developing new models of 3D printers, devices for 4D printing and even an artificial kidney. This seems a fantasy… but it’s reality.

he laboratory head, Sergey Filatov, holds a model of a human kidney in his hand; ready to be 3D printed. This is not a full copy of the original but if this artificial organ were transplanted to a patient, it would be accepted: the kidney is made from a biologically compatible material. Threads for operations are also made using this method. These are the first steps to producing artificial organs, but if the idea receives financial support, then the first laboratory tests would become possible in three years. “Nobody in the world has so far printed a fullyfledged organ ready for implantation,” Mr. Filatov demonstrates a 3D kidney model on the screen. “This is a complicated process which needs time.” Theoretically, if this were to become possible, a small amount of fat tissue is taken from a patient to receive necessary cells. A 3D model of an organ is then prepared by a computer. Later, a 3D printer is involved into the process: live cells are placed on a sample of the biological material, which resembles plastic. These cells connect with each other, creating a form. As a result, an artificial organ is produced from the patient’s own cells. It then needs to be activated in a spe-

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ENERGY OF INVENTION

Tatiana Stolyarova

This is the best electronic microscope in the country: the materials used for 3D printing can be studied with a resolution of x1,400

cial way, trained and tested for functionality. After all these procedures are complete, the artificial kidney can be transplanted. In the course of time, ‘plastics’ will dissolve in the body (as surgical stitches do) while the basis of the cells will remain. Technologies of the kind could be used in cases when a patient urgently needs transplantation but there is no organ available. Mr. Filatov shows us a photo of a 3D model of the internal organs of a person. In the course of time, we’ll be able to apply 3D technologies to plan surgical operations. This means that a doctor would be able to virtually ‘rehearse’ a complicated operation if necessary. Another room in the Institute has two sections separated by thick glass. Complete silence is needed here, as nothing must disturb the scientist’s

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concentration. An electronic microscope is in the centre; the device is in no way similar to those used in biology classes at school. It is large and has several monitors nearby; its keyboard reminds one of a board in a pilot’s cabin. This is the best electronic microscope in the country. On inserting a sample into its camera, Mr. Filatov comments, “Just look: the picture has increased 1,400 times. We can study in great detail the quality of materials used for 3D printing.” An optical tomograph is another unique device developed at the laboratory; it resembles a refrigerator at first sight. However, it aims to study the internal structure of biological and technical objects. The Institute is actively studying additive technologies and developing new models of 3D printers, perfecting their possibilities and improving

materials for printing. It also has a device for 4D printing; Mr. Filatov explains its mechanism, “It makes it possible to develop a unique material which would change its colour depending on the level of lighting.” This technology has plenty of possibilities, but as the scientist admits, it also has many problems. Firstly, qualified staff is needed; so far, only a few specialists of the kind work in the country. Secondly, materials are important; this method of printing requires unusual materials. Thirdly, these problems can only be solved if the high school, academic and scientific branches of education liaise closely. Really, in order to develop a functioning kidney, the process needs the involvement of scientists, doctors and programmers. By Taisiya Azanovich

GUEST

Gérard Depardieu finds Belarus to his liking The French actor exchanged the bohemian Paris for two days in the comfortable Minsk

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n the evening of July 21st the flight with the 66-year-old actor on board landed at our National Airport. Naturally, the celebrity passenger did not remain unnoticed, the legend of French cinema was recognised during visa inspection. However, entrance visas into the country were not needed, as he is a citizen of the Russian Federation. While the actor diligently smiled at journalists and showed them his passport with the entry stamp, the Belarusian Ambassador to France, Pavel Latushko, explained the purpose of his visit, “His plans includethe discussion of the shooting the film Normandy-Niemen, which filmmakers from Belarus, France and Russia are currently working on. In addition, Gérard, having farming and restaurant businesses of his own, wished to familiarise himself with the agriculture of the country and visit one of our agrotowns, which he has heard a lot about.” At the beginning of July, on the eve of the Independence Day, Gérard Depardieu visited the Belarusian embassy

2015 беларусь.belarus

GUEST

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Mr. Depardieu was asked whether he had thought about transferring part of his business to Belarus. “It would not be profitable for me as a producer of wine: the Belarusian conditions are not suitable for cultivation of grapes. But the country has everything necessary for a high quality of life: beautiful environment, tranquillity, natural milk, tasty meat and beautiful women, what else is necessary for a peaceful old age? I’ll probably consider your offer when I’m older.” While the actor was speaking, workers on the farm queued up for his autograph. It was easy to see how pleased they were to meet the wellknown visitor. Such famous celebrities have never been here. Olga Shimanovich, the head of staff at the commercial dairy farm at Zadomlya, did not hide her emotions, “We did not know that it would be Depardieu who would come. We were just told that a delegation of important guests would arrive today. We were not surprised: we receive visitors practically every month. When we saw the actor, we didn’t recognise him at first. He appeared very pleasant and kind and happily gave autographs to everyone!” By Yuliana Leonovich

Belarus Reference:  Before his trip to Zadomlya farm, the actor visited the Mound of Glory near Minsk, where he laid flowers and paid tribute to the memory of victims of the Great Patriotic War. The President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, met with the famous French actor and restaurateur Gérard Depardieu on July 22nd. Mr. Lukashenko and Gérard Depardieu met in informal surroundings and discussed the themes of supporting agriculture in the modern world and the development of technology to cultivate ecologically safe foodstuffs. They also touched upon possible areas of co-operation between Belarus and France in the field of culture and art. The Head of State arranged a short excursion for Depardieu to the official Residence of the President of Belarus, Ozerny in Ostroshitsky Gorodok. He was shown some examples of Belarusian agricultural machinery and trained in the skills of manual mowing.

Belta

in Paris. Speaking to Mr. Latushko, the actor discussed the importance Belarus gives to the economy and agriculture. In response, the Ambassador invited the legendary actor to see Belarusian agro-tourist projects. Depardieu accepted the invitation and decided to pay a visit immediately. Plans were organised in record time. The two day programme was very informative: on the evening of his arrival, the actor had time to visit a performance by the State Academic National Orchestra named after Zhinovich, to taste our draniki and cranberry liqueur (“It’s a real treat! We do not have things like this in France!” the actor said). He also enjoyed a Belarusian fruit drink and asked for a bottle or two to take back with him. On the following day, the actor went to the Smolevichsi District to a commercial dairy farm belonging to the Ozeritsky-Agro agricultural enterprise. The actor took a child-like pleasure in the farm, showing interest in production technology, enquiring about bullcalves and cows and felt hay and got himself dirty. “Belarus reminds me of a little Switzerland: the same pure open fields, small cottages and a very good infrastructure. Even the agricultural technology is similar. I have noticed that Belarus has all the resources to become a cheese making country. Taking into account the large quantity of milk that you have, and the desire to learn, you only lack the relevant specialists. If you choose French experts, you are bound to be successful.” Depardieu appears to know a lot about Belarus, having previously heard and read much about it. And now he has seen it with his own eyes, “I have heard about the beauty of Belarusian landscapes, they are really incredible! All of Europe knows about the high level of your agriculture. I have never seen such technological farms, even in the Russian city of Saransk where I have a home. It is obvious that the President pays much attention to the development of agriculture.”

EDUCATION

Solid foundation for knowledge

Nadezhda Ponkratova

uch has been said recently regarding distance learning being morally obsolete and of standards of teaching having slipped. In 2011, Department of Knowledge Quality Control at the Ministry of Education conducted an examination of 5th-6th year students studying

remotely, in the most popular specialities: economics and law. Only 43 percent and 20 percent, respectively, received high marks as a result. “We’re planning to significantly reform our system of part-time education. Fewer students will be enrolled and the focus will be on distance learning,” Education Minister Mikhail Zhuravkov has told Parliament. Reform appears vital, especially now that Belarus has joined the Bo-

logna Process. Vadim Mozheiko, of the Discussion-Analytical Society Liberal Club, wonders whether these reforms will be only for the sake of appearance. He muses, “On the one hand, we should openly acknowledge that, in the academic sphere, it’s well known that part-time study is a ‘profanity’. To describe its quality, we can recall a famous anecdote: ‘A sparrow is a nightingale who took part-time courses at the conservatory’. In fact,

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EDUCATION managing part-time students creates an additional burden on lecturers, who abhor the ‘express-method’ of gaining knowledge.” “On the other hand, part-time courses are gaining popularity worldwide,” he continues. “To be successful requires serious independent study, completing tests and essays via online-platforms such as Moodle. Literature is available there, as are videos of professors’ lectures (from any part of the globe). You can communicate by Skype, which saves time and money. Of course, those who have jobs cannot always attend in person.” Mr. Mozheiko accepts the need to embrace part-time education but wishes to move away from Soviet practices. If reform is no more than an illusion, he believes it will be offensive. The Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics is among the few Belarusian establishments offering distance and parttime education. “Of course, reform always has opponents and education inspires hot debate. Those who oppose reform are sometimes truly respected people,” comments the University’s Rector, Mikhail Batura. “However, we must proceed from the understanding that a person wishing to gain an education should have a choice. Among over 15,000 students at the Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics, 6,000 study part-time and 440 take remote courses. We’ve offered distance learning since 2002 and, in 2009, full enrolment was realised. The same year, we also introduced foreign language lecturing; at present 28 US citizens are enrolled in our distance learning courses. Everything is going well, without problems.” “We’ve prepared local documents for our University: a provision on distance learning technologies and on distance learning itself. We’ve sent our proposals to the Ministry of Education, offering to use our experience

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and, simultaneously, approve standards for distance learning, such as those which already exist in Russia,” he adds. “We have concrete examples of success. One student found a parttime job after two years at University, and was unable to attend lectures on certain days. So, we allowed him to attend some courses remotely. If these norms were applied across our system of higher education, it would allow any student (e.g. someone at Brest university) to attend our courses and gain qualification. It would be both flexible and convenient.” Many experts believe that the forthcoming changes by the Ministry of Education may favour state higher educational establishments, while most part-time students are enrolled at private universities. Admission boards of non-state educational establishments stress that these figures would be higher were it not for a decree adopted several years ago, which envisages obligatory employment of alumni under their speciality. After the decree on ‘social parasitism’ came into force, the labour market began experiencing more job seekers than available jobs. Moreover, there is a rumour that part-time education might disappear altogether, although there has been no panic as yet. “Changes to state institution programmes are now in focus,” says the Rector of the Private Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship, Alexander Semeshko. “If the issue does affect us, it’s unlikely to show immediately, as we’ve approved our enrolment plans for the coming year. We have part-time students and those attending day and evening courses. Some also study under reduced programmes. Without any instruction from the Ministr y of Education, we’re expanding our distance learning programmes, which are both convenient and forwardthinking. We can solve any problem, so there’s no reason for anxiety.”

Impossible to mix cards New textbooks for teaching Great Patriotic War history in Belarusian schools

he first specialised school atlas, entitled — The Great Patriotic War of the Soviet People (in WWII context) — has been published in Belarus, to honour the 70th anniversary of the Great Victory. Collated by Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor Alexander Kovalenya, its histori-

Historical facts for the atlas have been specified on the basis of the archive materials gathered in recent years by scientists both from Belarus and Russia

cal facts have been confirmed by archive documents of recent years. He explains, “This is the first edition of its kind, with dates, names and events described visually, to better allow remembrance. The 21 maps describe the activity of Red Army troops, partisans and under-grounders within Belarusian territory, while disclosing reasons for WWII and its events, in our country and worldwide, until 1945. Almost every page is illustrated.” Belarusian schools will launch the book’s use from September 1st. She explains, “We’ve printed a map of commemorative places — entitled 70 Years of Great Victory — in Russian and English. It indicates the location of war memorials and those settlements awarded ‘For Bravery and Endurance during the Great Patriotic War’, at a scale of 1:1100000.

By Olga Bebenina

STUDENTS

Svetlana Devyatkova

‘Here I am in Europe’ says Maxim Osidulov from Sakhalin, who entered the university in Minsk

ong time ago, Mikhail Lomonosov set off on a long wagon trip to receive education in the capital. Now you don’t need to make such sacrifices, as an aeroplane can deliver you to any part of the globe in record time. Having been given the task of finding out how Russian students live in Belarus, our correspondent found the student who arrived in Minsk literally from the the earth's ends. It has been two years since Maxim Osidulov moved to Minsk. He is a third year student at the economics department of the BSU. He has got used to the Minsk way of life, but during the holidays he returns to visit his parents in Sakhalin, “I hope to complete my education and become an expert in international relations. This field of specialization is currently in demand. We follow the examples of work of different successful Russian, Belarusian and Western companies. The specialization is universal; it is useful in any field of activity.” Sakhalin is a fishing area. Have you, as a future economist, considered the profitability of such a business with Belarus, for example? Certainly, I often think about the possibility of organising logistics between the two countries. With a changeover, the flight time is 9 hours. I need to consider the situation in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, to study the local demand for Belarusian goods. I think that Belarusians need fish especially caviar. I am only able to eat fresh seafood to my heart’s content when I come home. Why did Maxim choose the Belarusian State University over all other institutes of higher education? A key factor in this decision was a friends-ofa-friend’s parents, professional sportsmen who had previously moved to Minsk. Their stories about Belarus made an impact on Maxim’s family. Many of his schoolmates entered institutions of higher educations of Khabarovsk, while he decided to fulfil his old dream of living in Europe for a while.

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PROJECT At first I thought of going to a Moscow or St. Petersburg university. But after visiting Minsk I decided that I would stay here. The quality of education is of a high standard, and there is less bustle in Minsk. In the Far East, the BSU has an excellent reputation. Here, if I were to tell my fellow students that I was going to Poland or the Czech Republic, they would not be surprised. While in Sakhalin such a journey is a huge event, for us Europe is a very long way away! But now that I have lived a long way away from home, I appreciate the Far East: mountains, ocean and the wonderful nature. Before, this seemed commonplace to me. Meanwhile, Maxim is the only person from Sakhalin at the university. And when the Sakhalin State University agreed to co-operate with the Belarusian State University, Maxim was offered an honourable role as a representative of the island. Such a ‘diplomatic’ mission is well within his capabilities! What do you particularly like about Belarus? Quiet people, beautiful architecture. It is pleasant simply to walk along the streets of Minsk, to sit in a cafe, to go to club with friends. I like it that the student village in which I live is a modern complex, instead of a shabby hostel. In his free time, Maxim plays in a new musical group. He is also an athlete and tries to keep fit by going to the gym. Having seen only Mogilev and Gomel, he would like to explore all of Belarus. He tells us that as soon as possible he aims to visit Brest and Grodno, “Then I could rightfully claim that I saw the Union State from Sakhalin to Brest.” By Svetlana Devyatkova

Belarus reference:  About 2,000 Russian students enter Belarusian institutions of higher education annually. Of them, almost a half enters the Belarusian State University.

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Teaching demographers More than $1.1m allocated to Belarus by Russian Government, United Nations Population Fund, and United Nations Children’s Fund, to improve skills of domestic demographers

he B elarusian project aims to improve the system of monitoring and evaluating the effectivene ss of d e mo g r aph i c policies, as well as improving demographic education. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) explains, “Our training activities and research will result in better use of statistical data, to guide national and regional programmes in the field of demographics. In particular, we’ll cover sociological research on family formation, stability of family relations and fertility.” According to UNFPA Assistant Representative Elena Kasko, this year, the Labour Research Institute, within

the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, is to begin work on improving its system of monitoring across the social-labour sphere, assessing the demographic situation and policy. The need for expert-demographers is also being assessed, as is the potential of educational institutions. “We aren’t training demographers,” laments Ms. Kasko. “Our universities offer only a special course in the subject, failing to meet our needs. We plan to train personnel in the field of demography at the Belarusian State University.” In addition, the project aims to enhance partnerships between interested institutions and experts from Belarus and Russia.

POLYGLOTS

It is easy to talk to anyone

when you know 18 languages Good morning, Guten Tag, meaning hello in our language, is heard from a slightly open doorway. The photographer and I realise we have come to the right place. On the threshold is a man around two metres tall with blue eyes, his name is Yuri Zhelezko. This is the man who is 54 years old and can speak 18 languages.

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POLYGLOTS

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occurred, for the first time in all my years at school I could understand the English teacher in the lesson.” Following this, Zhelezko studied languages at university, beginning with French and German, by the start of his second year he had mastered Swedish and Italian, the latter inspired by accidentally tuning to Vatican radio. The

Tatiana Stolyarova

he atmosphere in the house of this polyglot matches his reputation: there are books in the wall unit, books on the shelves and books on the table. There are books in English, French, Italian, Swedish, Norwegian and Chinese, almost as if you are in the library of a linguistic university. Yuri Borisovich begins the conversation with literature; “I worked in the Academy of Sciences for a long time, now I am busy with translations. For example I translated "Karlsson-on-theRoof " from Swedish to the Belarusian language,” and he reaches for the book in its blue jacket. “I’m currently translating Norwegian fairy tales into our native language.” At the same time, he is completing his mastery of the Irish language and the textbooks lie on the table. “It is the 18th language in my list,” he smiles. “There are about one and a half million people who speak it around the world. Of course it’s unlikely I’ll use it or Esperanto, which I’ve also learned, but they both sound beautiful when spoken. It’s like a little bit of luxury for my soul.” When asked why he chose exactly 18 languages to learn, he instantly replies, “The main thing is to find that fine line between quality and quantity. My magic number for this is 18.” he continues, “I began modestly, simply wanting to learn English, German, French and Polish.” His unassuming nature makes one smile, as if mastery of four foreign languages has been no great effort. Zhelezko explains, “I started learning languages after the ninth form at school, my previous hobby had been swimming but I did not want to continue with it at university, so I started learning English. I didn’t see daylight for almost three months, I was so immersed in studying. Consequently, when I was in the tenth form, a miracle

When asked why he chose exactly 18 languages to learn, he instantly replies, “The main thing is to find that fine line between quality and quantity.” atmosphere in the room is intellectual and academic. Zhelezko seldom smiles and is a reserved speaker. “At university, I competed with a student who knew more languages than me. However, whilst I concentrated on the European languages, he studied Slavic languages. Eventually I had to accept defeat.” I’m intrigued how one measures language success as it can’t be measured in distance like a sprint race. He replies, “The person who speaks it more accurately and understands more knows

the language better. I think if someone can understand at least 70 percent of all that they read and hear, it means he knows the language,” he said. Yuri’s enormous knowledge should ideally place him for a range of job opportunities, but this may not necessarily be true. The linguist remembers his past “I was first placed in a college to work as a teacher. I had to teach English, French and Spanish, which I had to learn in two weeks. European languages are not difficult for me”. Having mastered the basics, a new language only takes three or four weeks. He does admit however, that some languages present a challenge. “Of course not all languages come easy. Five years ago, for example, I started learning Chinese, and I needed a year and a half to learn it. But I still cannot write anything although I read and understand it fairly well.” I ask him whether there is a secret trick to his learning but he dismisses the idea and tells me it’s down to sheer hard work. He explains, “I developed the following system for myself: at first I read 5-7 textbooks, then I move on to listening. Following that I read fiction. I read books, I write new words, I learn and re-read once again, but this time without a dictionary.” Zhelezko unexpectedly gets up from the table and opens a case of the wall unit where he displays the proof of his hard work, exercise books covered with writing in different languages. He says that there are about twenty of these large notebooks. I wonder how he retains the languages once learnt. He describes how he repeats them in pairs every two to three weeks; he has no concerns about forgetting the vocabulary with his amazing memory. During our conversation, Yuri Borisovich switches from Russian into Belarusian, “I think in Belarusian,” he explains. “All the same, it does not matter how many foreign languages I know, I think in my native language. Though dreams, I admit, I see basically in Danish. And in my dreams I speak Andersen’s language better than I do in life.” By Yekaterina Panteleeva

PARTNERSHIP

Good practice should be earned For many students, summer is a time to gain some work experience and apply their training to allow them to become familiar with some of the finer aspects of their chosen profession. For some, this will confirm whether or not they have made the right decision in their choice of career.

tudents from Belarusian institutions of higher education complete the practical element of their training outside the country as well as in placements at home. The development of foreign partnerships for this purpose is encouraged within our universities

and colleges. The Belarusian State Medical University, for example, co-operates with various foreign education establishments and research organisations. Each year more than twenty medical students undergo practical training in Poland, Germany and Russia following an international exchange agreement. The students have to work hard to achieve the goal of a foreign placement, they are required to have high examination results, a bank of experience in the medical sphere and be able to demonstrate

their active participation in the university’s public and scientific life. Final year medical student Tatiana Naumenok considers herself lucky to have obtained a place this summer under I.M. Sechenov at the First Moscow State Medical University, one of the most authoritative medical institutions in the CIS, and perhaps in Europe. Tatiana however, has made her own good fortune and has earned this privilege, telling us, “I have good average grades, and I am active in university life so I decided there was no harm in applying for training in Russia. I was very pleased when I had a call from the Dean’s office offering me the chance to go to Moscow in July. Of course, I immediately agreed. I have already had training in hospitals in Minsk, we assisted doctors during surgeries, examined patients and helped with diagnosis. I am sure that this experience will be useful for me, both in practice in Moscow, and in my future work.” In Belarus almost every fifth young person is a student. While each generation has its own identity, the problems they face are basically unchanged. They worry about how to pass exams and where to buy a cheap lunch, as well as how to find work and juggle their busy timetables in a day that never has more than 24 hours in it. By Kristina Khilko

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DIASPORA

Syabry invite More than 3.5 million Belarusians are resident in various countries around the world, with more than 130,000 living in the Baltic States

yudmila Annus was born in Mozyr, in the Gomel Region, and studied in St. Petersburg. She then went to work in the Estonian city of Narva, where she met her husband (also from the Gomel Region). In the early 1990s, hundreds of people became ‘Belarusians abroad’. Lyudmila believes that, in such cases, Belarusians create their Motherland in miniature, being nostalgic for their original home. In the late 1990s, the Narva Belarusian community of Syabr y was established (now headed by Lyudmila Annus). For the past 15 years, Estonians have been able to learn more about Belarusian culture and traditions, while our citizens have been able to preserve their national

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We love Belarus. We are keen to follow what’s happening in the country. That is why we aspire to be perceived not simply as Belarusians abroad, but as an integral part of Belarus identity w hen abroad. Of cours e, they often tend to visit Belarus. On the eve of May 9th, Syabry members joined representatives of the Union of Belarusians in Latvia to visit Minsk, at the invitation of the Board for Religious and Nationality Affairs. When-

ever possible, it supports close ties with Belarusians abroad, helping our countrymen create national costumes and native tongue literature, as well as organising meetings at various levels. According to official data, more than 3.5 million of our compatriots live abroad: almost a third of the current population of Belarus. Counting their descendants, the number exceeds 9 million. Many ethnic Belarusians are members of various ‘expat’ associations: over 200 exist worldwide, supporting business and cultural contacts with Belarus, helping representatives of the diaspora, and holding concerts, exhibitions and fairs. Such organisations also issue printed editions, and organise trips to Belarus. With 130,000 native Belarusians residing in the Baltic States, the diaspora is active there. T h e Yan k a Kup a l a B e l ar u s i an school operates in the Latvian capital, helping disseminate information on Belarusian culture, law and tourism, among other things. Vilnius also has the Frantsisk Skorina school, teaching the Belarusian language, while the Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences has a sub-department of the Belarusian language and ethnic culture. In Tallinn, children can attend the Belarusian Sunday school named after Vladimir Korotkevich. Days of Belarusian Culture are organised in Latvia: this year, they are devoted to the anniversary of Frantsisk Skorina. During the Eastern Partnership Summit, hosted by Riga, there was a conference on the role of national societies in developing the state. In particular, participants from Belarus were invited to share their experience with neighbours. The Chair of the Board of the Union of Belarusians of Latvia, Lyudmila Piskunova, notes, “We love Latvia because we live here, but the diaspora loves native Belarus too. We always remember and are keen to follow what’s happening. We aspire to be perceived not simply as Belarusians abroad, but as an integral part of Belarus.” By Irina Sudas

TOURIST BRANDS

Paul Chuyko

Northern Athens enjoy warm atmosphere

Zalesie to become new cultural and tourist centre of Belarus

Just a few years ago, Michal Kleofas Oginski’s mansion in Zalesie (near Smorgon) was in a state of neglect. The favourite house of our outstanding countryman — which attracted artistic personalities and was once proudly called the ‘Northern Athens’ — left the impression that it might soon be renamed as the ‘Northern Ruins’. However, we can now assert that the mansion has been saved and is operating as a centre of culture and tourism. The recent musical festival, the Year of Oginski in Zalesie, was a fitting tribute to the composer’s work.

ust a few years ago, Michal Kleofas Oginski’s mansion in Zalesie (near Smorgon) was in a state of neglect. The favourite house of our outstanding countryman — which attracted artistic personalities and was once proudly called the ‘Northern Athens’ — left the impression that it might soon be renamed as the ‘Northern Ruins’. However, we can now assert that the mansion has been saved and is operating as a centre of culture and tourism. The recent musical festival, the Year of Oginski in Zalesie, was a fitting tribute to the composer’s work.

Oginski Year in Zalesie begins with concert by Vytoki band soloists

2015 is the Year of Oginski, as declared by UNESCO, marking the 250th anniversary of the great man’s birth; 200 years ago, the composer’s mansion was built in Zalesie, becoming a hub for musicians and artists not only from Belarusian lands but for all Europe. The first concert to be hosted by the site was Oginski’s Musical Treasures, with Vytoki band entertaining guests from Minsk, Molodechno and Smorgon. International laureate Alexey Frolov (fagotto) joined Sergey Makhov (flute) and Irina Avdeeva (piano forte) in opening the festival, playing Michal Kleofas Oginski’s G-major Polonaise, followed by works

composed by Karol Oginski, Michal Kazimir and other members of the famous and talented family. Some might think that these rare and little known pieces are valuable only to specialists, since the Oginskis were amateur musicians rather than professional composers. However, the Zalesie festival aims to recreate the chamber and spiritual atmosphere which reigned in this ‘Northern Athens’. The hall, 200 years ago, gathered both amateur musicians and famous singers and composers: a talent to rival the greatest concert halls of today. The festival audience so eagerly anticipated listening to Oginski’s polo-

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DISCOVERIES naise that they quite ‘demanded’ it to be played. Kleofas’ famous Farewell to Homeland inspired a standing reception, accompanied by some tears and, of course, a riot of final applause. Zalesie mansion has been restored in a relatively short period and may yet become one of the Belarusian major tourist brands, rivalling Mir and Nesvizh. All work has been carried out by Belarusian specialists, with the restoration process involving construction organisations from Smorgon; the 19th century furniture has also been restored by Belarusian specialists, as Tatiana Kleshchenok explains. The junior research assistant at the museum-mansion tells us that few of Michal Kleofas’ possessions remain, obliging items to be purchased at auction. Some truly reflect the spirit of the age. Meanwhile, the house now has nine hotel rooms,

Oginski’s mansion is planned to become one of the major tourist brands of Belarus, rivalling Mir and Nesvizh including bed linen, suitable for those wishing to stay overnight. “We receive many such requests,” she explains. The newly restored rooms, smelling of lacquer and wood, lack many exhibits as of now, but the local greenhouse has supplied cheese plants, dragon-trees and bright phalenopsis to fill empty spaces. Eventually, a café will open, and the house will gradually be filled with more artefacts. By September; there should be a complete collection. Newly-weds are already heading to its apple orchard with their photographers, admiring the beautiful and romantic setting. By Irina Ovsepyan

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Archeologists open historical mysteries Scientific expedition makes number of discoveries in ancient Polotsk

he oldest church in Be- the galleries.” To date, reconstructions larus, which still stands have been false, and the church should today, is Polotsk’s Trans- be restored in light of new discoveries. figuration Church, dating During excavations, scientists have from the 12th century. Its been lucky more than once. In the crypt frescoes are the originals to the right of the main entrance, they painted when the walls were first erecthave found the seal of St. Yevfrosiniya: ed. They are the only such fully the founder of the church and preserved works in full. It the nearby monastery. Inis unique even in Eastern scribed on the seal is: Europe. Recent excava“Good Heavens, Help tions have shown how Your Servant Yevit was once larger than frosiniya.” How did it appears today, comthe seal of the Holy pletely altering our unBelarusian saint find derstanding. its way here? Mr. Duk It was believed that implies that it came the church received little from some other place, alteration until the early 19th from which soil was brought The seal of century, when its façade, in clasto fill the crypt. Yevfrosiniya sical style, was simplified. HowAnother historical mystery Polotskaya ever, exploration of the foundahas been revealed during excations tells another story, explains Denis vations: the remains of terracotta floor Duk, who has been heading the dig. tiles, showing evidence of fire damage. The Pro-rector of Polotsk State Uni- These may date from the earlier days versity for Educational Work, tells us, of the church, although we cannot “The foundations of the church have yet determine whether the predecesbeen studied by teachers and students sor was of stone or wood. Fragments at our university, headed by Alexey of frescoes have also been unearthed, Kots, working with experts from St. Pe- showing that the 12th century church tersburg’s Hermitage: Yevgeny Torshin was painted inside and out. and Piotr Zykov. It turns out that the The dig continues, and the decision building had galleries along its sides, on whether to reconstruct the church and there was an extension in front of will be guided according to findings. the main facade; these significantly in- The main question is whether reconcreased the volume of the building. Un- struction is as close as possible to the der the galleries was a crypt for burial, 12th century original. which was concealed by the collapse of By Victor Korbut

BACKBLOCKS

Marvellous treasures of Stary Dedin The village of Stary Dedin is situated far from noisy roads: 30km from Klimovichi. It borders on Russia’s Shumyachi District and has been home to Belarusians and Russians for centuries. This year, Stary Dedin will celebrate its 1030th anniversary. Many years ago, treasure was discovered nearby: acknowledged as the oldest in Belarus and Eastern Europe. Residents of this ‘dancing and singing village’ — as Stary Dedin is sometimes called — remember and cherish millennium old traditions. Old and young alike enjoy its songs and dances: one custom encourages rain via ‘river ploughing’ and may soon become listed among the country’s intangible historical-cultural treasures.

memorial sign is situated as you enter Stary Dedin, inscribed on a black boulder. It states that ‘one of the most ancient coin treasures of Belarus was discovered here, dating from between 980 and 985’. Found in June 1926, by local villager Trofim Gudkov, the coins were concealed within two clay pots, found while ploughing. Belaruskaya Veska (Belarusian Village) newspaper wrote of the discovery, and the Academy of Sciences sent specialists to investigate it. They were amazed to discover Cufic dirhems, a Byzantium miliarisium and two German denariuses. The coins were taken to a Minsk museum but disappeared during the Great Patriotic War (or soon after its end). Not a single coin remains at the Klimovichi District Local History Museum either, but head curator Natalia Banyshevskaya notes, “We tell tourists and local villagers of the treasure and of Stary Dedin. Actually, the village is known not only for its coins, as it enjoys unique traditions and masters. Pieces made by local potters and coopers are highly coveted in the Mogilev District.”

design. Pots, including makotras (coneshaped pots), which were made from clay, were found 10-15km away. People used to walk to collect it, and every family had its own potter. Their method of batch and firing was also unique. Villagers sold their wares in the markets of Krichev, Khotimsk and Kostyukovichi and in the neighbouring Shumyachi District: not for money but in exchange for grain. Their price was as much as the pot could contain.

Dancing village

Stary Dedin’s senior citizens are proud of their village is history. Local wisdom says that a certain local cooper, who died at the age of 25, made his pots and barrels from ancient bog oak, gathering from along the banks of the Oster River (the Sozh basin). In lying in water, the wood blackened and became stronger, allowing barrels, butts and woodenware to remain as strong as stone, and durable. They enjoyed great demand. Meanwhile, local potters’ designs were unique, being strong, with a spot

Sadly, no potters remain in the village these days and all the pottery wheels have gone. Just 167 people live in Stary Dedin, which used to have a school and a post office. Local traditions continue though, as Galina Brykova tells us. She founded Stary Dedin’s Ostryanka People’s folk group. She explains, “There was a time when at least ten people lived in each house. Weddings were celebrated by all village residents and festivities lasted for at least three days. Those wedding were great, attracting more than 200 guests. Spring was also ‘summoned’, with the help of certain songs and harmonica accompaniment. Other villages came along and people were taught dancing and singing from childhood, so that everybody could join in.”

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UNUSUAL MUSEUM

Open-air exhibition Stone sculpture park established in Grodno

At the age of 74, Galina knows no less than a hundred local folk songs and can still dance the quadrille, korobochka, pas d’Espagne, cracovienne, dosada and stradaniya. “Ignore the fact that some of these dance names are sad. Dosada [translated as vexation] is a merry dance: a quick stomp. We bring authentic songs and dances to festivals, winning awards, and are proud that our children can sing and dance. We have our own children’s exemplary ensemble: Ostryanochka,” she explains. The Deputy Director of Klimovichi’s District Culture Centre, Igor Prokhorenko, confirms Galina’s words, saying, “Our Stary Dedin grannies are truly famous. They toured half of the Soviet Union in the past. Ethnographers from Leningrad visited them, so that they could publish songbooks and a monograph on folk dances, based on our authentic material. They also released a CD. Although our ‘artistes’ are 60-80 years old, they participate in all regional festivals, also touring neighbouring Russia.”

‘River ploughing’ Village pensioners are also known for the ancient pagan custom of ‘river ploughing’, which is thought to successfully summon rainfall. Ms. Brykova explains, “On hot days, after work in the

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fields, our mothers and grandmothers used to ask the river to produce rain. Rain was needed, to avoid the harvests becoming too dry. They’d take the plough to the river, and it would rain the same day or the next. We’ve taken up the baton!” Village women entered the water waist-deep, naked, with two dragging the plough, followed by another two who would hurry them along with willow branches, as the others sang certain songs. Tatiana Skotskaya, 66, smiles, recalling, “Of course, we don’t plough the river naked now, as so many come to observe our custom! Most are Russians and Belarusians, coming in August, especially for the Saviour of Honey Feast Day. Our land is rich in wonderful healing springs. One is so deep that it hasn’t been measured; unsurprisingly, it’s called the Bottomless Well.” The custom enters the list of intangible historical-cultural treasures of Belarus, which would bring even more tourists to Stary Dedin: a village lost somewhere between Belarus and Russia. Local residents are pleased, asserting, “Our village will live on!”

ine stone sculptures have been installed in Kolozha Park, not far from the Boris and Gleb Church; these were created by Belarusian artists during last year in Grodno: Past and Present open air workshop. Among them are Artem Medvedev, Ivan Artimovich, Igor Zosimovich, Alexey Sorokin, Korney Alexeev, Katya Zantariya and Vladimir Panteleev. Previously, Vladimir Panteleev’s Song of Kolozha stone exhibition was displayed in the park; it was created by the master in 2013. It has recently been supplemented by another eight sculptures entitled: Creation of the Belarusian Land, Warrior-Litvin, The Helmet, Breath of Grey Centuries, Dialogue of Centuries, Stone of Kisses, and The Memory of Land. Korney Alexeev’s Orpheus and Eurydice sculpture is also now open to public view. The sculpture park is not the only gift made by the stonemasons to the city. A stone memorial featuring Grodno’s symbol (St. Hubert with deer) and a ‘2014 Cultural Capital of Belarus: Grodno’ inscription has been placed in the centre of the city, near the late 18th century building where Grodno’s Vice Administrator once lived and which, until recently, was home to the National Historical Archive of the City.

By Olga Kislyak

HISTORICAL ANGLE

Meeting with the past face to face Archaeological excavations are held and festival of medieval culture is organised on Zamkovaya Mountain in Mstislavl

very summer Mstislavl holds the festival of medieval culture. This place is chosen not by chance. After all, it is difficult to find a more picturesque city for such a holiday in the east of Belarus. All is impregnated with spirit of olden times here. If you go here for the first time, it may seem to you that Mstislavl is a village. Wooden houses with multi-coloured cases, carved in the way that they differ from each other, dazzle in the window of a car. Ah, you exclaim, saying that it is such a picturesque village! But suddenly from behind the hills there appear crosses of the Roman Catholic Church and the

Orthodox Church, while wooden houses standing along the road change to strong houses from red brick. They were built more than one hundred years ago. And all this has survived, people still live here. Mstislavl's traditions of spending holidays with knightly fights and fairs of handicraftsmen are several years old. And each time here appears a certain new sight which attracts tourists. While the Zamkovaya mountain fits well into the district, where guys in chain armours show the skills of sword play. Local organisers erect monuments to commemorate the great predecessors of modern athletes in armour: earlier it was stones in honour of Simeon Lugven who was the son of Algirdas, Mstislavl prince, and in memory

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HISTORICAL ANGLE of the unknown soldier of the early 16th century, whose armour was found in the river Vikhra. While this year there was built a chapel in honour of Saint prince Rostislav Mstislavich — he is considered to be the founder of the city. It was he who named the settlement after his father. One of the most ancient cities of the Eastern Europe now lives partly in the past, which is felt here almost in each street, and partly — in the present. This is a unique potential of Mstislavl which can tell you about the history and life of our ancestors better than any textbook. I follow the city streets, and see memorial plaques in honour of Piotr Mstislavets, one of the first printers, Ivan Nosovich, the author of the first Belarusian-Russian dictionary, poet Arcady Kuleshov, historian Mikhail Tkachev; these plaques testify that here is the old kernel of culture and spirituality. Walls of old monasteries and Catholic churches still need restoration, but you have no doubts looking at them that this old centre of princedom, province, district not only was, but also will be one of the well-known cities. If I appeared in Mstislavl for the first time and did not know that the festival of medieval culture is held here, I would think that the atmosphere of traditional fairs was restored here. In old times, fairs were seldom held in cities or settlements, mainly

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once a year — on a big church holiday. And it was the main event in economic and cultural life of a city or village and their vicinities. And the Mstislavl festival has already been such an event for several years. The unique architectural and natural landscape of the city, and efforts of local authorities attract thousands of visitors. The only problem is how to get there. A long road leads from Minsk to Mstislavl. Even by car and at full speed, without stops, the way takes more than 4 hours. While by public transport you will spend half a day. However, there is hope that in the future the same beautiful four-lane highway that leads from the capital to Mogilev will appear here. It is like a simple arrow — it is directed towards the regional centre. While there is an hour drive from Mogilev to Mstislavl. And here you are on the spot. While first of all it is necessary to make the way to the Zamkovaya mountain where the main participants of the festival — knights struggle in many duels. There are a lot of spectators — like on a football match. People filtered through the narrow pass between strong defensive ramparts of the citadel. And all people support with inspiration. Here appears a knight from Minsk — the ‘stands’ make a lot of noise. People from Novogrudok — applaud, from Zaslavl — exclaim. Here is a local Mstislavl fighter — so people with loud

Mstislavl is half a century older, than it was considered earlier. This was announced by the Head of Chair of Archaeology and Special Historical Sciences of the Mogilev State A. Kuleshov University, Doctor of Historical Sciences Igor Marzalyuk. Experts of the Ministry of Forestry managed to define a new date of appearance of the city. They used dendrochronological method and examined annual rings of wood of fragments of the most ancient oak roadway, that they received from archaeologists. Igor Marzalyuk asserts that the whole city was constructed between 1098 and 1101, “Annals sources show that except the wooden roadway, the earlier origin of the city is proved by other wooden constructions which are dated to an earlier period. Mstislavl is mentioned in the annals for the first time in 1156 as a fortress on the western border of the Smolensk princedom.”

HISTORICAL ANGLE

This year during archaeological excavations on the Zamkovaya Mountain there was found a bronze icon of 13th-14th century with the image of Roman emperor Constantine and his mother Helena. The place of excavations on the mountain will be turned into a museum. A special group of restorators will work on preservation of wooden constructions and details of roadways using special synthetic substances thanks to which they will remain even for long decades and will be available for tourists. Excavation will be defended from the sun and rain by a wooden construction which will simulate a princely tower. Discoveries will be shown here: items from metals, glass, timber, clay and bone, fabric, numerous decorations and tableware.

applause show ‘who’s wearing the pants in this family’. While the local fighter in response smartly shows his worth: riding in an apparently effortless manner, he takes a spear and throws up a red rag high into the sky. Such simple competition makes some warriors to become nervous: not all cope with the task. Dance and theatre groups, craftsmen both from Belarus, and from neighbouring Russia gathered here. More than 20 knightly clubs. Tournaments, horse entertainments, competitions of archers, night tourneys, a storm of the castle, a master class of fighting skill — all this

impresses. Specially for the night storm of the castle, archers had built a fortress which participants burnt with the help of fiery arrows. It is possible to see such things only at the cinema or in Mstislavl. The medieval atmosphere of the holiday was supported with performances of stars of Belarusian folklore — groups Litoy Taler, Melnitsa Solntsa, Stary Olsa. While the group Yavaryna gave a master class of medieval dances to spectators. The Mstislavl festival gives a unique possibility to see rich the historical past and architecture of the ancient city. I approach shops which sell strange things made by masters from Rechitsa. They offer to buy real steel gloves for knights. The gloves are not medieval, but modern, however in appearance they are almost equal to those I saw in museums. The sellers allow me to try them on. They are not the right size and are intended for the strong hand of a fighter, not a writer. As for comfort — they are ideal: they fit better, than mittens. The secret is simple: they are metal only outside, while from the side of the palm — they are from fabric. You can buy such ‘accessory’ and put it on a bookshelf in order to surprise guests when they come. It they ask whence is such a thing, it is possible to dream up — from ancestors...

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HISTORICAL ANGLE history regularly organises exhibitions in the cellar. It is only necessary to wait for return of professionals who will restore the former appearance of masterpiece of architecture, because the church is famous — it is included into the history of Belarusian art, painted by beautiful frescos. After buying a magnet with Mstislavl's coat of arms in the ‘city of masters’, and after trying cherries and pies of villagers from neighbouring villages, I leave Mstislavl with hope that the Holiday of medieval culture will be held here not once a year, and will become a year-round holiday. It has all inclinations to become the same gem, as famous Mir and Nesvizh. By Viktar Korbut

The rich heritage of our ancestors inspires people in different cities of the country to organise knightly clubs and to learn ancient customs. How to rekindle a fire with the help of cap and flint — handicraftsmen showed me how to do that as well. And you can also buy special devices in a leather sack for that. But I did not buy them. Maybe someone else will need them more. Because at home I have a gas cooker and an electric kettle. While if you are an inveterate fan of walking trips, then having such ancient ‘lighter’ you will be a real object of envy of friends. As it is a real art — to make flinty sparks! The art which can be mastered only by real romanticists — is how to sew a costume which was fashionable in the past centuries. Or how to make a royal marquee. While participants of the festival as though studied this since childhood. In such costumes they do not look strange people — it seems, that they live and dress in such a way every day. So they behave themselves according to role. All the same, we can see them unusual — only on holidays similar to the Mstislavl holiday. Such festivals have one good feature — they give a possibility to meet the past face to face. While in Mstislavl the holiday of medieval culture becomes also an occasion to open many sights which are

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usually closed. By my estimations, three Catholic churches and four, or even five monasteries have remained. From them, only the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary operates today. Meanwhile divine services are held in a small chapel. Other inside premises are ‘guarded’ with falsework which was put here in the 1970s. The restoration had been started, but was not completed (by the way, among those who made contribution to the important matter of preservation of the monument of architecture are well-known writers and artists Vladimir Stepan and Adam Globus). Several years ago, the hall where sounded prayers to God was filled up with falsework. Now all has changed: the church space has been released from all superfluous. It is possible to walk between columns, to walk up on the tower, to see indescribable beauty of the panorama from the Zamkovaya mountain, to go down to the underground and, passing under low arches, to feel as if being a monk of the order of Carmelites. The local museum of local

FESTIVAL

Vitebsk of all times The Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk amazes with its artistic atmosphere, popular artistes, hundreds of events and thousands of reasons to enjoy. In 24 years of its existence, the festival’s joy-bells have circled the planet but this year’s arithmetic has impressed even the most hard-nosed sceptics: in 2015, the city over the Dvina River has welcomed young performers from 42 countries. Meanwhile, in years of its artistic longevity, the hospitable Vitebsk has accepted representatives of 70 countries but never before such a great number of states has been simultaneously represented at the festival.

his year, Mexico sent its application among the first. Last summer, its representative — Rodrigo de la Cadena — made a successful debut in Vitebsk: the 26 year old man captured audiences’ hearts with his performance of Kalinka-Malinka and was awarded a Grand Prix and a $20,000 prize. As the artiste then admitted, the possibility to earn money inspired him a lot to compete for a win. This year, 20 year old Mayo Korneyo failed to repeat her countryman’s success: the Grand Prix went to the sunny Kazakhstan. The country’s representative — 21 year old Dimash Kudaibergen — received 175 points for the jury, leaving no chances to our Valeria Gribusova. The young Belarusian singer was behind the winner by just four points, eventually winning the prestigious contest’s First Award and $15,000. After the results were announced, the lady admitted that she was truly pleased with her performance, “For

me it was important to demonstrate myself on the Slavianski Bazaar stage. I thought of no prizes or awards; I was rather enjoying my performance.” Dimash, in turn, has shared some pieces of advice with future participants. As a winner, he recommended, “A thorough approach to the choice of compositions is the key. For me, it was most challengeable to choose a song for the first contest day: all Slavonic hits are really very beautiful. I initially wished to sing Belovezhskaya Pushcha but then changed my mind. Its original performer — Valery Daineko — produces an ideal version. I had no place for any invention of my own.” The young man is extremely popular in his homeland. His musical genes probably play their role: Dimash is a son of famous Kazakh musicians — Kanat and Svetlana Aitybaevs.

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Guests from the CIS and beyond love to repeat: the Slavianski Bazaar is the best advertising of Belarus as a tourist centre. Every year, fans of this major CIS musical forum prefer to spend their holidays

at the festival — to enjoy each day of it. Every corner of summer Vitebsk is bright and attractive and each guest is truly much anticipated and beloved. Truly, anyone visiting the festival in previous years has been pleasingly impressed with its recent changes — such as new video, audio and light equipment on the stage and in the hall. Large LCD screens enable all those coming to concerts to see everything happening on the stage in details. Actually, much attraction has happened there. The range of festival events is truly extensive: this year, the programme has been incredibly rich — uniting 95 events. Even central posters on the directorate’s building failed to enumerate all of them. Officially, performances were organised on 17 stages but there were many more of them in reality. The Summer Amphitheatre had several alternatives: among them were not only the traditional Yakub Kolas Theatre, Vitebsk Regional Philharmonics, Art Museum and Vitebsk Concert Hall, but also city streets (for the first time in the festival’s history). "On Seven Winds" street art event is

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FESTIVAL

now officially on the Slavianski Bazaar schedule; to make it possible, the city authorities have even allowed to cover city lamps for a while — to satisfy the request of InGest Plastic Theatre. The Vitebsk festival is now among the most beloved by artistes and fans. This year, the Summer Amphitheatre hosted a record number of solo concerts: six — featuring Grigory Leps, Natali, Yelena Vaenga and Bi-2. Each of them was a full house, with plenty of applause. Apart from them, a dozen of mixed concerts were organised, as well as concerts of young performers, opening and closing ceremonies… The main stage was truly starry: Lyubov Kazarnovskaya, Lev Leshchenko, Tamara Gverdtsiteli, Dmitry Malikov, Sergey Lazarev, Nikolay Dobronravov, Alexandra Pakhmutova, and a legendary Azerbaijani ‘nightingale’ — Polad Bülbüloğlu. This year, he’s joined the bouquet of ‘cornflowers’ in the festival’s Alley of Stars. The People’s Artiste of Azerbaijan received a special award of the Belarusian President: ‘To Peace and Mutual Understanding Through

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Art’. Alexander Lukashenko personally awarded the Azerbaijani singer — who is celebrating his 70th jubilee this year — at the closing ceremony. The artiste heartily thanked the President and the hospitable Vitebsk land, “It’s a great honour for me. I’m much grateful for being invited this year to head the international jury. This is a very honourable and responsible mission: to define someone’s fate. On plunging into the festival atmosphere, I clearly understand: the Slavonic unity does exist! I’m deeply convinced that the Slavianski Bazaar opens wide possibilities for strengthening all-sided ties between nations.” The Vitebsk festival attracts artistes not only from Slavonic states but all over Europe. This year, the event has become a kind of a mini-Eurovision — visited by musicians who’ve performed (or applied) at the major European musical contest. Among them were the 2007 winner — Serbia’s Marija Serifovic (who was also a jury member), the 2009 winner — Alexander Rybak, in addition to Sweden’s Bosson and Latvia’s Intars Busulis.

Results of Vitebsk-2015 International Pop Song Performers Contest The Grand Prix and $20,000 went to Dimash Kudaibergen, while the First Award and $15,000 went to Belarusian Valeria Gribusova. The Second Award went to Bulgaria’s Nikolay Manolov and the third Lyra was shared by two singers (as it happened last year as well): Ukraine’s Anna Tverdostup and Sofi from Georgia. Both ladies received $2,500 each, in addition to a special statuette. A special award named after Vladimir Mulyavin — for the best demonstration of a national theme and supreme singing mastery — went to Macedonia’s Nade Talevska. Another award — a certificate and a golden coin of the World Festival Association — went to Russia’s Sofia Muratova.

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Results of Vitebsk-2015 International Children Music Contest Here, the Grand Prix also went to a Kazakhstani representative: Luiza Nurkuatova, from Aktau, won the major award and $5,000. Ukraine’s Darina Galitskaya won the First Award and the second place was shared by Belarusian Stephania Sokolova and Georgia’s Lizi. The Third Award went to Russia’s Veronica Ustimova and Ukraine’s Daria Pyshnaya. A certificate and a silver coin of the World Festival Association went to Romania’s Selena.

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The Slavianski Bazaar is not merely a musical festival; it embraces diverse trends and impressions. On festive days, Vitebsk streets are full of popular artistes, modern theatrical performances, art exhibitions and the Town of Masters show which amazes with the fantasy and skills of Belarusian craftsmen. While the festival stage was full of light and dancing in the disco style, Vitebsk’s central grounds did not sleep as well — attracting guests with all possible means. Similarly to the Summer Amphitheatre, an exhibition-fair of folk craftsmen’ articles, in the historical district on the Dvina River, was definitely a centre of attraction for thousands of Vitebsk residents and festival guests. An artistic atmosphere always reigns here and no imitation can break it. The festival’s Town of Masters offers hand-made articles; these patchwork quilts, baskets, willow furniture, floristic pictures of petals, stems and poplar wool, stone and metal decorations, and felt boots — which are always on top of sales — are truly unique as they have been made by craftsmen with open hearts. This year, around 300 craftsmen came to Vitebsk and the fair

expanded its artistic borders — regaining its ‘international’ status: apart from Belarusians, folk masters from Russia, Ukraine, Latvia and Lithuania have arrived. It seemed masters occupied each spare square metre — which could be easily explained: demand on wooden painted spoons and ceramic spoons with cornflowers is huge. Celebrities bought out traditional Belarusian souvenirs. Among them was Yelena Vaenga who gave birth to her child not so long ago. In her talk to journalists, she admitted that she buys children’s clothes and Belarusian food in great quantities. Yelena is especially pleased with prices on Belarusian products. “Their quality is of the global level,” she explains. “Moreover, prices are attractive: it’s possible to buy enough clothes for a child spending just $100. It is not an advertising but the truth. For example, I have crawlers — bought in New York; these are of worse quality than those produced in Belarus. I tell you absolutely openly and sincerely: my child wears Belarus-made clothes.”

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Interestingly, this year, the Slavianski Bazaar has transformed from a usual musical and song contest into a major

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FESTIVAL

Valeria Gribusova, contest participant from Belarus

discussion venue where dozens of national cultures met. The open dialogue format was supported by participants of the round table discussion — initiated by the Ministry of Information of Belarus, the Ministry of Culture and the Zvyazda Publishing House. A truly global theme was in focus: Culture and Art as Source of Development of Spiritual and Moral Values — Mass Media Role in Formation of Common Cultural Space for Slavonic Nations. As the Zvyazda newspaper’s Editor-in-Chief (who led the discussion) — Alexander Karlyukevich — stressed, they aimed to expand foreign journalists’ view on Belarus and the events occurring in our national culture. According to Lilia Ananich — Belarusian Information Minister who also attended the meeting, such round table discussions gathering art and mass media representatives should become an annual venue for exchange of opinions. Moreover, Vitebsk is to play a major role in the process — being an unofficial cultural centre of Belarus. “Where else — if not in Vitebsk — can and must we speak of the common cultural space of our Slavonic nations, while focusing on the authenticity, peace and mutual understanding?” she wondered.

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The international Festival Movement: Traditions and Innovations conference also mentioned Vitebsk as a centre of the global festival movement. The ‘cradle of Chagall’ — as the city is sometimes called — attracted festival heads from Bulgaria, Serbia, Kazakhstan, Slovenia and Macedonia to discuss the present and future of the festival movement. Two good pieces of news were announced. One of them is already a reality: this year, the Slavianski Bazaar has become a member of the International Festival Association. The second piece of news aims at the future: the Vitebsk festival’s Director — Alexander Sidorenko — has been appointed the Association’s President for the upcoming five years. Actually, this has become recognition of many-year efforts of the festival’s organisers and participants: heads of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, the Vitebsk City Executive Committee, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Information, as well as directors, artistes and administrators. The former International Festival Association’s President — Marjan Kataroski — admitted, “I’ve many times visited the Slavianski Bazaar as a head of the Macedonian delegation. I can sincerely state that I’m impressed

with its work and organisation. I believe that the festival’s joining the Association would help it become even better.” Mr. Sidorenko is convinced that festivals of different countries are united not by the Association but common interests and topics. “Many festivals work as minor events — representing diverse contests: fairs of crafts, competitions for youngsters and children, pop singing, folklore or academic songs and choreography. In turn, the Slavianski Bazaar acts as an Olympiad of arts enabling winners of festivals to gather together. This is a different level and we gradually approaching the format when winners of song contests would come to us from all over the world,” he says.

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Next year, the Slavianski Bazaar will celebrate its 25th jubilee. Its organisers have already promise to amaze audiences with numerous surprises and pleasant impressions. We, in turn, can calculate the days until the grand event starts — to enjoy the voices of those artistes whose names have become known owing to the 24th International Slavianski Bazaar in the Vitebsk Festival of Arts. By Yuliana Leonovich

PERFORMERS

Nadezhda Ponkratova

Singers of the World Nadezhda Kucher, winner of the international opera singer competition at the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World, is ranked alongside those who have stood on the Olympic podium. To the Olympic Games, however, an entire team is usually sent, whereas in this case, all the expectations are concentrated on one person. We spoke to Nadezhda in Minsk after her triumphant return home where she was looking forward to resting and meeting her relatives.

Nadezhda, let’s talk about your victory in the competition Singer of the World, was this your very first attempt? Two years ago, I sent an application, but only managed to reach the live auditions. How difficult was the preparation for the competition? The competition has the status of the best in the world, the most prestigious. It is possible to say that I was preparing for it from the very beginning of my musical education. All my creative life up to that point was preparation

in some way for the competition in Cardiff. I had to show different styles, languages and emotions. I hope the programme will be enjoyed by the public, because it is not just a popular event in England, it’s a show for the whole world. I have never sung in front of so many cameras, it was only in the hotel where they did not film you. It was unpleasant for many guys but I tried not to notice it. You graduated from the Minsk Musical College with a degree in musicology. How did it happen, that you started to sing?

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PERFORMERS In the 4th year we were to follow an optional course, we could choose any instrument or type of composition so I chose vocal training. Did you have immediate success? My first piece of good luck came at the end of the 4th year when I passed the academic examinations with other vocalists, I sang a small programme and I remember being noticed for it at the time. Having graduated from college, I went to work in the chorus of the opera theatre where I spent three years. After that, I entered the St. Petersburg Conservatory, where I studied under Tamara Novichenko. She is a legendary teacher and played a decisive role in my development as a singer. And how did you become a soloist at the Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre? The Urals are a long way away. The conductor Teodor Currentzis works there and I went to him not really to Perm. If he had been somewhere else I would’ve gone there to work with him. Currentzis is a very well-known and talented conductor, but his character is not all sweetness? Yes, but many of us have difficult aspects of our characters. To produce such a result is complex. I mostly work on Teodor’s projects and we have performed a great deal together! We recorded a track using the music of the French classicist Jean-Philippe Rameau, also ‘The Wedding’ by Stravinsky that will be released soon. I have sung ‘The Requiem’ by Brahms, the ‘Carmina Burana’ by Orff, the ‘Indian Queen,’ all projects on a grand scale that he has designed and conducted, they caused a stir both in Russia, and in Europe. Do you like the style of work of Currentzis? We have worked together for a long time, and I decided I needed something else. Teodor does not work in the bel canto tradition, while I always dreamt of it. He does not like French music, while I adore it.

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Do you have a favourite part something that is uniquely to you? There are many favourite roles but I especially like Marfa in the ‘Tsar’s Bride’, because it was my first big role. My love of opera probably started with it: I was strongly impressed by it, even when I was still at college. When I began to sing, I wanted to sing Marfa. I already knew many entire operas by heart. When I entered the St. Petersburg Conservatory, I dreamt of singing the ‘Tsar’s Bride’ at the conservatory theatre, and when I was in the second year there, I made it. What would you like to perform now? A great deal! I will shortly sing ‘Lucia di Lammermoor’, in the next year or two, maybe even earlier, who knows? After the ‘Tsar’s Bride’ it was my second favourite opera. Sometimes in Europe we see radical opera staging. What do you think about it? What is more important for you: classical or experimental approaches? For me it is important that everything that goes on the stage is logical and practical. Even if you are naked on the stage, it should be justified from the point of view of stage direction. I am not eager to run out naked however, not at all. If a director is looking only for an outrageous performance, it will never be a success. Do you have to practise much? When I am preparing for a new role as I am at the moment, I try to practise it every day. I have a month to prepare for the part, which is more than enough. I can learn it in a week if

I sit for days on end but I don’t like to do it this way. While I need to learn the material, in respect of vocal practice, if I have a chance to rest, then I keep silent. I was preparing for a month for the competition in Cardiff. The Minsk Musical College gave me a classroom three times a week, where I practised with the concertmaster. When I am at home I have a certain claustrophobia because it is small and the acoustics are not good, there are neighbours and I do not want to torment them! Working at home is always difficult for me, so they really helped by allowing me a room to work in. Your ties with Belarus and Minsk are not broken then? My mother, sisters and nephews live here. When I have free time I try to come to visit but it happens only about once a year. I miss Minsk very much, I feel good here. Do you have a family or any personal plans? I have a family and my plans do include children. My husband is a musician, beginning his conductor studies at the Moscow Conservatory. What is in your tour suitcase? Not much, because I do not like to carry heavy bags. A travel pillow, which I take on the plane, is essential, concert dresses, shoes and sheet music. The rest could be bought wherever I’m going. Like a real traveller! After all, many people consider that life on stage is full of glamour Well, everything sparkles on the stage! By Irina Ovsepyan

By the way  Nadezhda Kucher is a soprano opera singer. She was born in 1983 in Minsk. She graduated from the Minsk Musical College and entered the St. Petersburg State Conservatory under the tutelage of Mikael Glinka. She is a soloist of the Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre. Repeated winner of various vocal competitions and the winner of the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World international opera competition, where she represented Belarus.

VERNISSAGE

Irina Kuznetsova (centre) at the opening of her personal exhibition

Creative boundlessness The anniversary personal exhibition "Rhythms of Time" of artist and designer Irina Kuznetsova, hosted by the Republican Art Gallery of the Belarusian Union of Artists, showing techniques in glass, painting, photography and computer graphics

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rina’s artistic glass creations were presented under such lyrical names as Winter Fairytale, the Princess and the Pea, and Thaw. The Princess and the Pea found witty expression of the well-known tale, with various glass discs forming a pyramid, crowned by a small pea as the focal point of light. Several years ago, she created Air Kiss, comprising five colourless free-form plates, decorated with glass butterflies. On the biggest plate, the poem is engraved:

All is fine. I go away. I am all problems and cares. We’ve spoken to each other of all: the weather and work. So why does my heart thaw … I paint from memory, How two air kisses flow over the lindens. Irina Kuznetsova writes verses and stories; it’s part of her creative nature. One thing supplements another, helping to inspire her images. Wind is no less interesting, with its delicate, lyrical world-view, metaphorical symbolism, and careful expres-

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VERNISSAGE sion; its conventionality of form strengthens the poetic imagination of the author. Three leaves (red, yellow and blue) blow in the wind, symbolising the parting from summer colours. Irina considers digital photography and computer graphics to be new tools worthy of investigation. In 2010, she won a prize at the second TERRA-VITA International Exhibition of Digital Art, held at the National Library of Belarus. In Urbanisation, she shows redundant hoisting cranes and rusty metal equipment, symbolic of the passing of time. Her Geometrical Opuses of Modern Choreography comprises four parts, creating a festival of modern choreography in Vitebsk. Original stained-glass works, they are displayed surrounded by empty space. The diptych entitled Roofs of Prague is based on her warm emotional impressions after a trip to this beautiful city: sunshine bathes the roofs, buildings and grass, turning them golden.

Irina Kuznetsova. “Fir Trees”

Sketches of these works, and for Jazz Rhythms and Baltic Breeze, were made on computer before being transferred to canvas. Irina tells us, “The computer can create special lines and a certain technical rhythm which is familiar to modern audiences.”Irina marked Easter with a conceptual work, made from 40 gramophone records, painted to resemble Easter eggs, hung from the ceiling in order to create festive mood. To the surprise of both visitors and the author herself, ‘an angel has arrived’ for the opening — a present made by the Koleso People’s Youth Theatre from Vitebsk. Ms. Kuznetsova is a many-sided artist, capable of surprising her audiences. After graduating from the Theatre and Art Institute (now called the Belarusian State Academy of Arts) she worked on monumental pieces at Minsk’s art-industrial enterprise. She cast stained-glass windows, chandeliers, and volumetric and spatial compositions for public premises in Minsk. Her pieces can be seen at the Small Stage of the Yanka Kupala Theatre, at such restau-

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Irina Kuznetsova. “Rye 2”. Computer graphics

rants as Na Rostanyakh, and Rechenka, at the Gnomik kindergarten, at the library named after Yanka Kupala, and at the Museum of People’s Glory in Myadel city. Her architect and artist father, Ivan Medvedev, gave her an understanding and love of architecture, which brought her to participate in architectural concept competitions in Moscow. From this came her Memorial, devoted to victims of Stalinism, and Church-Monument to the Thousandth Anniversary of Christianity, for which she was awarded a certificate of appreciation from the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church. Irina was one of the first to be engaged in abstract art, producing Music and Musicians, and From Mozart to Schnittke. These have been displayed at Minsk’s Palace of Arts and at

Irina Kuznetsova. “Jazz Rhythms”. Canvas

VERNISSAGE Riga’s Vera Gallery. Meanwhile, Lullaby for the Sun, and ‘I’ Under the Badge of ‘Ra’ have been on show at the National Library of Belarus. Autograph, and Stikhi Ya have adorned the Palace of Arts. Her works are held by museums, galleries and private collections, across Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, Italy, Israel, Germany and the USA. In 1995, Irina Kuznetsova was awarded a medal from the Belarusian Union of Artists ‘For Merits to Fine Arts’. In the same year, she became the author of the concept and permanent chair of the organising committee of the cultural, peace-promoting Children’s International Openair. The artistic charity event tours cities across Belarus. She has spent many years raising money for children’s charities such as the Children’s Fund and UN Representative Office in Belarus. She has supervised exhibitions and openair events for gifted children and creative young people and, in 2002, was awarded a certificate of appreciation from the UN for her organisation of an exhibition of children’s drawings, entitled I, You, He for the United Nations.

Irina Kuznetsova. “Baltic Breeze”. Canvas

If you want to create, your imagination knows no bounds. The lack of materials is no barrier for creativity, especially in today’s art space

Since her student years, Irina has liaised with the press, often publishing her thoughts on culture and art, and youth creativity. She loves to write poetry and fairy-tales, and has published her stories for children. Her credo is: ‘Painting, Music, Poetry are a Single Code of Thinking’. Accordingly, her many creative works, in glass, paint and computer graphics, are signed with her poetry. “I was born in Vilnius, so the culture of Lithuania is close to my heart, as it isto many people in Belarus,” Irina admits. “I’m currently preparing for a joint exhibition by Belarusian and Lithuanian artists. After my trip to Barcelona, I came up with a new conceptual exhibition. It’s vital for artists to travel and see a great deal. Seeing the many works of art in Barcelona galleries has inspired me anew. Modern times are difficult for artists, as it’s expensive to present an exhibition. We communicate little and rarely debate artistic issues. However, if you want to create, your imagination knows no bounds. The lack of materials is no barrier for creativity, especially in today’s art space.” Irina Kuznetsova. “Geometrical Opuses of Modern Choreography”. Canvas

By Veniamin Mikheev

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Work by Irina Kuznetsova. “Wind”. Material — glass.