Belarus (magazine #11 2014) by BELARUS Magazine

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No.11 (974), 2014

BELARUS

www.belarus-magazine.by

Беларусь. Belarus

Politics, Economy, Culture

Forest as Universe

Events in Belarus and abroad

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contents

Беларусь.Belarus Monthly magazine No. 11 (974), 2014 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

Meetings outline prospects

Founders: The Ministry of Information of the Republic of Belarus “SB” newspaper editorial office Belvnesheconombank Editor: Viktor Kharkov Executive Secretary: Valentina Zhdanovich

Design and Layout by

7 10

Plans for tomorrow Belarus-Myanmar prospects discussed by President of Belarus and Commander in Chief of the Myanmar Army, Min Aung Hlaing

From global to regional

32 36

Beauty Reigns Here

There are no clichés in politics

Prices always in motion For our econo-

Where victory was forged In 1941-1944

villagers hid in Belarusian forests from German occupiers while partisans prepared to free the country from Nazism

Cedar from Vetka Till now, the Belaru-

sian city of Vetka in the Gomel Region was famous in wide circles as the centre of Old Belief. However, during the last few decades, the district centre has developed another notable brand — the Belarusian capital of Siberian cedar. After all, here it is possible not only to see the only country’s mini-taiga, but also to harvest pine nuts

Through the thickets of the Rossony District To travel on foot and spend at least

one night outside, beneath the canopy of century-old trees, in a reserve or protected area, is the best way to feel the beauty of Belarusian forests, rejuvenating your spirit with the help of their natural life force

Bicycle tour More and more unusual ways to explore the country are emerging

my oil prices are not as important as the volume of petrol and diesel exports

беларусь.belarus 2014

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. 3158 Total circulation — 1918 copies (including 729 in English).

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Subscription index in Belpochta catalogue — 74977

At the crossing of two basic highways — Brest-Moscow highway and the road to the airport — the Green Plaza Hotel is preparing to receive new lodgers

Around 40 percent of the territory of Belarus is covered by forests

Беларусь.Belarus is published in Belarusian, English, Spanish and Polish.

www.belarus-magazine.by E-mail: mail@belarus-magazine.by

Comfortable stay fully guaranteed

Generous in its gifts for friends

Vadim Kondrashov Nadezhda Ponkratova

hard road of the creator

For future foreign subscribers for ‘Belarus’ magazine, apply to ‘MK-Periodica’ agency. E-mail: info@periodicals.ru Telephone in Minsk: +375 (17) 227-09-10.

editor's note

Wonderful fortune

n choosing our theme for this issue, we’ve agreed to focus on the Forest: as a natural phenomenon, a pillar of the economy and, finally, as a place where life continues. Belarus is a unique country, whose forest gave it the strength to survive during hard times, develop and be self-sufficient. This year, Belarus celebrates 70 years since its liberation from Nazi occupation, thanks to the bravery and sacrifice of Red Army soldiers and partisans. We have enjoyed seven decades of peace. Partisans forged victory in our Belarusian forests between 1941 and 1944, hiding by day among pines and spruces, as well as on the marshes, and fighting by night. Our great forests and pushchas, preserved since ancient times, provided reliable shelter. They retain memories of those events, as you can read in Birthplace of Victory. Pondering the forests, Sincere Scientific Interest explores the need to protect forests from radiation, cultivating ‘healthy’ mushrooms and transgenic trees, and developing unspoiled eco-routes. Gomel was chosen to host the National Academy of Sciences’ Forest Institute, as the SouthEast is the most wooded part of Belarus. Its work is wide and various, but its efforts to alleviate the damage caused by the catastrophe at the Chernobyl nuclear power station must be the turning point in its biography. The explosion raised radiation in the forests of the Gomel and Mogilev regions, bringing urgent need for emergency strategies. Of course, scientists have now accumulated precious experience in how best to eliminate radioactive influences, using new technologies and equipment, for which patents have been received.

The ecology of a forest is vastly intricate, providing a habitat not just for plants and animals but for people. Most of the residents of Kamenyuki village work in the Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park: as foresters, excursion guides, maids, administrators and cooks. Everything in Kamenyuki is connected with the forest: birth, studies and leisure. How can it be otherwise? Children are taught about the forest from their earliest days. The Kamenets District is known for being mostly covered by the Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park but also boasts the most agro-estates in the Brest Region: over 40. This is despite having a significant portion of territory closed to the public. When you are on the border, you have to have your passport with you. Located at the crossroads of Belarus and Poland, the village of Kamenyuki is the administrative centre of the National Park, and the focal point for tourists from far and wide. Those keen on nature come to see wild animals in open-air cages, as well as to enjoy the special atmosphere of an ancient forest of pines and oaks. Father Frost’s residence also attracts great numbers of visitors, all through the year. It’s always wonderful to visit but it’s even better to live there, as the author of The Philosophy of a Forest Village asserts. All the articles in this issue confirm that the Forest is a wonderful place and deserves to be treated with great consideration. It is generous in its gifts, so we must care for it in return. as is seen from the article with the same title, offered in our magazine.

By Viktor Kharkov

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 Experts established criteria Belarus ranked 57th among 189 countries in World Bank Group’s Doing Business-2015 Report

he country’s efforts to simplify its taxation procedures for companies have been praised, including the electronic system for filing and paying contributions to obligatory work accident insurance, and simplified беларусь.belarus 2014

Canada, Sweden, Australia, Finland, the Netherlands, and the USA. The UK is recognised as the most prosperous among the larger European countries, placed 13th overall, while Germany is in 14th place, France is 21st, Spain occupies 26th place and Italy is 37th. Lithuania is ranked 42nd while Latvia occupies 44th place. Greece is 59th, followed by Romania. Among the most developed countries, Brazil is ranked 49th, China is

filing of corporate income tax and value added tax. According to Valentina Saltane, the World Bank Group’s Private Sector Development Specialist, tax reform is helping Belarus significantly improve its position (from 107th to 60th). Meanwhile, she notes, “Belarus holds 3rd place in property registration, while occupying 7th in enforcing contracts.” Belarus has enhanced its regulation of small and medium-sized enterprises regarding ease of gaining construction permits and promoting foreign trade activity. Ms. Saltane tells us that Belarus has moved from 63rd position in the Doing Business-2014 report, to 57th place today. Doing Business-2015 is topped by Singapore, with the top ten including New Zealand, Hong Kong (China), Denmark, the Republic of Korea, Norway, the United States, the UK, Finland and Australia. Russia is ranked 62nd, while Kazakhstan is 77th.

Russia

China

Belarus

Lithuania

Italy

France

elarus has moved up from 58th to 53rd place in the 2014 Prosperity Index, published by the British Legatum Institute, ahead of China (54th), Kazakhstan (55th), Ukraine (63rd), Russia (68th), Azerbaijan (79th) and Moldova (89th). Russia is ranked lowest in Europe, falling seven places since 2013, while Kazakhstan has dropped eight positions since last year. Norway leads again, followed by Switzerland, which is again in the second position, while New Zealand has moved up three places on last year’s index. The top ten most prosperous countries in the world include Denmark,

Germany

New Zealand

Belarus ahead of China, Russia and Kazakhstan in prosperity rating

Norway

 Belarus moving up in the world

Switzerland

Panorama

54th, Mexico occupies 64th position, Indonesia is 71st, Turkey is 86th, and India is 102nd. The Central African Republic finishes bottom of the rankings. The Legatum Institute Index has assessed 142 countries, representing more than 96 percent of the world’s population and 99 percent of global GDP. The Index Legatum Institute evaluates eight categories: economy, education, healthcare, personal freedom, security, business opportunities, management, and social capital.

 New flights to draw countries closer Belarus and Slovenia discuss direct air travel between Minsk and Ljubljana

he fourth meeting of the Intergovernmental Belarusian-Slovenian Commission on Trade-Economic and Scientific-Technical Co-operation recently discussed the issue of direct flights. Slovenia is eager to launch a bilateral agreement, with the Co-chair of the Belarusian Commission, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Yelena Kupchina, agreeing wholeheartedly. Belavia has been launching various new routes to connect Minsk with cities across Europe, although feasibility always needs to be considered carefully. Ms. Kupchina explains, “We must establish contacts between the aviation administrations of our two countries and make all calculations.”

VISIT

Meetings outline prospects Belarus attaches great importance to development of co-operation with United Arab Emirates and sees significant potential for expansion

lexander Lukashenko recently made a working visit to the United Arab Emirates, including negotiations with the UAE's top leadership. Priority areas of bilateral co-operation were discussed, dealing with trade-economic and credit-investment spheres, including prospects for joint implementation of projects in third countries. A range of agreements in trade-economic, credit-investment and sci-tech spheres were previously reached and their fulfilment will enable us to significantly increase trade turnover between our two states, while ensuring realisation of projects in Belarus involving Emirati capital.

Belarus and the UAE have a high level of political interaction, sharing similar positions on key issues within the UN agenda In the context of previously signed contracts for the supply of automobiles, there are plans to set up a MAZ dealership in the UAE, including a technical maintenance station, a warehouse of spare parts and a permanently operating retailer of automobile machinery. Negotiations have been held with an Emirati investor who is keen to set up a production-industrial cluster at the Great Stone Industrial Park (worth

$170m). Conditions have also been determined to attract funds from the Abu Dhabi Development Fund, for the implementation of long-term infrastructure projects in Belarus. Belarusian organisations involved in space research have also conducted negotiations with the Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology and the UAE Space Agency, aiming to establish collaboration in the sphere of space research. Moreover, events have been agreed aiming to prepare and organise a joint Belarusian-Emirati scientific symposium and an exhibition of the sci-tech potential of Belarus in Abu Dhabi in December. B elarus attaches great importance to the development of co-operation with the United Arab Emir2014 беларусь.belarus

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VISIT

ates and sees significant potential for its expansion, as was noted during a meeting between Alexander Lukashenko and the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, the Deputy Supreme C ommander of the UAE Armed Forces, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. During a working visit to the UAE President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko met with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, the Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The meeting lasted over two hours, allowing discussion of current projects and the outlining of tasks for the near future. Alexander Lukashenko and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan gave instructions for 3-4 key projects, aiming беларусь.belarus 2014

to promote relations between our two countries to a new level. Both praised the results of the second session of the joint committee on co-operation between the Government of the Republic of Belarus and the Government of the United Arab Emirates. The UAE is the main trade partner of Belarus among Arab states in the Persian Gulf, with Belarus exporting car and tractor parts, tobacco products, synthetic fibres, engines and power supply units, as well as potash fertilisers, bearings, trailers and semitrailers. As of 2013, 14 organisations with UAE capital were operational in Belarus, involving $54m of UAE investment. Belarus and the UAE have a high level of political interaction, sharing similar positions on key issues within the UN agenda.

Mr. Lukashenko’s meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior of the UAE, Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, touched on the UAE’s eagerness to attract qualified specialists from Belarus. The Head of State noted his productive meeting with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, the Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. He explained, “We agreed on many things and have new ideas on how to improve our economic relations and relations between people.” He added that Belarus is ready to provide specialists to work in the UAE. In his turn, Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan noted that Belarus has advanced industry and education, making the engagement of the Belarusian workforce a major aspect of bilateral collaboration.

VISIT “All industries, particularly manufacturing, agriculture, social sector and high-tech industry, are well developed in Belarus,” stressed the President. “The only thing that Belarus lacks is resources and, to a certain extent, investment — both of which are abundant in the UAE. Therefore, we need to join efforts for the benefit of our two states.” The meeting also focused on liaisons in the sphere of law enforcement, as our law enforcement bodies have been working together since 2005. The committee on co-operation with Belarus was established at the UAE Ministry of the Interior last year, with Emirati specialists attending short courses at the Belarusian Interior Ministry Academy. Trade between Belarus and the UAE is expected to reach $500m in 2015, encouraging further co-operation, as noted by the President of Belarus, during his meeting with the Deputy National Security Advisor of the UAE, Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Mr. Lukashenko noted that Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan had been present at the recent meeting between the Belarusian President and the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, the Deputy Supreme Commander of the

UAE Armed Forces, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. “You were present at our long negotiations and discussions, yesterday and today, so you are familiar with trade-economic relations and can add your thoughts to the potential new avenues of co-operation proposed by Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan,” added Mr. Lukashenko. The President stressed that, upon his return to Belarus, he would instruct the Government to draft a list of products in demand in the UAE, in order to boost bilateral trade to $500 million next year. “We’d like the Emirati side to do the same,” said the Belarusian leader. “We must reach this level of bilateral trade, in order to create the foundation and economic platform for further co-operation. We can do anything you need from us, and you have what we need. It would be great to join efforts, expanding and enhancing our economic and security relations, among others,” noted the Head of State. Mr. Lukashenko stressed that he desires to see top level agreements implemented effectively and as soon as possible. He promised to instruct the

 CSTO challenges at next session meeting

he Secretary General of the CSTO, Nikolai Bordyuzha, recently met President Lukashenko to discuss preparations for the next meeting of the CSTO Collective Security Council. Mr. Lukashenko is keen to focus on security issues raised during his recent negotiations with the United Arab Emirates leadership. He noted, “I understand that the situation there

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Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) to organise next Council session for December 23

Nikolai Bordyuzha

is far from stable. Egypt and Libya especially have problems, and not all is right with the ‘Islamic State’. There is war across the East. Look at the situation near our borders; who would have thought that Ukraine would face such a conflict...”

Belarusian Government accordingly, saying, “I'd like you, as a person who supervises relations between Belarus and the UAE, to do the same. Then, we'll be able to advance our co-operation to the highest level. We very much hope that our intensive exchanges of visits at top level and at the level of ministers and other officials will promote progress in our relations.” Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan remarked that Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan was satisfied with his meeting with the Belarusian President and was impressed by the openness of their dialogue. “I think that our relations saw a certain breakthrough,” underlined the Deputy National Security Advisor of the UAE, adding that the Emirati side had worked hard on the agreements. “As far as I can see, we’ve managed to convince our UAE partners that we have serious intentions and are eager to build long-term relations,” summed up Mr. Lukashenko. His visit included a tour of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, to honour the memory of the first President of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. By Vasily Kharitonov

“Our safety is of paramount importance; we in Belarus watch everything occurring near (and far from) our borders with care. We operate in this direction, supporting our friends within the CSTO as much as we can, and paying close attention to the defence of our own borders, including working with the Russian Federation on the western zone of our responsibility.” Nikolai Bordyuzha believes that the next CSTO Council meeting will face some challenging questions. He notes, “If to estimate the general realm of Treaty activity, there are several disturbing factors — foremost Afghanistan.” The situation there is now at its worst, according to Mr. Bordyuzha By Veniamin Mikheev

2014 беларусь.belarus

PARTNERSHIP

Plans for tomorrow Belta

Belarus-Myanmar prospects discussed by President of Belarus and Commander in Chief of the Myanmar Army, Min Aung Hlaing

he President of Belarus underlined that Myanmar occupies a strategic position in the region, saying, “It promotes not only its own development but influences that of our country, owing to involvement in joint projects. Nearby there are large, promising markets.” The Head of State believes that success is possible through entry to each other’s markets. Belarus and Myanmar are involved in bilateral intergovernmental and interdepartmental agreements on trade and economic affairs, as well as militarytechnical co-operation, visa-free trips for diplomatic and service passport holders, communications in the agro-sphere and education. Another 11 international acts are under consideration. Myanmar is open to co-operation but, although diplomatic relations were established 15 years ago, the head of the Belarusian diplomatic mission only began work in Vietnam and Myanmar in 2011. Interaction across various spheres launched from this moment, with turnover in goods reaching a modest $2.3 million in 2013, showing room for improvement. Minsk and Naypyiбеларусь.belarus 2014

Belarus and Myanmar are involved in bilateral intergovernmental and interdepartmental agreements on trade and economic affairs, as well as military-technical co-operation, visa-free trips for diplomatic and service passport holders, communications in the agro-sphere and education. Another 11 international acts are under consideration

daw are determined to develop contacts, as proven by regular meetings between the President of Belarus and the Commander in Chief of the Myanmar Army, Min Aung Hlaing. The honoured guest from Myanmar is rather influential, appointing one of

two deputy presidents for the country and selecting a quarter of parliamentarians. Dialogue at the Palace of Independence extended broadly, beyond matters of defence. Mr. Lukashenko informed his guest that, having visited Belarusian enterprises and heard reports, he was now familiar with all that was needed for interaction. Myanmar occupies a strategic position, with access to close markets with much potential. Joint projects with Belarus can only be to the benefit of each party. Mr. Lukashenko noted that no area is closed, with Belarus ready to deliver anything necessary to Myanmar and to import those items not made in our country. He welcomes the notion of coproduction, with onward sale to countries near Myanmar, as well as militarytechnical co-operation and personnel training. Min Aung Hlaing has agreed with offered directions of work and has thanked Alexander Lukashenko for his official invitation to the President of Myanmar to visit Minsk. He assures us that his country is interested in prompt liaisons, to help drive forward interstate dialogue. By Vladimir Khromov

Panorama Space has much to offer In launching its satellite, Belarus has joined space states and is actively mastering this direction

he 6th Belarusian Space Congress, hosted by the National Academy of Sciences, was symbolic in gathering not only leading experts in this hitech area, but, for the first time, real hero astronauts: Piotr Klimuk, Vladimir Kovalenok and Oleg Novitsky — all from Belarus. In exploring space, we master new technologies, which promote wider economic and scientific development, as our first cosmonaut, Piotr Klimuk, would agree. The exhibition of scientific and technical space equipment produced by the United Institute of Informatics Problems (UIIP) of the NAS — where the congress took place — impressed Mr. Klimuk, who emphasised, “Equipment made in Belarus is among the most advanced. On my mission, we used a spectrometer made by the Insti-

 Advisory missions won’t hurt Belarus counts on IAEA assistance during construction of its first nuclear power station

peaking at a session of the UN General Assembly, discussing the International Atomic Energy Agency report, Deputy Permanent Represent-

tute of Physics, which helped us collect so much data! We now have good optics and a system of Earth remote sensing, helping us address issues in ecology, meteorology, cartography, and other Earth studies. We'll soon be launching a communications satellite. Space has much to offer. Earth resources are limited, so we should aspire beyond.” Programmes directed at developing space activity involve about 50 organisations from Belarus and Russia. Among the most active are: Peleng JSC — whose orientation device was launched this year on Russia’s Meteor satellite; Integral JSC; various institutes within the Academy of Sciences; and the Belarusian State University. The Institute of Applied Physical Problems (at the Belarusian State University) has been working with the Russian Academy of Sciences to study circumterraneous space — looking at the Earth and its atmosphere. Immediate tasks for Belarusian space programme include perfecting the system of remote Earth data collection, including launching a new satellite which can receive pictures at a higher resolution, and developing new materials, equipment and technologies.

ative of Belarus to the UN, Yevgeny Lazarev, stated that the country intends to use the IAEA services actively while constructing its first nuclear power station. “The annual IAEA report states that in 2013 Belarus became the second country over the last three decades to start constructing its first nuclear power station. We’d like to affirm our strong commitment to

 New style in the air and on Earth Boeing Corporation to help Belavia with rebranding

n June 2014, Belavia signed an agreement to purchase three new Boeing 737-800 Next-Generation aircraft, to which Boeing offered an additional service to help Belavia with rebranding. The company’s top management welcomed the idea and, since June 2014, Belavia specialists have been working in close co-operation with Boeing. The ideas of Belarusian designer Ilya Andreyev, shared online, have proven a hit with Belavia, who have now invited Ilya to join the next Belavia-Boeing joint task force meeting, being held in Minsk, from November 19-20.

international norms and standards. Nuclear security remains a top priority for Belarus. We’re ready for open dialogue with all countries and international organisations regarding the construction of the nuclear power station,” noted Mr. Lazarev. He emphasised that Belarus is a nuclear novice and intends to use the services of the IAEA, including advisory missions.

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Panorama  Knight returns to astonish 21st century Mogilev History Museum, situated in city hall, displays early 16th century knight’s armour found last year in Mstislavl

he suit of armour is unique in being the only such to have been found in Belarus, explains Alexey Batyukov, Head of Mogilev History Museum. He tells us, “In the summer of 2013, private treasure hunters found a knight’s sword in the River Vikhra (still in the hands of unknown people). Then, local residents found two fragments of a cuirass (coat of chainmail) and archaeologist Igor

Marzalyuk arrived to work with the ‘Sea Pegasus’ Dive-Club to locate other parts of the chainmail.” Mr. Marzalyuk has dated the find as being perhaps from November 4, 1502, from a battle known to have taken place near Mstislavl. He adds, “The remains of the knight and his armour have lain for half a millennium at the bottom of the River Vikhra. This year, the ashes of the warrior were reinterred i n M s t i s l av l , on Zamkovaya Hill.” Visitors to the museum can view the almost unscathed armour and a reconstruction of the original appearance of the knight’s clothing.

 City in full view Mogilev residents and city visitors invited onto balcony of main symbol of city municipality — the Town Hall sually closed to public access, visitors to the Mogilev History Museum will now be able to pay a small fee to climb under the dome of the Town Hall, taking in the marvellous view from its balcony, 20m above street level. The panorama includes Gorky Park (whence Mogilev began); Tsar Nikolay II once had a residence here, often walking with his son along the shady avenues. The platform includes a specially made telescope (from Japan) which can be used to survey the city below. Alexey Batyukov, the Director of Mogilev History Museum, notes that the device has a 25x zoom, able to show even the monastery in Podnikolie and Buinichi Field. The balcony also affords visitors a close-up encounter with the mechaniбеларусь.belarus 2014

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cal trumpeter installed to give his own fanfare every day at noon, at 8 p.m. (since 8 is the symbol of infinity) and at 1 a.m. when it is always dark. Sounding over the Square of Glory, the figure is a boy in a dark blue frock coat and a cocked hat, and was installed on City Day, on June 28.

 Suprematist painting returns to Vitebsk centre Young artists paint the building wall using Kazimir Malevich’s drawing

his is the third attempt to paint the famous drawing Death to Wallpaper on the house wall. The drawing itself was created by Malevich in 1919 to decorate the building of the studio in Bukharinskaya Street (now, Pravdy Street). The first attempt to bring Malevich’s idea into life took place in 1992, when members of Vitebsk’s Kvadrat (Square) Creative Association of Artists painted Malevich’s drawing on the building wall, located at the crossroads of Lenin and Pravdy streets. This is not the house that Malevich wanted to paint but it has stood in Vitebsk since the time of UNOVIS (avant-garde artistic association, created by Kazimir Malevich) and is situated in close vicinity to the studio, where the prominent artist used to work. However, the painting was created with the use of unstable materials (gouache with glue) and, over the years, gradually disappeared from the wall. In 2010, painters Dukhovnikov, Vyshka and Chuikova, as well as students of artistic departments of Vitebsk universities painted the wall again. Now, after the repair, the drawing will grace the central part of the city for the third time. Students from the Design Department at Vitebsk State Technological University joined young Vitebsk painters to take part in the artistic event.

Initiatives

United Nations is no doubt a global organization. It unites the world community and has an impact on the international politics. As we all know, Belarus is one of the founding states of the UN and its initiatives have more than once gained support at the UN General Assembly. But the relations are two-fold: the United Nations in Belarus implements a large number of programmes and projects. We have discussed the work of the United Nations in more detail with the Un Resident Coordinator in Belarus Mr. Sanaka Samarasinha

Mr. Sanaka Samarasinha, UN Resident Coordinator / UNDP Resident Representative in Belarus

From global to regional Mr. Samarasinha, could you tell us about the basic areas where the UN is active in Belarus? The United Nations is represented in Belarus by nine UN resident Agencies, three International Financial institutions and the partner International Organization for Migration. The UN Country Team cooperates with the Government of Belarus and other national stakeholders on a whole range of issues. Other UN agencies who are not physically present in the country also work through our office here to provide as-

sistance and engage in cooperation with national and international partners. We are actively working on health issues starting from combating TB, HIV/AIDS to non-communicable diseases like alcohol and tobacco abuse, diabetes and cancer. With resources from the Global Fund to prevent AIDS, TB and Malaria, the UN is providing antiretroviral drugs to almost 6000 people living with HIV, which helped prevent about 4000 new HIV cases and 2000 deaths due to AIDS. Thanks to the programmes on fighting tuberculosis im-

plemented by the UN in Belarus since 2007, the TB rate has decreased by more than 1000 people. Now each year the TB rate is dropping by 200-300 people less than the previous year. The challenges and thus more work to be done remain in combatting the multidrug resistant forms of TB. The UN under the leadership of the World Health Organization and with resources from the European Union is actively supporting Belarus in promoting healthy lifestyle and combating non-communicable diseases. In partic2014 беларусь.belarus

initiatives ular, we are establishing screening programmes on breast and cervical cancer. Almost 1000 women are diagnosed with cancer each year in Belarus and one person dies of cancer almost every day in the country. Our intention is to minimize these figures through screening and awareness campaigns. Gender-related issues remain an extremely important area of work for the UN, in particular, the issue of domestic violence. In Belarus domestic violence is the most commonly encountered type of gender-based violence. In 2011, more than 2600 domestic crimes were registered. Every day about 500 incidents of domestic conflicts are reported to the law enforcement agencies, 70 per cent of which are cases of domestic violence against women and children. Under the leadership of United Nations Populations Fund we have helped to introduce legislation against domestic violence, train law enforcement officials, raised awareness among the public about the issue and how to deal with such situations and supported a telephone hotline and a shelter for victims. At the same time, we are committed to supporting Belarus on accession to the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, its ratification and implementation. There are over half a million people registered in Belarus as having disabilities and it is important that they are included in the society as full-fledged members, While Belarus already provides support for people with disabilities, we must still do more to remove infrastructure barriers that prevent people with disabilities from accessing services or simply enjoying the community and the environment like everyone else. At the same time, more can be done to address how people with disabilities could be trained in different areas and secure their jobs. Also important is the issue of mental health. We can do much more to ensure proper care and reduce social stigma of people with mental health problems. The UN team in Belarus works actively with children. In the middle of беларусь.belarus 2014

November United Nations Children’s Fund together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus organized an international conference on juvenile justice. The participants of the conference exchanged views and shared experiences in the creation of effective child protection systems. The conference was also designed to strengthen the interagency cooperation in this field, bolster the activities of the national child protection agencies, and discuss the issues of child protection topical for the countries of the region. The issue of child injuries is very serious here in Belarus and UNICEF is working with the Government and NGOs in the country on

UN in Belarus is planning to expand its cooperation with the country with the active use of innovative approaches minimizing the risks to children — often as a result of the lack of parental supervision. We’re working on a whole range of youth initiatives. We are about to launch a Youth Advisory Panel to the UN Country Team in Belarus where young people will have their say in the work of the UN. They will be able to guide the programmes we implement so that the specific issues of young people will be addressed in all our initiatives. Next year is the Year of Youth here in Belarus. We’re hoping that the Secretary General’s Special Envoy on Youth will

be able to join us in Belarus during the course of the year to mark this important occasion. We have had quite a lot of programmes on human trafficking for many years. As you may know, Belarus has been one of the global leaders fighting this global challenge of human trafficking. Under the leadership of Belarus, last year the UN member states established the annual World Day against Trafficking in Persons. With the support of the UN much has already been achieved here in Belarus to reduce the number of women who are trafficked for sexual exploitation. At the same time, we have also seen an increase in men who are being trafficked for labor exploitation in Belarus and elsewhere. The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner on Refugees has been dealing with refugees from Syria, Afghanistan and Africa for years. 893 refugees have been recognized by the Government since 1997 — 2014 with support from UNHCR; 217 of them in 2014 only. Last year we have noted more than 30 thousand people who have come across the border from Ukraine who also need some form of assistance. The Government should be commended for the services they are providing to these desperate people. With the help of the Global Environment Facility and others, the United Nations Development Programme has been implementing numerous projects to protect the environment and promote sustainable development. For many years, Belarus has been known known as the “lungs of Europe”. The country still has more than 40% of forest cover and takes environment protection quite seriously. But we continue to work on a number of things from protecting biodiversity and helping to manage solid waste to reducing carbon emissions and improving energy efficiency. We also implement an important project to promote eco-tourism here with resources from United States Agency for International Development. The UNDP also implements

initiatives programmes to strengthen economic development from helping small and medium enterprises to opening the country for private sector investments. On November 25th the Parliament will hold public hearings on a law on Public Private Partnerships. The initiative to introduce legislation and establish smooth procedures for foreign investment in public ventures has been the result of an EU funded UNDP project with the Ministry of Economy The UN Agencies have been also doing a lot to support Belarus as the country which suffered the most from the Chernobyl disaster. With the generous support of donors the UN was able to channel over USD 45 mln to recovery efforts after the Chernobyl Disaster. Through local initiatives we have tried to help the affected communities deal with health, economic and social issues. But many challenges remain. That is why, in May 2014 the UNDP Administrator, who also leads the UN Inter-Agency Taskforce on Chernobyl, decided with the Government of Belarus for the first time to hold the annual meeting of the Taskforce in an affected country — here in Minsk. The aim was to highlight the remaining needs and come up with a plan of action for the future. We are also working with the Government and a number of partners on the important issue of human rights. Through a process called the Universal Period Review, every country in the world reports to other countries on their human rights record and receives recommendations on improvements. The UN is working constructively with Belarus to support the implementation of these recommendations and the international obligations of Belarus through other human rights treaties it has signed. Finally, the UN under the leadership of the UNDP has begun an exciting initiative to promote social innovation in the country. Working with the private sector and with young innovators, NGOs, academia and the Government we recently concluded a very inspiring

Mr. Sanaka Samarasinha, Hero of Belarus Ms. Darya Domracheva and UDDP Administrator Ms. Helen Clark during the official ceremony of nominating Ms. Domracheva the UNDP Good Will Ambassador

event called “Social Hackathon” where active and bright people came together to develop innovative solutions for social challenges like HIV, disabilities and climate change. We are now taking this further by establishing innovation labs around Belarus so good ideas to help communities deal with their issues can be prototyped and replicated. So, we may say that we target many problems that Belarus sees as priorities. In all this work, the UN is a valuable source of international expertise and experience for Belarus and Belarusians. And we plan to extend our cooperation making it even more efficient. Work over UNDAF for 2016-2020 is going on currently. Are there any results yet? Who are the participants of the process? The work on the United Nations Development Assistance Framework is ongoing. We are planning to finalize the document by the beginning of the year. This is the second time we are doing a strategic framework with the Government, and this time participants from

several sectors took part in the development of results matrices: private sector, NGOs, the Government, academia and international consultants. The following four priority areas have been identified in the course of various meetings and seminars: (i) economic sustainable development, (ii) green economy and environmental protection, (iii) responsive, inclusive and accountable governance; and (iv) human capital (health and social inclusion). Throughout the preparation of the new UNDAF, the UN is committed to strengthen the national ownership and leadership, better alignment with national priorities and use of national systems when possible, stronger harmonization among the UN Agencies, thus ensuring that the impact on development is maximized. This UNDAF will cover the period from 2016 to 2020. And at the same time we’ve been working with the Government to help them finalize their long-term strategy, which they call the National Strategy for Social Economic 2014 беларусь.belarus

initiatives

Mr. Samarasinha awarding the winners of the First UNDP Social Hackathon in Belarus

Development, which also runs from 2016 to 2030. Early next year from this long-term strategy there will be developing a Social-Economic Development Programme for 2016-2020, exactly the same time frame as the UNDAF, the UN Framework. Now with all of these processes we’ve been working together we’ve been making sure that the post2015 National Consultations, findings that we have (and Belarus is one of the 88 countries that conducted these National Consultations together with UN), that these findings of these National Consultations are reflected in the UN’s Framework of Assistance as well as in the Government’s Strategies and Programmes. Belarusian delegation headed by the Prime-Minister Mikhail Myasnikovich has recently visited New York to take part in the meeting of the UN GA and other official events. The visit included meetings with the UN Secretary General, the UNDP Administrator, other UN officials. The Belarusian Investment Forum was held in New York. Does this mean that the Belarus-UN беларусь.belarus 2014

relations have significantly developed recently? What was the reason for such development? Belarus is an active member of UN family and it is one of the UN founding states. It should be stressed that Belarus was the first post-Soviet state to open a UN office. This happened in 1992, during an official visit by the UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali to Minsk. As I’ve said before, Belarus is among the world champions in the area of combating human trafficking. Besides this, the delegation of your country has raised a number of important issues during the last meeting of the UN General Assembly, in particular drawing attention of the United Nations to the issue of prevention of illegal trades of small arms, protection of children’s rights and on the issues of international migration. At the same time, I feel that we are also seeing an even stronger relationship developing between the UN and Belarus in the past couple of years. This is primarily because of the constructive

approach both sides have taken based on mutual respect and trust. How do you see further cooperation between the UN and Belarus? The President of Belarus during his meeting with the UNDP Administrator Ms. Helen Clark recognized that Belarus-UN cooperation remains most efficient and targeted. We are committed to preserving effectiveness and resultoriented approach of the UN Country Team with the National Authorities in the future. I should say we are proud that the Government of Belarus uses our assistance in drafting the national long-terms strategies. This is a sign of recognition of our professionalism and of the results we have already achieved. UN in Belarus is going to expand its cooperation with Belarus also using innovative approaches. In particular, we’ve recently had the first UNDP Social Hackathon where we’ve turned ideas of changing Belarusian society to better to concrete steps. And by now, only slightly more than a month later, the three winning projects have started being implemented in practice. We are planning to make Social hackathon a constant practice in Belarus, allowing Belarusian people define the most important problems, find and implement solutions to overcome them. We will continue working with the country and those who need our assistance most, with the vulnerable groups, which include people living with disabilities, people living with HIV and with TB, elderly people, youth and children, women as victims of domestic violence, affected by different forms of cancer; affected by alcohol and tobacco, members of the integrating communities (refugees, migrants an other). We will also continue to engage with all stakeholders and representatives of the Government, non-governmental organizations, private sector, academia, international partners, as we are committed to the principle of inclusivity, both in the society and in our work.

DIPLOMATIC MISSION

There are no clichés in politics A flight to Rome from Minsk airport is always sunny in any weather conditions: in the boarding queue it is noisy, many children are playing pranks, and nobody shouts at them for this and the children are happy about that. Even usually timid teenagers from the boarding school smile without special reasons and easily say hello to flight attendants in Italian — ‘buongiorno’!

ut in Rome, at Via delle Alpi Apuane, 16, even noisy and expressional Italians are unusually concentrated and self-restrained. This address is not for idle people — it is the Embassy of Belarus. To understand how Belarusian diplomats work in Italy, we took one day — June 27. It is a usual day, filled with meetings, phone calls and the preparation of documents. That day, the Head of the diplomatic mission Yevgeny Shestakov would have several meetings, including with the Ambassador of the Russian Federation in the Vatican and ex-minister of culture Alexander Avdeev. But early in the morning, there was a traditional, short meeting with diplomats. And though to onlookers it reminded a friendly conversation, it was an accurate conversation between experts. Then there was time for a small tour around the em-

bassy. It is a small private mansion in the style of a modern office. Nothing here catches the eye of a photographer. There are no architectural features, just smooth walls and small offices. But its modesty is deceptive. They did not save on office equipment. I see with my trained eye that they have modern computers, and the coffee here is obviously one of the best in the city. The size of the ambassadorial courtyard confirms how expensive land and real estate is in Rome. “But our orange tree bears fruit and the

birch that we brought from our native land has also started to grow. Yes, our building is an office, functional and not intended for carrying out representative activities, but it is absolutely normal. The President says that today, modern diplomacy should be extremely pragmatic and aimed at results.” Having no time to answer phone calls and my different questions, Yevgeny Andreevich is already not with me; I feel he is preparing for the next meeting. Therefore I hasten to ask the ‘exciting’ question. Who is the main diplomat in the Embassy? The one engaged in the political issues or the economy, the consul or, maybe, a person responsible for scientific and technical co-operation?

Head of the diplomatic mission Yevgeny Shestakov

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DIPLOMATIC MISSION

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ees are high. All of them, as a rule, have two higher educations and good language preparation. The Ambassador knows four European languages. One more distinctive feature of our diplomatic mission in Rome is the active presence in Internet social networks. As employees of the Embassy say, today it is the most mobile and effective way of distributing information on the activity of the diplomatic mission and about the policy of Belarus; and young active diplomats do not lag behind here.

”

ed basically by technologies. Economy modernisation is impossible without buying modern technology and manufacturing. They make up the majority of Belarusian imports from Italy. The second serious task of the ‘economists’ of a diplomatic mission is the attraction of investments that are necessary for economic modernisation. Today, it is question number one on the agenda of any State for its survival and competitiveness. We are not an exception here. We

”

“The work of the Embassy is aimed at the realisation of a solid global task. In our case it is mutual trade and export,” the Ambassador specifies. “Political work, humanitarian co-operation, working with the media, consular work, scientific and technical co-operation — these are all important daily components of the activity of diplomats. But today, we say that without normal policy there cannot be economy. Therefore all these directions work towards one global purpose — the formation of a worthy, unbiased attitude to our State. We are all ready for dialogue — mutually-respective, let it be even critical, — but dialogue with all European Union countries. There is nothing ideal in the world. We do not ignore our failings, we discuss them, and we try to solve the things which are within our competence. The task of the Embassy is to explain, acquaint, convince and interest, in order that the attitude towards the country is not based on false representations or references to clichés.” The life of a diplomat differs slightly from work of other civil servants. However, the working day is not fixed and days off for diplomats are an exception. The workers of the diplomatic mission seldom get home before midnight, even though the working day usually begins at 8 a.m. The first hours, as a rule, are the best for working with documents and letters. Then start the calls, meetings with officials in State run public authorities and colleagues in the diplomatic corps. An employee of a foreign establishment, especially in the trade and economic service, should be, as a matter of fact, a mobile manager. Diplomats do not afford such luxury as bookwork: most effectively trade and economic questions in Italy are solved during personal contact — eye to eye. All the work of the Embassy is the foundation on the basis of which our trade and our exports develop, and as a result, the wellbeing of our people and our State finally grows. The trade and economic service is a locomotive which works for the realisation of the main task of the Embassy. The staff of mission is small, therefore the qualifying requirements of employ-

work: for the last five years, the volume of annually attracted direct investments from Italy to Belarus has grown from $3.1m to $56.6m. In the first quarter of 2014 direct Italian investment into our economy reached $17.5m — growth, in comparison with the last year’s period of 11.4 percent. Today, Italy is included into the group of leaders in terms of the quantity of created joint and foreign enterprises in Belarus. Thus, in a database of the Uniform State reserve of legal bodies and individual entrepreneurs of Belarus, there are 173 operating legal bodies with Italian capital investment. These are 102 joint ventures and 71 foreign enterprises with Italian capital. Thanks to constructive interaction of the Belarusian side with the largest export credit Italian agency SACE, it was possi-

DIPLOMATIC MISSION ble not only to provide a continuation of the modernisation process for a range of branches in our industry with the help of Italian equipment, but also to receive last year a record volume of guarantees on transactions at a rate of 100m Euro. The everyday work of employees of the trade and economic service represents answers to dozens of inquiries from Belarusian businesses. They apply for information, and it is necessary to check potential partners using their inquiries — how reliable they are, what their reputation is and whether they are solvent. Sometimes, for example, people ask ‘Who can buy your peat?’ One would think that today, with the Internet, it is easy to find answers to all questions; but actually, it’s not so simple. At large enterprises there are marketing specialists. Maybe they know the Italian market better, according to their subject area. But there are also dozens of other smaller enterprises in these areas, in which it is difficult to orient oneself. The Embassy is open for them. We give assistance to all enquiries independently of the form of ownership. Both state enterprises and private traders apply to us. And we do not divide anybody into ‘our people’ and ‘strangers’ — they are all ‘our people’, taxpayers. All their successful transactions become our total export or import, that’s necessary for us — all of them are equal. Another matter is the work with our major companies; they do not need us to take them under our wing. However, we try not to let them out of our field of vision and their work in the Italian market. If they make mistakes somewhere, we prompt them and insure, because we know the specificity. Certainly, we do not pretend to know how to sell their products or services, but we know the rules of the game in our host country, and are obliged to prompt and organise, so that there is a possibility to reach potential buyers.

All roads lead to Rome There are very few places in the world where your feet stand on the territory of one state and your hands rest against another State, while your vision

“For the last five years, goods turnover between Belarus and Italy has grown from $900m in 2009 to $2bn in 2013.” Senior Counsellor, Yevgeny Sobolevsky, supports the thesis of the Ambassador with concrete figures. “Thus exports have increased almost fivefold, and due to multiple growth of export-import goods-flows, the negative balance was reduced from $522m to $204m” is surprised at the architectural symbols of a powerful and influential third State. But in Rome, it is possible to simultaneously see Italy, possessions of the Vatican and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. This Italian feature influences the work of all diplomatic missions: Rome, as a point of diplomatic presence, includes a large quantity of embassies accredited directly in Italy, the huge block of embassies in Vatican City and under the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. It is necessary to co-operate simultaneously with three political forces which are rather influential on the world arena. Many States have three diplomatic representations here, for example, the Russian Federation. Another category of missions — accredited under the FAO is the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations. Last year, Belarus signed an agreement with the organisation regarding technical help, and now, the legal conditions for the realisation of various projects in our country are being created. One of which — ‘Emergency Assistance to Control the African Swine Fever Outbreak in Belarus’ with a budget of $420 thousand, began last year. Minsk is also ready to participate in other projects. Active dialogue with the FAO continues with a visit by the Director General of the FAO, José Graziano da Silva, to Minsk, expected in the second half of this year.

Alloy of reaction and iron endurance

The most populous place in any Embassy is the consular department. Its work at first sight consists of the procedure of granting visas — 11 thousand of which were granted last year. However, employees of the consular service also conduct cases concerning adoption, participate in lawsuits and make various notarial procedures. In the consulate, even on non-visiting days, there is a working atmosphere. Apart from personal appointments or phone calls, employees answer emails every day. The Counsellor on Consular Questions, Victoria Parkhotik, says that sometimes there are more than thirty of them, “But we chose a form of work ourselves. It usually relates to the list of documents which citizens should collect. Sometimes, a telephone conversation leads to misunderstanding, ‘And you told me this, oh, I have not heard, I have forgotten!’ And citizens from all across Italy contact us. A separate story is about the necessary certificates on returning — the document for returning into the country in case of a lost passport. In Italy, it happens quite often that our tourists lose their documents together with their purses. Alas, during the tourist season in Italy, people not only have a rest: thieves and pickpockets work non-stop. When happy parents apply to us, we suggest that Belarusian-Italian couples also get a Belarusian passport for their 2014 беларусь.belarus

cooperation child. It has already become a classic case when Belarusians face a situation that, if a child does not have a Belarusian passport, the Italian father can not give an exit permit for the kid. And then, the trip home to the mother is qualified as kidnapping. We are all for love and happiness, but anything may happen in life, and we do face such situations. Therefore all our citizens who apply to the Embassy, get consultation with us on a wide spectrum of legal subtleties. A non-visiting day in the Embassy is not a day off but a chance to work on those problems which puzzled the staff during ‘visiting days’. Victoria Petrovna’s desk is filled with a huge number of letters, and one letter may need two hours of attentive, concentrated work. People marry, get divorced or establish paternity — someone’s destiny and problems of legal property which should be solved. According to the Consul, the success of consular work is in its ‘people’. “Our work does not accept superficiality, conceit or arrogance. Perhaps the most difficult thing for employees is to observe a healthy balance between emotional responsiveness, empathy and efficient detachment from a problem. Consular work is an alloy of fast reaction to an event and iron endurance at the same time.

Let the sun always shine Another group of children have arrived from Minsk to have a rest with their families. Some children are here for the first time. These are children from Chernobyl-affected areas; pupils from children’s homes and boarding schools, children from incomplete and needy families. It is important that the humanitarian organisations of Italy create various projects and within Belarus help with the repair of children’s recreation camps, aid medical centres and organise training courses for graduates of children’s homes. The Italian Republic is the basic partner of Belarus in health improvement of children. Statistical data show that out of 24 thousand children, who had holidays abroad in 2012, 13.2 thousand spent their summer holidays in Italy. By Larisa Rakovskaya

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Ideal conditions found Italian Foedus Foundation of Culture and Development launched in Belarus

t the opening ceremony, the President of the Fo e dus Found at ion, Mario Baccini, noted, “We’ve found ideal conditions in Minsk to turn our guiding principles into reality. We’d like to attract the best business powers to invest in Belarus and set up Italian-Belarusian enterprises. Joint efforts by the Government and businessmen from our two countries will help make best use of natural and human resources — with mutual benefit.” According to Mr. Baccini, Italians are interested in intellectual exchange and in attracting top Belarusian personnel for training in Italy, while providing scholarships to the most promising students. Joint projects and investment pro g r am m e s h ave b e e n sig ne d and prep are d in co-operation with the National Investment and Privatisation A g e n c y. These include: the launch of a joint machine-tool production in B elarus (Belstankoin-

strument-MK Industrial Engineering-Kovosvit, the Czech Republic); plans to develop a granite deposit in Belarus (Ministr y of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of Belarus-MK Industrial Engineering); and intentions for a joint company to implement ecorecycling of urban waste, including storage solutions (Getlini Latvia and MK Industrial Engineering). Mr. Baccini emphasises that the foundation was established 10 years ago to support culture, economy and business; it aims to help companies develop, create jobs and raise standards of living, while protecting human rights. Foedus implements and promotes international research, and conducts large-scale analysis, while liaising with governments across developed and developing countries. It also supports the younger generation in fulfilling its potential in every sphere. Mr. Baccini

By Michael Svetlov

ECONOMY

For our economy oil prices are not as important as the volume of petrol and diesel exports

il prices are falling. Why is it happening? And how can it affect our country? Expert Dmitry Kruk answers our questions. Oil prices come into motion for several reasons. First of all, there is a change in demand and supply. For example, the war in Iraq can lead to a decrease in production. And it means that the price will grow. But it is falling. Why? We shouldn’t overestimate the scale of the fall in oil prices, which we have seen during the last two months. It happens after a significant peak. Currently, there are some fundamental reasons contributing to falling prices for black gold. The main factor is an increase in the volume of shale production in the USA and North America as a whole. For the last three years, gas prices have significantly fallen at the cost of introduction and the use of new technologies there. So consumers redevelop and try to replace oil with gas. At the beginning of this summer, when the conflict in Iraq wasn’t so significant, waiting for the stabilisation of deliveries of Iraqi oil played no small part too. These expectations appeared against the background of an increase in delivery of Libyan oil. Changes in the financial market became also an auxil-

Belta

Prices always in motion

iary factor. The Federal Reserve Service of the USA gradually tightened its policy and consequently dollar has strengthened. But the increase in the volume of oil production is the primary impetus to falling oil prices, and macroeconomic factors only strengthened the trend. I remember the situation with the oil glut in the 1980s, when oil prices reached a peak, and then sharply fell. The glut occurred against the background of a decline of the economy in western countries and the spreading of energy saving solutions, demand for which was generated by high prices for energy sources. Is it possible to draw an analogy? That crisis was rather political and was connected with the limitation of volumes of deliveries of black gold. The current situation, on the contrary, is due to an increase in volume. There were energy saving solutions, now there are those, which make the extraction of resources easier. Today, price reduction is caused not by contraction of demand but by expansion of supply. So we can draw an analogy, but a mirrored analogy. The Ministry of Finance of Russia expects a collapse in oil prices in the following years. In your opinion, how will the situation of prices on the world market develop?

International organisations forecast a decrease in prices but I think it will be very moderate. All American technologies on the increase in oil production will bring a profit only at relatively high prices. If they conditionally decrease to $70 per barrel, I doubt that shale production in the USA will be profitable. So in the next year and a half we should expect a smooth lowering of price and some fluctuations will accompany this process. For example, an aggravation of the situation in Iraq may cause a short-term price increase. In Belarus, net income from the oil business is 12 percent of GDP. How can the fall in oil prices affect the Belarusian economy? When prices for crude oil and oil products change simultaneously, higher prices improve the balance of foreign trade. But dependence on price isn’t too big. Even when it changes significantly, the balance of visible trade of oil and oil products remains in a predictable corridor. For us volumes are more important. The bigger they are, the better it is in the context of the trade balance and added value. Moreover, it encourages the development of other sectors of the economy. By Irina Sudilovskaya

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CONTEXT

Smooth passage, without obstacles An ideal customs checkpoint resembles a conveyor belt, working smoothly and without delay. Our Belarusian customs have worked hard to reach this ideal, including the introduction of a new e-service in May for individual travellers. Those going abroad now need only complete a passenger custom declaration in advance, which they can do from any place in the world: home, hotel or café.

he advantages are evident — it helps to save time and avoid queues at checkpoints. Until recently, only companies were permitted to submit preliminary e-declarations for the transport of cargo: nowadays, 90 percent of exports and 80 percent of imports use e-declaration. It’s likely that the service will enjoy

similar popularity among individual travellers. E-declaration requires Internet access and must be completed at least two hours before presentaation at the border, but it takes only 5-7 minutes, via the website of the State Customs Committee (www.customs.gov.by): if you are go to the appropriate page, all steps are described in detail as to how to register and fill out a declaration. The system even points out mistakes. It then allocates an identification number, which can be printed out (with barcode) for presentation. Customs officers then

Cards with universal application Government approved integrated-payment system

he innovative project is based on the highest world standards, serving as an identity card, a social insurance certificate, and a payment card for various services and taxes. It can record various benefits and even medical data: it is a real ‘multi-passport’! Importantly, the Belarusian electronic card and ID system (for individuals and legal entities) will become the basis for a Belarusian integrated service-payment system. The multipurpose card will use a microprocessor — similar to modern plastic cards with chips, as issued by various banks. The Deputy Director of the National Centre of Electronic Services, Ivan Korol, tells us, “The Belarusian plastic card will gradually acquire more applications, building on its early base as an ID card;

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simply check if data on the preliminary declaration matches any shipping documents; if everything is in order, it takes only 15 minutes to pass through. The system was launched on the eve of the World Hockey Championship, when hundreds of tourists came to Belarus, submitting e-declarations (also using these documents when departing). The system remains popular, especially among regular travellers transporting diverse cargoes. The State Customs Committee is now studying the possibility of introducing a similar service for postal items being transported by carriers.

it could replace submission of your passport domestically in this respect — when addressing administrative and information services. It could also replace the certificate of state social insurance, since it will contain all the necessary information, and could act as a bankcard — to make payments. If successful, its use would be extended to include data on benefits, allowing some citizens to receive discounts when buying medicine for example. The first cards could be ready within a year.” Polyclinics are now moving towards issuing electronic cards for patients with the potential for holding full medical records in this format. Any doctor would be able to simply insert the card into their computer to view the necessary information on a patient’s history. Cards could also be used to pay for public transport — replacing electronic travel cards; besides paying for trains and planes, citizens could pay for sports and cultural events in this way. The integrated service-payment system may be launched by early 2017. By Anton Kostyukevich

Comfort guaranteed At the crossing of two basic highways — Brest-Moscow highway and the road to the airport — the Green Plaza Hotel is preparing to receive new lodgers

ccording to the rules of good form, a hotel should be located at a walking distance from the airport. First of all, it is a sign of respect to passengers who sometimes arrive late in the evening and depart early in the morning. Or who sometimes have to wait longer for a flight. However, all that our National Airport can offer is convenient sofas in a waiting room and a cup of coffee in a local bar. After all, no one wants to make frequent trips back and forth to Minsk.

However, soon people will not have any discomfort, as private entrepreneurs will help aviators. Now, the construction of the hotel is at that stage when it is possible to judge what it will be, not just by considering colourful presentations and projects, but also by being guided almost every day by the contours and the picture changes. Are the workers levelling sand on a huge platform fringed with borders? Aha, here will be a spacious parking lot. Are the workers assembling a wide bed in a small area somewhere in the heart of the main building? It is clear that we have taken a glimpse into an economy class double room. As a whole, Green Plaza still represents those four walls which should be made habitable and the territory which is now actively beautified. And what will we see then? We will not speak about the habitual details of complexes of similar level — restaurants, spa-salons, tennis courts and football grounds — we will pay attention to the ‘features’; there will be a lot of them here. Perhaps, the main is the location of the hotel. Halfway between Warsaw and

Moscow, just seven minutes of driving from Minsk National Airport. Marketing analysts calculated that every ten minutes, a vehicle with Russian number plates passes by. The builders are sure that if it is a toll road, it means that the service on it should be corresponding. People working here for twenty-four hours are ready to shelter, feed, organise a sanitary stop or change wheels and oil. And at the same time, you feel good and comfortable. It is not for nothing that the builders used the English word ‘green’ in the name. Directly before the windows is a grove. In order to protect lodgers against traffic noise, workers made a hill with flowers — a vertical flowerbed. Nearby there is a pond and a footpath leading to a two hundred year old oak. Seedlings of mahogany have been brought. Natural motives, by the way, are present in interior details: one of the check-in counters represents a whole piece of three hundred year old hornbeam which was cut down in the Cherven District. It is impressive! It is possible to admire picturesque nature not only from windows of the 2014 беларусь.belarus

Alexander Ruzhechka

RECREATION INFRASTRUCTURE

ATTRACTIVENESS OF SERVICES main four-storeyed building with 139 rooms, but also from ten guest houses. “We would like to offer our visitors a sensation of freedom,” the builders say. “And really, why huddle on a small patch? Workers are sure that such options will be especially estimated by businessmen. For example, why not organise negotiations here with the Chinese, who will arrive to build the Chinese-Belarus industrial park located in the immediate vicinity from the hotel?” We take our keys and imagine how it is to live in a similar place. Maxim Yakimkov, the Deputy Director General of Agrobel, guides us around the rooms, “Here is a negotiation room, here is a bedroom, behind this window is a small parking lot for cars, here we established a stove for draniki (potato pancakes). It is a feeling as if you were in an agro-estate. The owners of the complex have really placed special emphasis on Belarusian colouring, “For our employees we have sewn a special uniform in the national style,” Maxim Yakimkov tells. “We employed teachers with Belarusian and English languages. We are the only hotel to order Slutsk belts. All furniture is made by domestic producers — real handmade work! We concluded a

contract with farmers on delivery of the freshest meat. At the restaurant, we will treat guests with dishes of our national cuisine. What is more, draniki and pancakes will be prepared in the presence of a client. Now we are selecting our personnel. The faces of hotel are our waiters. We want girls to have typically Belarusian appearance — fair-haired and not cachectic, they should speak Belarusian and Russian, be modest and well-mannered and know how to sell themselves. On the one hand, the builder recognises the obvious advantages, “The state gave us the chance to show our initiative. The company of such a type as ours will not get land in any European country. For this purpose, it is necessary to be the ‘Hilton’. ..” And another thing — at this stage of construction, it was necessary to collect three hundred of the most inconceivable signatures and even to go to Orsha to receive some of them. While the length of the investment project was initially calculated at three years, it is good that it was prolonged. The company itself wonders how they managed to have the time to do all that. And tired travellers will be convinced of that soon. By Dmitry Umpirovich

Vladimir Kostin, Director of the Aviation Department of the Ministry of Transport and Communications: We have held a preliminary, informal meeting with the Director of the complex. It is obvious that this is a high-class hotel. Therefore, we have agreed upon a more subject conversation after Green Plaza is put into operation. I can tell that we plan to discuss the conditions of accommodation of crews here. However, final decisions will be made by heads of specific airlines. Besides, there are intentions to construct a hotel directly near the airport. One of the companies has already won the tender. On the agenda is the preparation of the corresponding documentation, while today the nearest point for rest and spending a night for pilots and stewards are departmental hotels and the hostel of the National Airport Minsk in the Sokol. It is enough, considering present mobility, while other airlines change places of their overnight stay almost every year. For example, as far as I am aware, Lufthansa has recently used the premises of a children’s camp in Volma village for these purposes, and before that, they reserved places in one of the Minsk hotels.

беларусь.belarus 2014

Agro-estates beyond competition Tourist flow to Belarus increased by quarter in the first half of the year

his year has been successful for the tourist industry. In H1 2014 Belarus welcomed about 90,000 tourists as part of organised tourist groups — up 25 percent compared to H1 2013. Tourists are primarily attracted to recreation in Belarusian clinics and agro-estates, along with sightseeing tours to famous historical and cultural heritage sites. According to the State Border Committee, during January-June 2014 as many as 1.9 million people crossed the Belarusian border on tourism, business and private visits while 550,000 people travelled across Belarus in transit. In the first six months of this year, Belarus exported $120.4m of tourism services — an increase of 13.1 percent compared to the same period of the previous year. Minsk contributed a lot to the increase in the export of tourism services by earning $65.1m — up 23.6 percent. There are plans to increase the export of tourism services primarily by reaching new markets. Europe and Southeast Asia are considered to be promising markets. The enhancement of tourist attractiveness of the country is a complex task that can be divided into the following global components: infrastructure, availability, security and promotion. As far as infrastructure is concerned, over 80 sites of tourist industry are to be put onto operation by late 2014, including hotels, hostels, camping sites, etc. For the sake of promoting the country, the Sports and Tourism Ministry will offer fact-finding tours about Belarus to representatives of tourism businesses and media of neighbouring countries, as well as Western Europe, Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

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FOREST AS UNIVERSE

Generous in its gifts for friends

ndrash Vadim

Each of us has our own ‘romance’ with the forest. Mine began in my distant Ukrainian childhood, in the Kharkov District. The forest was visible from the mountain; I just needed to climb the slope of the ravine adjoining our garden. I liked to go there and look at the city in which I was born and lived until I finished school. When I first saw Volchansk from this height, it amazed me, because it seemed that it lay as if in someone’s large palm. My father told me that local elderly residents nicknamed the place where Volchansk’s ancient settlement first began (around 1100AD) a ‘wolf hole’. I liked that I lived directly in a ravine hole, on one side protected by a huge broadleaved forest, and by high hills on the other. When we were children, we used to run to the forests to collect dark bluebells and primroses. They appeared in early April in forest-thawed patches.

Being 6km from the town, the Gatishchansky Forest seemed gloomy and mysterious, especially during bad weather. However, all my fears faded when I went for the first time on a summer sunny day to fish in the River Severski Donets. On the right bank was my ‘terrible’ forest from early childhood. Our whole family went: father, mother, brother with wife and daughter, and the nephew of my father — a military pilot. I felt then for the first time, with all my soul, that the forest is a real miracle, with its sunny clearings, green grass, birds’ voices and the crackling of boughs. On that day, for the first time, I tasted wild strawberries, which I picked with my pilot cousin. Huge oaks, birches, alder trees and hazels surrounded us — so many different trees. My father, a veteran of the Great Patriotic War, advised us not to go too far into thickets which seemed denser as you rose, saying that the most severe fighting occurred there, during the retreat of our troops in 1941. He ordered me not to go there with friends when I become older, since people found a lot of shells in those places. He advised us to arrange picnics in closer forests, behind the airdrome, where there were many yellow

“A sandwich outdoors isn’t a sandwich anymore. It tastes different than indoors. It has more flavour. It tastes like mint and pinesap. It does wonders for the appetite.” Ray Bradbury, Dandelion Wine

About 40 percent of Belarus is covered by forests. For every citizen, there is about one hectare of forested land and more than 180 cubic metres of wood stock. The annual gain in ‘timber’ considerably exceeds its annual cutting, keeping the balance between economic and ecological components in favour of ecology. The forests of Belarus, being the exclusive property of the state, generously give citizens all they have.

b o letuses, ceps and honey mushrooms, densely growing on old birch stumps. So we did. We organised walking trips for violet willows, while observing planes take off. Basking in the sun, we arranged picnics, eating greedily all the food taken from the house. Of course, we picked mushrooms, although, not being the biggest fan and failing to know where they grew most 2014 беларусь.belarus

abundantly in the Volchansk District, I don’t remember too much about it. I recall that when I was 5, my mother’s younger brother brought me a gift from Gomel: a box of sweets on which a forest of fir trees was painted. “It’s our Belarusian forest,” said uncle Vanya. “When you come to visit us, you’ll see that Belarus is a country of forests.” It may have been at this

moment t h at t h e threads of my destiny came together, since I’ve lived here for a long time and certainly feel like a local, to the core. Around 1996, over a period of four months, I hiked around the Belarusian state border — as you can read in another article in this edition. It was a journey that convinced me that the forest is a friend, defender and provider. беларусь.belarus 2014

“If you go to the left, there will be simply forest; if you go to the right, there will be forest again. If you reach a hollow, then you’ll see a magic forest.” From the film A Fairy Tale about Lost Time We go to the forest at the weekend, unless the weather is bad or there is other urgent business; I then wait impatiently until next time. Just five minutes’ drive from our city apartment is Tsnyanskoye water basin, surrounded by forest. We go further, along the bank of the Vyacha River, where the forest reaches the water. Then, we make our way towards the Logoisk District. Our friends’ summer cottage is located in the village of Pogrebishche, among Firs and Pines. In Posadets, we visit relatives, who also live near a forest. In fact, Zmitrok Byadulya, the Belarusian writer, was born there; his theatrical creativity and dramaturgy became the basis for my Master’s thesis. Sometimes, we visit the Brest Region, where there is a house owned by my husband’s parents. The small village of Yatskovshchina hides behind huge birches, maples and oaks, which stand on both sides of the Kletsk-Lyakhovichi highway. Nearby is Alitskovshina, where the forest is mixed. Just 50m from the house is a new forest, planted to protect us from the wind. It brings silence to our farmstead, where the tops of the old appletrees hardly move, although the trees near the road ‘groan’ in the wind. Forest lilies of the valley, bluebells and camomile flowers grow in the garden, probably brought with soil once from the for-

 Belarusian forests cover about 9.5 million hectares: 39.3 percent of the territory. Its wood stock is estimated at 1.7 billion cubic metres and the annual gain is over 31.9 million cubic metres of wood. est, in order to plant blueberries. They’ve multiplied over time and now please the eye. Such is the aesthetic role of the forest. We’ve planted junipers in the garden, as well as several pines and oaks and one fir (now as tall as the roof). A few kilometres from Yatskovshchina is an ancient coniferous forest, called Antiquity. There, it seems that magic is hidden among the century-old pines and firs, which bewitch in the huge hollows. Local residents seldom go there, although there are many mushrooms. Forest mysticism came to fore during a recent holiday with my husband; we kayaked down the River Niemen, starting in Stolbtsy and floating through the majestic Nalibokskaya Pushcha, which spreads out from the right bank of the Niemen. We spent the night in the forest, mooring to the steep bank, near a group of oaks. We pitched a tent, drank tea and went to sleep, but strange things began to happen: rustling and crackling boughs,

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FOREST AS UNIVERSE “...When I hear how a young forest planted at my hand whirrs, I realise that the landscape is a little within my power and that, if in one thousand years humans are happy, I will be partly responsible.” Anton Chekhov, Uncle Vanya Recently, I read two related books: Searchers of the Sky by Sergey Lukyanenko — a popular Russian writer; and a second book of his, called Morning Approaches. The forest appears largely in both, as is popular now in Belarus. He writes: “It’s always difficult to build. When you’re hungry and you need a field [in which to grow crops], you burn a forest. You become a fire, and century-old trees quickly turn to ash. However, the day then comes when you understand that you need trees. In order to build a house, and stoke your home hearth, you seek shelter and you plant a forest. Day after day, year after year, you wait, knowing that a forest cannot rise during your lifetime. You have a purpose but you’ll never reach it. You can

think only about those who will come after you. You become unified with the wider world, with the past and future…” Probably, those who planted forests this spring, felt this connection. After all, they were doing the good deed not for themselves but for future generations: a forest does not grow quickly. To remind readers, the Forest Week has been held for the 8th time recently in Belarus, coinciding with the 70th anniversary of our liberation from the Fascist aggressors. In memory of victims, commemorative trees were planted at the Mound of Glory Memorial. The baton was then passed countrywide, with around 50,000 people taking part. TV programme 24 Hour News reported that 70 million trees are to be planted in honour of 70 peaceful years. The tradition of planting forests began in the 1930s, beginning with a Forest Day rather than a whole week. The Forestry Ministry, which is responsible for the safety and augmentation of forests, revived the idea in 2007 and, every year, it becomes greater in scale, showing that Belarusians appreciate their forest riches.

The tradition to plant forests has a long history in Belarus

— Some people can’t imagine what you can make from one cubic metre of forest timber. Do you, for example? — I know! Firewood! Sleepers for railway lines! —You know more about potatoes! From one cubic metre of forest, you can make 200kg of paper or 170 pairs of rubber galoshes, two car tyres or 180kg of wool. For example, your mittens: you think that they are made from wool, yes? — Yes... — No, from a fir tree. My scarf is similar. — From a fir tree too? — No, from pine. Your small hands are frozen, while the forest warms all mankind. — Oh, you’re such a know-it-all with your forest tales! From the Soviet era cult film Devchata (Girls)

Belta

and the cry of an eagle owl. My husband slept calmly, yet I could not. I knew that our tent ‘protected’ us but I allowed fear to take hold of me, irrationally. I imagined wild beasts in the forest: a wolf howling, an elk stepping on the tent or a wild boar attacking. I realise now that I was probably halfdreaming. I thought about the beautiful oak under which we had placed our tent, and how the ancestors of Belarusians were pagans, asking protection from trees. I think this awoke something within me at a deeper level. I envisioned the oak to be a handsome ‘strongman’ guarding me and quickly fell asleep. In the morning, chuckling at my fears, I thanked the oak, which looked so innocent in the early sunlight: my night defender. I walked along the bank, picking puffballs and mushrooms with white hats, which have flesh as thick as chicken meat. In the twilight mist, we hadn’t seen them the previous evening near a sandy shallow pool (where we then bathed before departure). That evening, we ate mushroom soup — and how very tasty it was!

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inspire advantages in cultivating planting stock, reducing growing time from 15 years to just 3-5. You can read the full article on the SB Belarus Segodnya website — http:// www.sb.by/peredovitsa/article/v-lesudolzhen-byt-poryadok-.html Interestingly, Belarusian forests quickly adapt to changing environmental conditions, including growing on ‘non-native’ soil. Our seeds are in demand, for example, by the Scandinavians, and in great volumes.

Useful profession of the logger

The forests of Belarus are a rich source, forming the basis of the timber industry; they provide food and medicinal resources, as well as various other goods. Some inhabitants of forest villages even today live from what grows there: selling to the state mushrooms, berries, honey, cranberries and cowberries. This year’s mushroom season was so plentiful that professional pickers sold them to mushroom canneries: there are over 70 such in the Brest Region alone, which work for two months of the year. Besides mushrooms, nuts, berries and herbs, we reap the soft resin of trees, their roots and trunks. We even use Birch bark. The forestry of Belarus is one of the most promising Belarusian economic branches of raw materials. The country has well-developed timber, wood processing and pulp and paper industries. The forest complex of Belarus includes about 5,000 enterprises, including over 470 large and mediumsized, employing about 150,000 people, processing timber, wood particle and wood-fibre boards, veneer and furniture. About 300 enterprises produce furniture. Minsk, Bobruisk, Gomel, Vitebsk, беларусь.belarus 2014

Pinsk. Borisov, Gomel and Pinsk have enterprises producing matches; these are among the oldest countrywide, dating from the late 19th century. Sawn timber and veneer have been produced for over two centuries, and are now processed in Borisov, Bobruisk, Vitebsk, Gomel, Pinsk, Mosty, Rechitsa and Ivatsevichi. Belarusian forest services and goods are exported to more than 25 countries, including Poland, Lithuania, Germany, Latvia, Sweden, Belgium and the Netherlands. The Belarusian President, during his visit to the Republican Forest Selection Seed Growing Centre, this August, forbade the export of unprocessed timber in 2016, necessitating value-added processing. In order to meet the standards of advanced countries, such as Finland, modernisation of wood-processing enterprises is underway. Meanwhile, to keep them operating at full capacity, forestry work is being closely co-ordinated with enterprises’ needs. The President toured the biotechnological laboratory at the Centre, which works in co-operation with Polesie State University. It’s attempting the cloning of arboreal-dumetosous varieties for the first time, which should

“For some time, I’ve been thinking that this wood, forms part of my ‘ego’. I’ve wandered inside myself, just as blood circulates through my veins. I’ve seen my inner world; what appeared threatening was simply the echo of my inner fears. The web entangling me is a spider network, spread across my heart. Birds twittering overhead are from my own imagination: born from roots in my head.” Haruki Murakami Kafka on the Shore

How many roles does the forest have? In my opinion, many, each as important as any other. It’s difficult to separate them, since these roles are interconnected. One is spiritual, encouraging us to stand alone, pondering eternal values. For me, the forest is like a huge temple: its domes are the tops of trees, beckoning high into the air. If you look into the sky for long enough, you seem to enter another reality, listening to the silence of another world, ruled by tranquillity. The forest cures not only our body but our soul. It cleanses vanity, showing us that our life is priceless and that all is wisely arranged in the world. We need only live simply, without causing harm to the land, working and rejoicing. The forest helps us to embrace this pleasure. I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t like the forest. By Valentina Zhdanovich

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FOREST AS UNIVERSE

Major scientific site of interest When the Forest Institute of the National Academy of Sciences is mentioned, everyone immediately assumes that the discussion will focus on protecting forests against radiation, on breeding ecologically friendly mushrooms and genetically engineered trees and on the development of ancient eco-routes. The Institute’s location in Gomel is no accident, since the majority of Belarusian forests are located there, in the South-East of the country.

he Institute’s director, agricultural scientist Alexander Kovalevich, reveals that the Forest Institute was founded on the basis of the Institute of Agriculture and Forest Economy, established in 1927. Initially, it focused on biological experiments and problem-solving related to forest industry. In the post-war period, its main aim was to restore the Belarusian forests, which in 1946 covered only 21 percent of the country. This figure has now almost doubled. Over time, the Institute has taken on various roles, but the Chernobyl nuclear disaster proved to be a turning point in its history, reflected throughout the country. As a result of the reactor explosion, some forests in the Mogilev and Gomel

regions were designated as zones of enhanced radiation risk. Following the tragedy, the majority of work done by the Institute was in response to resulting ecological issues. In the decades since the disaster, Belarusian scientists have gained valuable experience in reducing its radioactive impact.

Dozens of new technologies and devices have been developed and many patents have been issued. The director points out that the need to protect forests and villages has itself forced the Institute into a new direction. At presetnt, the experimental station at Korenevskaya produces plantations of highbush blueberries containing biologically active substances that help prevent cancer. Moreover, the Institute’s scientists have established a new branch focused on growing Hiratake and Shiitake mushrooms. The staff at the laboratory of forest food production speak enthusiastically about the new project. Scientist Ms. Fomina has established the first Belarusian centre to cultivate healing shiitake mushrooms (their properties are revered in the Far East). The project has spread 2014 беларусь.belarus

beyond the Institute to other laboratories and workshops, because of the popularity of the health benefits of this mushroom. The Hiratake mushroom has more health properties than other edible fungi, containing proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals such as potassium, phosphorus, calcium and iron. Its mushroom protein is similar to that of egg protein and it may help prevent cancer and reduce cholesterol levels. These mushrooms contain bio-elements that may enhance resistance to radionuclides of an organism.

Black Saksaul and transgenic birch The Belarusian Forest Institute has often been acknowledged as the best scientific centre in the CIS — primarily беларусь.belarus 2014

In the decades since the disaster, Belarusian scientists have gained valuable experience in reducing its radioactive impact. Dozens of new technologies and devices have been developed and many patents have been used owing to its scientific developments in the field of genetics and selection. Few other places, with the exception of the Gomel Institute, attempted such studies during Soviet times.

Scientists are now working on a range of tasks, including commissions from other states. In Kazakhstan, for example, this includes the planting of black Saksaul and Sommon Pine at the bottom of the Aral Sea and in the Semipalatinsk nuclear area. Local conditions for the growth of new forests are hostile, since the soil is acidic and lacks moisture; meanwhile, the Semipalatinsk polygon is contaminated with radioactive particles. With this in mind, scientists have been applying the newest seed pelleting technology: seeds are covered with a special husk to increase their survival rate in the first few days, while they are adapting to a new, aggressive environment. This husk has been developed at the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus and the technology has been tested in our country for planting

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FOREST AS UNIVERSE

Dmitry Kulagin, research worker at the laboratory of genetics and biotechnologies of the Forest Institute

forests in areas contaminated with radioactive substances. Genetic engineering is another promising direction, with the Institute’s laboratory of genetics and biotechnologies occupying a leading position in the world. A joint project with Russian Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry (to breed transgenic plants) is among the latest projects, resulting in the development and growth of transgenic birches. The laboratory staff admit that such plants were never intended to be grown outside the Institute, but merely within the scope of an experimental and developmental project. This is necessary to allow genetic research to expand and to keep up to date with global developments. Accordingly, co-operation with the Russian Institute is primarily connected with the establishment of their plant-cloning centre. Whilst we have much to learn from this, our work on tree cloning and genetic modifications puts us at the forefront of forestry developments. Specialists are now involved in the breeding of a transgenic triploid birches, but are keen to stress

that the work is for the purposes of scientific research only and is not part of a plan to infiltrate the natural forest with these hybrid trees. The laboratory is currently engaged in several important projects: genetic engineering of seeds; a detailed registration of Oak woods is almost complete; and new detection methods for pathogenic wood infections are in development. A national bank of pathogenic infections is being set up, uniting around 110 genetic passports (15 of them detected for the first time); these have been sent to the New York International Biotechnological Center.

Tourist Mecca Forest experts are keen to share their knowledge while eco-tourism routes help spread public awareness. Specialists at the Institute’s Department of Forest Management and Use reflect positively on the lack of mountain or coastal landscape in Belarus, saying, “Of course, we would all love to visit an exotic place, but few realise that our country is one of the few places on the

planet where the forests are growing quicker than people are cutting them.” As a result, Belarusian forests enjoy a rich variety of flora and fauna, and an abundance of natural fresh springs, rivers and lakes. Experts are convinced that the Gomel Region is a wonderful place for winter recreation, being largely unspoilt and quiet: it is perfect for nature lovers. The Forest Institute has developed over 30 ecological routes for those who enjoy sightseeing, landscape photography, horse riding and hiking, as well as cycling and water sports. In addition, all the routes offer historical and natural sights. 19th century mansions have been well preserved in Belarus, alongside with military fortifications from WWI times. Historical information from oral histories and archives help guides present the wealth of historical anecdotes and facts to visitors. The use of the ‘Stalin line’ during the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945) is well-known but few are aware of the ‘Voroshilov line’, that passed through the Gomel Region (where the fortification system has been preserved). Our famous Turov crosses, which appear to sprout from the earth, are also popular with tourists. Tourist services are exemplary, with ranger lodges at each forest site offering comfortable accommodation all year round: they are especially popular during the hunting season. In the winter, families who come for the weekend or longer an enjoy driving a new Canadian snowmobile (available at each forestry) or horse sledges, cook on an open fire, fish on ice-covered lakes or simply admire the beauty of the unspoilt landscape. Each Belarusian forest is unique: some are known for their flora, some — for their historical sites, while others keep wild animals in open-air enclosures. The staff at the Gomel Institute are confident that in their forest there is something for everyone. By Violetta Dralyuk

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The Kamenets District is known for the Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park which occupies most of its territory. Moreover, it boasts the greatest number of agro-estates in the Brest Region — over 40, despite public access being restricted. As it’s a border zone, security is tight and limited to military personnel.

The philosophy of forest villages

ocated at the crossroads of Belarus and Poland, the village of Kamenyuki, being the administrative centre of the National Park, attracts a large number of tourists. It’s not only Belarusians who visit the area: nature lovers of all nationalities come to enjoy the information centre, ancient woodland and wild animal zoo, as well as Father Frost’s estate. The forest reserve is an ideal place to visit and an even better spot for those lucky enough to reside in there. Vasily Rebik, owner of fishermen’s cabins in the Domik Rybaka agro-estate greets me with his self-penned verse in admiration of the forest:

A fish beats the water with its tail. Mother-Nature lives, Undisturbed by man. And the cycle of life continues.’ We stand with Vasily on the bank of a small lake, which he dug himself. He tells us, “Water comes from a spring. I’ve stocked the lake with Carp, Grass Carp and Crucian Carp ready for fishermen. We were fully booked for the New Year holiday as early as last April.” Vasily Rebik isn’t a local pushcha resi-

A village in Belovezhskaya Pushcha

dent. A former soldier, he was born in Bryansk, in Russia. Since 1972, he has lived in Kamenyuki but moved several years ago from his flat there to the house he built himself. For the past six years, he and his wife have been involved in agro-tourism.

‘The disc of the sun goes down in the East While the duck sits on the water. The crane’s cry is heard And aurochs walk in distance. Beauty. Without cost. A nightingale is singing in the bushes, As if giving us a lesson in art. беларусь.belarus 2014

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FOREST AS UNIVERSE

Vasily shows us around everything he has made. I point out the line of fir trees in the yard, which are of various heights and ask him to explain. He describes how they have all been planted at different times to commemorate his grandchildren, the highest being 16 years old, which is the age of his eldest granddaughter Nastya; the smallest was planted on the birth of 4 year old Masha. Like many forest dwellers, he lives firmly in the present, in a practical way, but has a strong sense of the future and the legacy for his grandchildren. Kamenyuki is a large village, with 1,071 residents. It boasts an impressive array of services including an ambulance station, kindergarten, school, bank, church, a culture and crafts centre, four shops and a gas station — a real agro-town. On the way to Kamenyuki, my path was crossed twice by foxes, one stopping long enough for a photo. Vasily says foxes are a common sight in the village as are wild boar and roe deer. A recent bold fox caused considerable nuisance by taking hens in broad day-

light and even at night, finding access under houses and over fences to gain food. This particular creature was so wily it even managed to take the bait from traps without being caught. The animal was finally run to earth when it was discovered in a local shed and the National Park rangers tracked its route to a manhole under repair. The next time it returned to the shed, a net was waiting and the fox was captured. After the ‘thief ’ had spent a suitable period of time in quarantine, it was given permanent residence in a large cage at the National Park open-air zoo. Such stories are common in Kamenyuki. At present, a lynx is living in the wildlife park in a large enclosure, where there’s a small hole with a staircase which is used by a domestic cat that comes for a visit. A local farmer adoped the lynx as a kitten, raising it together with his own pet cat. Now, the lynx is too large for a domestic house, so it lives in a cage, with its feline friend visiting. Natalia Diyachenko adopted her wolf Richi from the forest. I visited her often before her death to play with her

wild hearted pet. In Kamenyuki, she is remembered with great fondness, for her affinity with wildlife. Wolf Richi was no older than a week when he came to the home of Natalia Diyachenko, a biological scientist, together with his sister from his lair (destroyed by hunters). Another three wolf cubs were sent to the Grodno area. Orphan wolf cubs are often hand-raised, in order to be put out for hunting when they are fully grown; luckily for Richi, he found a sympathetic home. At first, Ms. Diyachenko was reluctant to take the cubs: being blind and motherless at such a young age makes them unlikely survivors. However, after seeing them peeping from the balcony of the game warden’s house for three days, she finally gave in and could save Richi by sitting over him constantly for three days and nights. Richi wasn’t the first wolf brought up by Ms. Diyachenko, as they had previously reared another, named Rem. Initially, Richi lived with Ms. Diyachenko, her daughter Tatiana and their dog Jack in a two-roomed flat. As the 2014 беларусь.belarus

Pushcha mosaic

wolf cub became older and more destructive, he was moved to the shed, where he made a comfortable den in an old sofa. Soon, even cows in the neighbouring barns stopped noticing the oddities of the new guest. He howls at the moon… Well, what of it? Dogs do this too! Most of the residents of Kamenyuki village work in the Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park — as foresters, tourist guides, cleaners, administrators and cooks. Everything in Kamenyuki is connected with the forest; employment, study and leisure. Children are taught about the forest from their earliest days. Eight years ago, at the initiative of school director Valentina Frolova, a children’s public organisation — Ecopolis — was set up, and the school soon obtained special ecological status. In 2011, a Culture and Crafts Centre opened in Pushchanskaya Street in Kamenyuki. The focus of the centre is the preservation and development of folk crafts. Irina Kushneruk — one of the most famous woodcarving masters in the Brest Region — became the diбеларусь.belarus 2014

rector of the centre. In addition, she is the country’s only wood carving master to work with a chainsaw. Irina is full of new ideas so neither the schoolchildren nor craftsmen under her leadership have cause to become complacent. Her sculptures can be seen in the Father Frost estate in the Belovezhskaya Pushcha, where she carved a goat, a horse, a snowman, a rooster and a frog. She came to the pushcha after completing her course at Bobruisk Artistic College; with her husband Vladimir, she built a house in the village and raised a son and daughter. Irina is multi-talented: as well as directing the centre, she produces fine oil paintings and her pictures on wood are true masterpieces, taking up to two months to complete, in meticulous detail. They are often commissioned as gifts for dignitaries and other important visitors. Irina’s husband is also a famous woodcarver, who shares his skills and experience with young carvers at the centre headed by Irina. Their daughter also stays in the village and works with her parents.

I ask local schoolchildren in the playground whether they would like to move to larger cities such as Brest, 60km away, or a closer one, Kamenets. They responded with a smile and a shrug of the shoulders. A big city with large shops might hold a certain attraction but the forest is a different thing entirely. The philosophy of the forest people and the rhythm of their lives ensure a slightly different view of the world, based on a sense of natural harmony. After spending time in the Belovezhskaya Pushcha, one understands how hectic our city lives can be, compared to the beauties of nature. Even a glance at the first ice on the Lesnaya River, mist on aspen branches and steam from the auroch’s powerful nostrils bring a feeling of serenity. It makes one want to stand and stare, to drink in the natural splendour of everything the forest has to offer. As our host Vasily points out in his verse, beauty and wisdom are free. I feel the residents of Kamenyuki are lucky indeed. By Valentina Kozlovich

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Victory forged in Belarusian forests In 1941-1944 villagers hid in Belarusian forests from German occupiers while partisans prepared to free the country from Nazism

his year, Belarus celebrated the 70th anniversary of liberation from Nazi occupation. Red Army soldiers and partisans played a major role in achieving this long period of peace. These brave soldiers forged their victory in the depths of the Belarusian forest. The resistance forces hid in pinewoods and marshes during the daytime, and at night they emerged to fight the enemy. Dense forests and pushchas of Belarus, covering the majority of our country since ancient times, provided safe shelter for the resistance fighters. Many of these sites have kept their secrets until now. Recently, whilst flying over Paris and viewing the suburbs from above, I was struck by the nature of the landscape, lacking in forest and primarily comprising of farmland. It appears France has only small areas of oak and pine, although the fields are highly cultivated, with each boasting its own colour. Belarus, however, contains a variety of forests, differing in size and structure. These areas blend into each other, with cultivated fields like small islands in their midst. At present, around 40 percent of Belarus is forested and in 1941 this figure was even greater.

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At the eco-tourism centre “Stankovo” near Dzyarzhynsk there are even partisan dugouts

It was the summer of 1941 when the Fascists attacked Belarus, en route to Moscow. However, they failed to gain control. Partisan brigades pursued their covert activity behind enemy lines, safe in the knowledge that the density and familiarity of the forest protected them from detection. Nonetheless, the scale of Nazi destruction was great; local populations were repressed and villages laid to waste. During the years of the occupation, over 140 punitive reprisals were conducted; the first, on Pripyat Marshes, took place in July and August 1941, in the Brest, Minsk, Pinsk and Polesie districts. Overall 628 villages were burnt down with their residents, while 5,295 were partially destroyed. Partisan groups had begun to form in the early days of the war. On June 23, 1941, the first reports were made of resistance raids and sabotage against German troops in the west of Belarus. By the end of June, four partisan brigades were operating in the occupied territory; in July, their number rose to 35, becoming 61 by August. The wave of opposition was rising and the forests were a major contributing factor to their success. Belarus was an important link in the war on the Eastern Front. Its geographical position was of major significance: firstly, numerous woods and marshes created favourable natural conditions and, secondly, the main routes from the West to Moscow passed through its territory. Consequently, on June 30, 1941, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Belarus joined the regional party organisations of Eastern Belarus in creating an underground network and a more substantial partisan army. To achieve this, 1,215 party members and around 5,000 Komsomol (Youth League) activists were operating in the occupied zone in July and August. беларусь.belarus 2014

In 1942, specialists were sent from Moscow to Belarus to manage the construction of partisan aerodromes in the forests: almost 50 were constructed during the war years. The resistance organisation ran personnel on military lines, which proved highly effective. By the end of 1942, the Belarusian resistance movement consisted of approximately 50,000 fighters, who controlled almost 30 percent of the country and were able to significantly damage the occupation. In early 1943, their activity became more formalised and better planned. Belarusian villagers hid in the forest to escape from the Nazis, who burnt down houses and killed sympathisers. In 1943, the movement grew by over 150,000 members, controlling up to 25 percent of the Vitebsk, Polesie and Mogilev regions. The mostly inaccessible areas controlled by the partisans, with marshes and dense forests of low economic significance (except for wood processing) became the perfect territory for resistance operations. As a result, almost half of Belarus was in their hands by the end of 1943. In June 1941-July 1944, Belarusian partisans successfully destroyed or derailed 11,128 enemy trains and 34 armoured trains, also destroying 819 railway bridges and 4,710 other bridges. Over 7,300 km of telephone and telegraph lines were cut and 305 planes shot down. Added to this was the destruction of 1,355 tanks and armoured vehicles, 438 heavy artillery, 18,700 cars and 939 military storehouses. The forest facilitated all these operations. As well as Belarusian and other Soviet nationals, the movement attracted Poles, Czechs, Slovaks, Bulgarians, Serbians, Hungarians, French, Germans, Austrians, Croatians and Macedonians. It was thanks to this combined efforts that the occupiers were finally defeated. By Viktar Korbut

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Continuing on the topic:

The role of forests in the fate of Belarus during the war is well documented in Soviet and German records from the time — now kept in the National Archives of Belarus:

Report by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Belarus on the destruction of cities and villages and killing of peaceful residents. June, 1942. When the Germans come, everyone escapes to the forests, because anyone unexpectedly caught by the Germans in a settlement is killed, irrespective of their age. Residents of the burnt villages in the town of Klichev hid in the forests, under the protection of the partisan brigades.

*** Report by the Western headquarters of the partisan movement, on the battle between German occupiers and partisans in the Klichev and Berezina districts. July, 1942. In the neighbouring partisan districts, the Germans burnt down an area of villages 25-30km square. Policemen, pretending to be local villagers, burnt down the forests. In the partisan districts, they also burnt planted grain.

*** Evidence of Mr. Shcherbatov on the occupiers’ cruelty in the Borisov District. September 5, 1942. Not long ago, we experienced a wave of incredible cruelty by Hitler’s occupying troops towards peaceful Borisov residents. Punitive troops burnt down villages and killed hundreds of innocent people. A few of the Lisin villagers escaped to the forest, running from the soldiers.

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*** Act of crime by German occupiers during their punitive operation in the Zhitkovichi, Petrikov and Lyaban districts. March 12, 1943. Seven villages were burnt down in the Lyuban District, including 922 houses. Villagers escaped to the forest, also taking their cattle, belongings and bread.

*** Report by the Logoisk District Committee of the Communist Party of Belarus, on occupying troops’ crimes during punitive operations. No earlier than May 15, 1943. Passport re-registration was launched in the district and all residents aged 1655 were obliged to come to Logoisk on set days to have their passports sealed. As a result of that policy, around 1,000 people were sent to Germany to work. A significant proportion of the population failed to attend the re-registration, preferring to hide in the forests.

*** Report by Nazi agitprop, Lauh, on anti-partisan operations. June 2, 1943. Before German troops arrived, the partisans had recommended villagers to leave their houses and escape to the forest. They warned that the Germans would kill those who failed to act as advised. Most followed their advice, only to return some time later to see the corpses of their fellow villagers. The Wehrmacht had also senselessly ransacked their houses.

*** Report on German occupiers’ crimes in villages across the Begoml, Borisov and Pleshchenitsy districts, during punitive operations in May 20June 20, 1943. After destroying villagers’ property, the Germans began to search the forбеларусь.belarus 2014

ests and tracks and round up people in the villages. On the edge of the forest, the Fascists came across the residents of Usokhi. One of the villagers, Palyuta Chubatar, was holding a holy icon in her hands, asking the Fascists not to touch peaceful people.

*** Recollections of Ms. Govar, from the village of Vostok, on the burning of Ala. Soviet troops approached the left bank of the River Dnieper in autumn 1943. At that time, the occupiers were strengthening their positions on the right bank, forcing the local villagers to dig trenches and removing young people and sending them to Germany. Zheleznyak Brigade partisans had united with the main army and, following a lengthy period of planning, a major attack took place. My husband, an officer in Zheleznyak’s reconnaissance department, was under the command of the heads of the army. I remained in the village of Vostok, at my parents’ house. People from the neighbouring villages were moving towards the frontline (by the Berezina River), passing through the forests. Ala was the last village on the route and, despite being small, accumulated many refugees. My mother Matrona’s hesitation in letting us join them inadvertently saved our lives. My father, Akim, was a partisan courier. He knew the surrounding area well and took us to a small island amidst the marshes, two or three kilometres from Ala. We built a mud hut and had a small stove. We spent our nights in the hut but during the daytime went further into the forest to hide in the bushes. There were other refugees like us, hiding not far away. We all fell ill with typhus, the small children suffering most and sadly, my three-month-old daughter Galochka did not survive. In the morning of December 14, 1944, shots were heard from the area of Ala. We heard dogs barking and people

wailing. Hearing the horror unfolding, we kept silent until eventually we saw black smoke and everything was quiet. At night, our parents went to Ala secretly to learn what had happened there, but found no people or houses. Everything was burnt down. My father discovered someone’s leftover food, which helped us to survive. We remained in the forest until March, when our rescuers came. Overall 1,758 Ala villagers died, including 28 of our friends and relatives.

*** Extract from an interview with the head of the medical service of the 2nd Minsk partisan brigade by military doctor Petrovich on the burning of Rudkovo (Uzda District). June 6, 1943. The Germans were engaged in one of their regular purges of the resistance and saw a group of partisans in the village of Rudkovo. The partisans and some locals immediately escaped to hide in the forest. After spending a short time in the village, the Fascists returned later in the day, when they locked villagers inside their houses and burnt 27 of them alive; this happened in March 1943.

*** Syalyanskaya Gazeta (Village Newspaper) reporting on the Fascists’ burning of villages in the Sharkovshchina District. February 10, 1943. The Nazi Fascists recently perpetrated a barbaric act in the peaceful villages of Kushtali, Tribavshchina and Selibka, in the Sharkovshchina District. Nazis herded more than 300 elderly people, women and children outside their homes and shot them. 70 houses were burnt down and the villagers are currently hiding from the Fascists in huts in the forest.

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Cedar from Vetka Till now, the Belarusian city of Vetka in the Gomel Region was famous in wide circles as the centre of Old Belief. However, during the last few decades, the district centre has developed another notable brand — the Belarusian capital of Siberian cedar. After all, here it is possible not only to see the only country’s mini-taiga, but also to harvest pine nuts.

ust forty years ago, people in Belarus talked about cedars with notes of genuine grief. After all, cedars did not grow here at all. Even if it was possible to see a taiga pine among local flora, to see its cones-nuts was impossible, because in Belarus cedar does not bear fruit. But in the 1970s, Gennady Asanov, who was born in Siberia, decided to dispute this scientifically confirmed fact. At that time, he had left the Kemerovo Region where he worked as a miner and with his family grew his roots in the Gomel Region — the homeland of his wife.

I found the famous cedar-growing pensioner in a house in Yanka Kupala Street in Vetka. I saw cherries, apple-trees and grapes, but where were cedars? The owner trips down a path, pacifying his four-footed guard — the latter is bursting to go into action. However, before coming closer to the cedars, Gennady Vasilevich sits me at the table to drink tea and surrounds me with plates. Breaking my resistance, he persuades, “Try at least our new home-made honey and the cucumbers from our kitchen garden. It’s very tasty. All beekeepers eat honey only this way.”

I can only agree. I eat his cucumbers with honey, while my host slowly tells how it all started. Since he had read scientific facts about cedars which do not bear fruit in Belarus, he began to doubt it. Mr. Asanov found phone numbers of the Moscow State Forest University where cedar forests occupied 35 hectares. He called them and explained the essence of the internal dispute and asked them to send him planting stock. Soon he received a parcel with three kinds of cedar nuts: Siberian, Korean and shale procumbent cedar. He took them and went into his kitchen garden at once. He 2014 беларусь.belarus

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tells about that, “At that time I worked in the building enterprise in Marino village in the Dobrush District and I also lived there. I threw the seedlings into the ground on a personal plot of land and shoots soon appeared. This was in 1977. I began to notice that if nuts stick into the ground by rostel, then everything will be ok. At first, when they had not grown, it was necessary to remove any grass that was above them, because they spread their fan of needles then suddenly began to shrivel up — they were weak. But then, after five years, my cedars became stronger. In 1982, I went to Vetka foresters and told them. ‘I have seedlings — it is necessary to put them in a good place’. So they got enthusiastic about the idea and helped. me” Thus, the taiga islet moved to the suburb of Pobuzhie village in the Vetka District. The cedar pine was surrounded by bushes on sandy ground, away from wild beasts and barbarism. Mr. Asanov regularly visited this place with a chopper in order to remove the unnecessary grass, so that it did not cover the cedars from the light. And when the trees grew roots in the new place, they didn't need help anymore. The Chernobyl catastrophe happened at that time, but it did not prevent them from growing. Then, several years ago, a miracle happened — their first crop. Siberian Asanov worries even now, recollecting that time. “When I saw the cones, I breathed out ‘Well hello, fellow countrymen!’ After all, according to scientific data, cedars start to bear fruit 60-70 years after planting. While here, only 33 years had passed. I thought that I will not have time to see them, but it seems that they decided to thank me for my hope and hard work.” I was late for harvesting this year and cones had been removed earlier than беларусь.belarus 2014

usual. However, I was interested why and asked some questions. Do you wait until they fall down? Gennady Vasilievich laughs loudly, handing over the next cucumber, saying that if you collect nuts in such a way, then you will have nothing. The height is impressive. Our ‘young children’ are 17 metres in height, while in a taiga they can reach 40 metres. When the cone reaches the earth, almost nothing remains in it. When I was young, we tried to collect cones, climbing the trees. And then, on the branches we manually collected them, while some of them were carefully thrown down. I look sad. I would not be able to climb a cedar, but the deputy director of the Vetka special forestry enterprise, Ivan Gorelikov, gives me news that is music to my ears. “Why climb? Nowadays we use a tower vehicle. We thought up a special device for collecting, it is like a grapnel.” Is it like the one that pirates have? Exactly. The crop is not big yet. Hardly more than two kilograms of nuts. All of them lead to the expansion of the Pobuzhie cedar grove, planting seedlings in the arboretum of forestry enterprise and the Stolbun school forestry. Gennady Vasilievich also keeps his own nursery. Changing his shoes into house slippers, he leads me into the secluded garden corner. There are two boxes, where there are tiny sprouts: small palms with hats of the former nuts. In one box there is earth from the shop, while in another — from the bed where the cucumbers grow. They feel equally well. However the main gain is indisputable: cedar nuts have gained Belarusian roots.

Addition to bird family Village of Sosnovy Bor, in the Rossony District, sees new species of bird — the yellow-browed warbler — registered by ornithologist Denis Kitel

he bird is very small, weighing just 5-10 grammes. Currently, 323 species of birds are officially registered in Belarus, with another five (including the new warbler) awaiting official recognition. Ornithologist Kitel has ‘found’ new birds three times, having been the first to see a grey wagtail (2009) and a gull-billed tern (2012). Denis found the yellowbrowed warbler in northern Belarus, having surmised that it would be likely to be found there during its migration to Asia and Africa. It’s a common sight in neighbouring states, especially on the Baltic sea and in Scandinavia. Belarus has ‘four’ warblers known to frequent its lands: the wood warbler, common chiffchaff, willow warbler and greenish warbler. Denis wishes to add Pallas’ warbler, the arctic warbler and the rustic bunting to his finds, so he will continue searching Belarus for these elusive species.

By Violetta Dranyuk

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Through the thickets of the Rossony District

Sergey Plytkevich

To travel on foot and spend at least one night outside beneath the canopy of century-old trees in a reserve or protected area is the best way to feel the beauty of Belarusian forests, rejuvenating your spirit with the help of their natural life force

Krasny Bor hunting area. Bird’s eye panorama

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he majority of tourists coming to Belarus from abroad see our forests solely from the windows of buses, trains or cars. For those who make the effort to get closer, the forest remains forever in their consciousness, with its unforgettable atmosphere and magnificent sights. This is true for all visitors to the Belovezhskaya and Nalibokskaya Pushcha, Belarusian national parks, and for those who stay on Belarusian campsites, at forest agro-estates and at health sanitoriums. Few foreigners travel on foot in our forests but many Belarusian nationals enjoy hiking. Walking clubs exist in most of our institutions of higher education, in schools and in after-school clubs. The forest regions of Belarus have a large role to play in educating society. Our 120-day journey, made in 1996, was unusual in being a source of cultural and journalistic interest. We jokingly named it a ‘journey to a faraway kingdom’. We travelled entirely on foot, 2,810km around the Belarusian state border. We began in the settlement of Druya, on the border with Latvia; four months later, on August 12, we completed our travels, having seen many different forests. We walked along spring roads, through the forests of the Braslav and Oshmyany districts, Voronovo and the outskirts of Grodno — with its military range near Gozha. Passing through the Svisloch District, we came close to the Belovezhskaya Pushcha: the largest forest reserve in Europe. From there, we walked more than 60km in two days, with nights spent in the office of the forest ranger at Khvoyniki, through the Belovezhskaya Pushcha and into Kamenyuki, where the administration of the National Park Forest is located. Those of you who enjoy forest walks will be interested in the number along the Belarusian border. However, we did not go far into the depths of this woodland, but walked many forest paths. беларусь.belarus 2014

We kept a travel journal and, on completion of the journey, had accumulated three thick notebooks of observations. I would hope that anyone reading them would be inspired to search for adventure along the forest trails of Belarus themselves. It is worth noting that we had no trouble at all from humans or the animals we encountered, though we spent almost every night in forests, on the banks of rivers and lakes and sometimes in open fields. Since then, there have been a few isolated incidents. In 2008, we met a traveller, Horst Kuntysh from Northern Germany, before he went on a walking journey through Belarus. The pet shop owner from Flensburg city was on his way to the city of Volozhin, where there is an orphanage that receives charitable help from his city. Unfortunately, during the first stage of the journey, Horst was unlucky near Czaplinek in Poland, robbed by criminals, who took his money and valuables, leaving him beaten and with an injured shoulder. With the help of some kind strangers, Horst reached Minsk, where he received medical aid. Having rested, he was able to continue on his way. He says cheerfully that on all roads afterwards from Brest to Volozhin he experienced only pleasure. Now, let us return to August, 1996. By this time we had completed more than 2,500km and were in the northern part of Belarus, approaching Druya from the Russian side. Having passed through the city of Nevel, we entered the Rossony District in the Vitebsk Region. August 8, 1996. Day 113. We managed 31km yesterday and spent the night near the village of Yukhovichi, heading for Dolostsy. We walked into the forest a little way, just 100m from the road, to spend the night. We slept well, waking to heavy dew and a sunny morning. On first awakening, as though halfway between dream and reality, I saw a figure before me which, if superstition holds, may have been a symbol of Lake Osveiskoye, our next destination.

In the village of Yukhovichi, hairdresser Lyuda Shashun and her daughter Yanochka helped us draw water from a well and treated us to milk and apples, refusing payment. Lyuda's husband is a forester and they love the country life. She was keen to share her wisdom and believes that all happiness comes from our children. We arrived at Dolostsy, still in Russia, and asked how to find the road to Lisno. Some people we asked said that there was no such road, though it was shown on our modern map. Older residents remembered the old neglected road and directed us to a path between two houses, where a barely noticeable track next to sheds was all that remained of the road. We made our way forward with difficulty, as the track quickly became overgrown with grass; in places, there were deep ruts. Later, we spoke with a man from the village of Veremeevtsy, who informed us that, before the war it had been an important military road, leading to Nevel. Finally, we were rewarded for the difficulties of travelling on an impassable road with large amounts of luggage by the sight of a magnificent forest. There was an abundance of bilberries on the old path and large mountain cranberries just about to ripen. We could not resist collecting almost 2kg of bilberries. Further along, we came across a wonderful forest river called the Nishcha, with pure water and a sandy bottom, surmounted by a bridge. The name is interesting; in Belarusian it originates from the word ‘beggar’. Perhaps it is lacking in living creatures and maybe this is the reason for its name or it could be because it flows through poor sandy soil. We wondered what led our forebears to give such a beautiful small river such a poor title. In the Blue Book of Belarus, it says that a small river 85km long springs from Lake Nishcha in the Sebezh District with the same name; it flows across the territory of the Pskov Region of Russia, while the rest winds 68km through the Rossony District

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of the Vitebsk Region. It joins the River Drissa that runs into the Dvina. We had dinner near the river close to the old bridge and swam before continuing on 'the road, lulled by rye', as one of our poets poignantly said about a similar place. Although the rye in evidence here was of poor quality and the soil lacked in fertility. The road began to improve as we moved into Belarusian territory, probably due to the increased volume of traffic and the presence of agricultural machinery.

In the evening Valya felt an acute weariness and before we reached the village of Veremeevtsy she experienced a wave of terror, growing as we went deeper into the forest. Later, we were told that during the Great Patriotic War Fascists shot peasants there: 42 people in total. The Rossony area suffered greatly from Fascist round-ups, blockades and punitive actions during the war, when the partisans found shelter away from the German aggressors in the deepest

After breakfast, having packed our belongings, we went to the house of a local family. It appeared that they were the family of a ranger who worked for the Yukhovichi forestry, part of the Rossony forestry enterprise. We introduced ourselves and discovered his name was Yegor Yegorovich Makeenok. He told us that he had held his post for nearly 20 years. His duty is to protect the forest grounds, to know the animals and where they live and to prepare forage for them during the

On two occasions, where the road forked, we had to make a decision which way to choose. At the third crossroads, we were fortunate enough to pass a motorcyclist, who confirmed the correct route for us. The next part of the path was again a forest road. Right under our feet was a carpet of mushrooms; we picked oyster mushrooms and russulas whilst on the move. We were keen to leave the dense forest and return to civilisation as quickly as possible. In the evening, as it was getting dark, we arrived at the village of Krasny Bor. The gnats in the Rossony District were active, biting fiercely. After a short while outside, it was necessary to take cover.

forests. You can read about the RossonyOsveyski partisans online: Russian, Belarusian and Latvian fighters who hid near the border. The region occupied 10,000 square kilometres and was inhabited by more than 100,000 people. Yesterday, we travelled 19km. It was a day of beautiful berries and a wonderful river. It was a special tradition in our 'travelling' to give distinctive names to certain days if we were impressed by something. We spent the night in the remote forest village of Krasny Bor and woke up in the morning feeling as if we were in paradise: it was sunny and warm and there were not a single cloud in the sky.

cold season. In the winter, it is necessary to feed the elk and wild boar. After the war, in the area of the forestry enterprise, there were 22 households and Khimleskhoz workshops. Here, in the summer, workers manufactured pine resin. There was also a tar works. Turpentine, resin powder and black resin were manufactured for sale. When chemicals started to appear, such handicrafts became unprofitable; demand for gifts of the forest fell and, by 1962, the enterprise had closed. The diary records few days in such detail and is limited to brief comments on events. It mentions a meeting with holidaymakers in a forest glade on the

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very beautiful Lake Beloye-Yukhovskoye, where all the banks are black because of the bilberries. The road on which we travelled to Lake Osveyskoye (the second largest in the area after Naroch) mostly passes through coniferous forest. The next day, Valya wrote in her journal: ‘Yesterday there was an interesting meeting with the ranger and his wife Zoya, both of whom are of pension age. They have five sons! She is a Capricorn, and he is a Virgo. They have lived in the middle of

Krasny Bor has a lot to offer

the forest for many long years. There was once a whole village, and not so long ago either. The farmstead forest ranger Yegor is large, with a house, outbuildings and a big enclosure made for two cows, heifers and a bull-calf. The owner also has a pond: dug out with the help of a tractor and now home to crucian carp. However, Yegor Yegorovich told us that they were under threat from cats who would catch fish directly from the water. On the estate there is also a well and a bath, as well as an open-air cage for dogs. One, Belka, freely ran in the courtyard while we talked with our hosts. They warned us that the dog was malicious, but clever. I spoke to the dog tenderly, and беларусь.belarus 2014

she approached, having sniffed me first and laid down beside me, slightly whining at the pleasure of being petted. Perhaps he took us for friends, homeless tramps that we were. We probably did not smell like any form of danger and the dog was happy to befriend us. On the 115th day of travel, when we had covered more than 2,700km, all anger and impatience had completely disappeared; we simply radiated calm and kindness. Clearly, animals sensed this!’ Here is a 'man's view' of that meeting, which was described in the diary on August 8, after lodging for the night at Lake Osveyskoye: ‘Such details remain in the memory after our meeting with the ranger the day before yesterday. Yegor Yegorovich has led a very interesting life, telling us proudly that his deeds could fill a whole book. He meets many different people commenting that, in the winter, there is no time to rest, as people still arrive, and all hands are needed. He described how Rossony forestry enterprise has a sustainable culling plan and, every year, 100 elk are shot by hunters. Meat is delivered to the meat-packing plant, while the skin and internal organs are simply left in the forest, as they cannot be sold. In the winter, the ranger is not only occupied with hunting, but feeds the elk and wild boar. He once trained three young wild boars, so that they came to him like pets to eat wheat which he poured from a bucket: the daredevils! The rest of the herd stood at a distance and waited until the huntsman had walked away. In this part of the forest there are wolves, bears and lynx’. Re-reading these lines, I feel a little afraid, as we spent the night directly in the middle of that forest in a flimsy tent, walked almost every night and never feared. The diary continues: ‘Yegor has a Vladimirets tractor from before the monetary revolution (pre-1991). His bachelor son drives it. He also has a small mowing machine for preparing hay. Water is drawn from the well by an electric pump. Electricity is conducted to the estate from Yukhovichi, whose local electricians keep

it in a good condition. There is also TV; the family is used to such comforts of civilisation, because 'if there is no electricity then all is impossible’. He admitted that he could live in the city, but has no desire to move. Wolves sometimes approach the estate but the dogs are in open-air cages, so they are safe. Among Yegor's dogs there is one who senses when people are angry. One quarrelsome ‘hunt organiser’ spoke to workmen abruptly, inspiring the ranger’s dog to snap at him, despite being usually good natured. He has many visitors, with some coming even at night to ask directions (in 1996, there were few navigators or GPS-receivers in Belarus). When a night visitor appears slightly drunk, the ranger tells them to sleep themselves sober, and return in the morning for help. He warns them not to approach homesteads at night, or he’ll punish them! Sometimes, there are catastrophes. Last year, he told us, during hunting, one dog was shot, though the hunter was experienced. Wolves killed a second dog’. We did not ask the ranger about his five sons but it seems likely that they did not want to live with their parents in a forest village. Not everyone likes such a desolate existence on a farmstead in the forest, where there is only one house. Preparing pages from the diary for publication, we called the Yukhovichi forestry section of the Rossony forestry enterprise and they told us that ranger Yegor Yegorovich Makeenak had now died, and one of his sons Anatoly lives with his wife and mother now in the parental estate. There is one interesting record in the diary, dated August 8, about forest riches and the beauty of Rossony: ‘We were going through the forest. Valya picked mushrooms near the road, as there were a lot of porcini mushrooms, and beautiful ceps. At Lake Belo-Yukhovskoye, there is a convenient stop for tourists, where we swam with pleasure in the beautiful clear waters of that place.’ By Ivan and Valentina Zhdanovich

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FOREST AS UNIVERSE

Harmonious neighbourhood It’s difficult to imagine Minsk without its forested surroundings. In these small oases of peace and quiet we can hide from the hustle and bustle of the city. In other areas, such as Zeleny Lug, Stepyanka, Slepyanka, Uruchie, Loshitsa, Drazhnya and Drozdy, the forest acts as a welcome escape, an addition to the forest parks and municipal gardens available within the city boundaries.

insk is well endowed with respected ancient forests, although t h e n e w ly planted areas created countrywide are similarly favoured by admirers of green spaces. Many have fond memories of the age old Dubrava (oak-grove) which adjoins the districts of Kurasovshchina and Brilevichi. The grove, located close to the southwest suburb of Minsk, extends over 24 hectares. Residents of the nearby village of Shchomyslitsa tell stories of ancestors walking in this forest, where ancient Oaks with girths of more than a metre mix with Pine, Fir and Larch. It was the large number of Common Oak trees in the forest that led to its name of Dubrava. At the beginning of the 20th century, these local lands belonged to the family of Count Hutten-Czapski: the first to bring Oaks into the region. Other rare species were planted in the 1930s, including the Northern Oak, Manchurian Walnut, Black Oak and Douglas Fir. Scientists began to study the behaviour of trees, researching how well they survived and

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Dubrava — natural monument of republican significance

adapted to the climate and local flora and fauna. Now, nearly 80 different rare species of trees grow in our forests, as well as more than 480 species of plants, some of which are included in the Red Book of endangered plant species. In 1986, the oak-grove was declared a natural park of national importance and was transferred to the care of the Belarusian State University in order to ensure its security and future as a conservation site. The state places a high priority on the maintenance and upkeep of urban green areas and actively promotes new schemes. The Government is keen to show active involvement in the restoration and protection of the landscape. Traditional cleaning of forest areas in the cities is carried out every year, ensuring that trees are not suffering from pollution, are protected from drought and are otherwise in no danger of extinction. This autumn, at the beginning of September, the Minsk City Executive Committee and the Minsk forest-park enterprise organised a subbotnik (voluntary unpaid work). Across the capital, more than four hectares of city forest were cleared of debris. My family and I were happy to join in, collecting rubbish in our favourite forest glade in Slepyanka, close to which we live. беларусь.belarus 2014

A pleasing prospect

This year autumn was sunny and warm and my family often enjoyed walks in the forest. We admired the small tortoiseshell butterflies, silvery spider webs and the warmth of the first ‘Indian summer’ for a long time, we inhaled the aroma of pine needles and falling foliage, chasing leaves and sitting round the fire which we kindled in a brazier. In my schoolgirl days, I was dismayed to learn on a family picnic that no more fires were allowed on the ground. I was disappointed that the charm of those black forest fire circles would no longer be seen; I thought it would be an end to the magic of feeding branches into the fire and staring at the colourful and bewitching tongues of flame. My disappointment was short lived, as my father soon bought a small brazier for our family walks. Large public braziers were later installed and charming traditional arbours added. As an adult, I understood the decision to ban ground fires and began to appreciate the safety reasons. In many respects, these measures have allowed humans and the forest to exist in harmony, to the benefit of all.

I feel an immense pride and privilege to live in Slepyanka, where there is such a great variety of Pines and Firs, Limes and Birches, Mountain Ash and Alder trees. Apart from the pleasure of the forest itself, there are health benefits for my children and me; the health giving properties of plants and trees are well known. Recent research shows a link between the phytoncides emitted by trees, and increased activity of anti-cancer antibodies in humans. Looking to the future, our investment and care now will lead to increased health and pleasure benefits for future generations, perhaps from the very Lime trees being planted today.

A little imagination and a few facts Each autumn morning, I observe mist floating over the water in the grey pre-dawn silence. It seems to me that the fog knows all, but says nothing. Where the forest weaves along the canal path, the mist, trees and birds converse, interpreting nature into feeling. I imagine that even inorganic objects are capable of breathing and emotion. We naturally personify inanimate objects when we say: the sun awoke, clouds are looming,

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Alisa Krasovska

FOREST AS UNIVERSE

and the forest stands gloomy or threatening. This figurative way of thinking enriches our speech and imagination. For me it is only nature that inspires me to think like this. My imagination is poorly motivated by lines of dirty cars standing in traffic jams on Minsk Independence Avenue, skyscrapers, the concrete jungle and grey landscapes. How fortunate are those of us who have an alternative view! From my city apartment, I can admire the dawn mist settling on the water of the canal and, in less than five minutes, I can breathe the forest air outside.

The trees care little for the day or time of year; the forest breathes peacefully: an ancient inhabitant of the city. If you open the balcony door, you can feel its fresh breath at once. It is the neighbour who is always at home and loved by young and old alike. Despite not always being cared for in the best way, it responds with silent grace, giving the natural world to us regardless of lack of attention. Plunging into the forest world, I feel an immediate sense of relaxation, as if my cares and troubles have been lifted from my shoulders and I am free, for a while at least,

In the last five years, restoration work to promote green lands has tripled. Over the last sixty years, the amount of forest in the country has doubled to approximately 9.5 million hectares, according to national statistics

to dream. I might choose another occasion to write, working amongst the peaceful atmosphere in isolation or with the family, with a flask of tea, waiting impatiently whilst my husband cooks aromatic kebabs over the brazier. It seems to me then, that the forest is in harmony with us, whatever we choose to do there. My forest of Slepyanka — friend, health giver, and ecological filter — is but a small part of the green area of our country. In the last five years, this area has tripled. Over the last sixty years, Belarus has doubled its volume of forest, reaching approximately 9.5 million hectares. The forest is changing right before our eyes, with companies such as Belorusneft developing conservation initiatives such as the impressively named ‘Choose Green Refuelling!’ Each participant has the opportunity not only to lay down the foundation of the future forest by nominating a tree to be planted, but to track the progress of their own personal tree online. With so many peo2014 беларусь.belarus

Woodland scenery in Slepyanka

ple supporting the scheme, a 1.5 hectare area of waste ground close to the city has now been planted, creating a small forested area for the future. This is not an isolated event, happily for those who care about conservation; in cities across the country, volunteers are planting large areas of trees and, as a result, the map of Belarus is being slowly replenished with new green districts.

A short trip back in time with the elks and forest snails In our fast-paced urban lives, city children have become used to playing hide-and-seek behind the wheels of parked cars and drawing on concrete. I am a native of Minsk, a ‘child of asphalt’. I silently rejoice that I can retreat to the Slepyanka forest to escape from the July heat or November wind. The presence of a network of small paths between the trees alerts me to the fact that I am not alone. This web of tracks is evidence that I am not the беларусь.belarus 2014

only forest lover to wander through the leafy serenity. Slepyanka is known locally as a village-city district due to the abundance of trees. The forest stretches up to the wide motorway surrounding our city. The first mention in history of this wooded place is found in documents from as early as the sixteenth century. Later, it became the location of a military firing ground. Eyewitnesses tell stories of their fathers, when they were boys, playing with the helmets they found in the forest and storing rusty cartridge cases in them. It seems that the forest keeps many secrets. It is difficult to imagine that on the ground where children now gather pinecones with such delight (‘pinecone hedgehogs’ as my daughter calls them) our ancestors walked without knowledge of technology. It is not only children who love the forest; once, walking there with my little son after the rain, I was witness to an invasion of snails. At first I thought to use them to help me teach

my child to count but, when the figure exceeded 20, I decided to play pretend games with the help of these horned creatures. Our snails participated in stories and races throughout the afternoon. How wonderful, I thought, to teach my child using the book of nature rather than a DVD or television programme. However, the world wide web has advantages: it allows me to watch videos and read about one of my favourite pictures, Morning in a Pine Forest by Ivan Shishkin, which I often recollect when walking in the forest. It is not only snails that inhabit the forest. There have been several reported incidents of elk leaving the cover of trees and jumping onto the road in front of cars. Motorists need to be aware of the danger; a collision with an elk can be serious and has caused the traffic department some difficulties in the past. Fortunately, no one I have spoken to has ever met an elk on a narrow footpath, so my walks can continue in peace!

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FOREST AS UNIVERSE

Children’s Railway in Minsk

City plans for forest Unspoilt forests have their own charm though, even here, where planning has not yet reached, there is evidence of local ‘cultivation’: trampled paths, stumps with ‘hats’ of old forgotten newspapers, benches quickly cut, hooks for hammocks carved from boughs sticking out of tree trunks and a children’s railway, complete with miniature trains. The railway appears suddenly, hidden from view behind the dense green foliage until the last moment. Like a measuring tape, it snakes away into the distant trees, under the road bridge, effortlessly mixing nature with civilisation. Despite its listing on the children’s Belarusian Railway site (http://www.minsk.rw.by/), everything about it is real. There are reduced size diesel locomotives with carriages, traffic regulations and locomotive driv-

ers, conductors, stationmasters — and passengers, of course. The children’s railway, opened on July 9, 1955, differs from the main line only in the width of the gauge (750 mm — almost half of the standard gauge) and in its length (only 4.5km, instead of thousands, while the length of the main line is 3.79km). As for the rest, it is exactly the same as the Belarusian Railway. This narrow gauge railway is a good example of co-operation between a real railway enterprise and educational institutions for both adults and children. Youngsters feel enormous pleasure while standing on the miniature station ‘Sosnovy Bor’, peering with concentration and amazement at the railway line forking in two between shaking birch trunks; listening attentively to the whistle of the slowly approaching carriages. The charm of the wild unspoilt forest is certainly under threat, but from plans and projects designed to make it accessible, sustain and conserve it. Minsk forest-park enterprise has plans to transform the remaining untouched areas There is a lot to do in the forest

of city forest across various city districts into forest-parks: places for comfortable civilised recreation, with fountains and footpaths, in the manner of the botanic gardens of the past. So far, 96 hectares of landscape have been reforested or aesthetically changed, the third largest project of its kind in Europe. It would be wonderful to include small ‘botanic garden’ areas within these parks. City plans include designs for forest-parks with a sports bias: skate parks, cycle tracks and platforms for power lifting are all being considered in the long-term plan. Until these materialise, we are free to enjoy the forest as it remains, a place where blue tits jump from branch to branch, squirrels scurry up the trees and only the insistent hammering of a woodpecker breaks the silence. Having watched the next train depart with waving hands, we go into the trees to collect pinecone ‘hedgehogs’, count acorns and dig chestnuts in the fallen, dry leaves (perhaps they will sprout in the spring). We will play games with mountain ash berries, seeing who can throw furthest and make a fishing rod from a birch branch, attaching a yellow oak leaf to lure goldfish. To our great pleasure, in autumn, there are always Maple, Poplar and Birch ‘goldfish’ leaves in the water. Then, tired and happy, we return home, perhaps returning back tomorrow or on another day. By Alisa Krasovska

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So lived our ancestors Single-house museum opens in Grodno Region

he house-museum is located in the village of Rudnya in the Svisloch District, designed to show visitors how people once lived in the Belovezhskaya Pushcha. The museum boasts over 250 artefacts from everyday life: icons, early20th century paintings, documents, and money from several periods of history, as well as tools, utensils, items of clothing and toys. Many were donated by local residents.

The owner and manager of the museum, Mikhail Guskov, tells us, “We've restored our authentic Russian stove, used for heating, cooking, for drying mushrooms and berries, for illumination and as a place to gather and rest. The museum also has a spinning wheel, a kerosene oil lamp, and various handmade items: doormats, coverlets and embroidered linens.” Among the most valuable exhibits is a collection of reproductions of en-

There are a lot of objects more than a hundred years old in the museum.

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gravings by Anton Kaminsky, a wellknown pre-revolutionary author and illustrator who depicted nature and the way of life in the Belovezhskaya Pushcha. He also rendered portraits of well-known people who visited Rudnya: among them pictures of Russian and French army generals (who led their troops through Rudnya in the autumn of 1812). The museum also stores local history materials collected by regional librarians, and reference books. Experts from Belarus and Poland helped set up the museum, whose board of guardians comprises historians, curators, teachers and entrepreneurs from Belarus, Poland and Russia. Various exhibitions are planned, with participation of local artists: at present, Anatoly Polozkov’s wooden sculptures of animals are on display. Mr. Guskov emphasises that the museum has a very important role to play in preserving the historical and cultural heritage of those who have lived in the Belovezhskaya Pushcha. "We hope that it will become a tourist attraction for people from Belarus and abroad, as well as that it will be used to educate youngsters and encourage understanding of local culture,” he adds. The museum even has its own pages in social networks to promote its activities.

TOURISM

Bicycle tour More and more interesting ways to explore the country are emerging Borisov: Napoleon was here It’s very difficult to find such an expert in Borisov sites as Olga Kalacheva. In 2012, she was recog-

nised as the best excursion guide of the country at the Learn Belarus contest. Olga’s excursion, entitled "Unknown Known Borisov" is a range of discoveries and sensations. “Let’s start with fortifications from the period of 1812 and then proceed to the remains of an ancient castle. From here we’ll go to the square where the beautiful Holy Resurrection Cathedral is situated and nearby — a district of wealthy citizens from the mid-19th century, alongside a treasurer’s office, a synagogue, and a monument to the founder of Borisov — Polotsk Duke Boris. We’ll also listen to a chamber music concert at the Catholic Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, constructed in 1806, which preserved an ancient organ. Then, we’ll head to the place of appearance of the ‘first’ Borisov in 1102 and also drop into the former palace and park estate of the Radziwills from the mid-16th century and a residence of the royal family from the mid-19th century. I’ll also show you the place where Napoleon stopped in October 1812 and we’ll visit the places of battles from that time, thus closing the wheel of epochs on the landmark (for these places),” she tells us.

skaya Street. Her excursion, entitled "Brest — An Old and Modern City", starts from an archaeological museum on the site of the dig of ancient Berestie from the 11th13th centuries — a forefather of the current regional centre. In the Hero Fortress, the guide pays attention to forts, bastions, surviving gates, barracks and ruins of the White Palace and St. Nicholas Garrison Church. “The traces of bullets are even in the church interior; piercing frescoes. They remind us of the war.” The excursion guide advises her guests to visit the Museum of Saved Art Treasures, in order to see artworks by Aivazovsky and Vrubel, as well as decorations from precious metals and ancient coins.

Nesvizh: We start our walking as soon as the sun rises

Brest: What will the fresco tell us? The Hero Fortress is the major sight of Brest. But is it the only one that is worth attention? Olga Malafeecheva was born in this city and is ready to change your ideas about Brest as merely a bastion of the first days of the Great Patriotic War. “While studying historical literature and meeting native residents, I’ve discovered that I live in a unique place, at the crossroads of various cultures and the crossroads of streets where people used to speak different languages and practised all the religions that were spread across Europe. Now, I’d like to bring this to tourists,” she tells us. Olga especially enjoys walking with tourists on the eve of the evening ritual of the lightning of street lamps in Sovet-

The most promoted legend about Nesvizh is that of the ghost of the Black Lady — Barbara Radziwill who, as it’s known, hasn’t ever been to this city. Are there any legends which are connected with local realities? Vitaly Byl definitely has some. “I love my city and organise my excursions so that they are also interesting to me. Tourists also shouldn’t be bored. I’ll show the places where villains were tortured and sentenced to death in medieval times. You’ll also learn how honorary Nesvizh nobility passed away. If you’re interested, I’ll tell you about Jewish magic

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and whether it protected people from demons. The excursion is based on memories of the past centuries and recollections of long-livers. We’ll go from the town hall to the place where the teacher’s seminary was located, and we’ll also drop into the Benedictine Monastery, while examining the places where the Uniate church was standing with graves, alongside a synagogue in the market. Obligatory points of the programme are the Slutsk Gates and the Corpus Christi Catholic Church. We’ll be able to visit all these within slightly more than one and a half hour, and we start our walking as soon as the sun rises...” Vitaly tells us.

Minsk: History frozen in Krasnoarmeiskaya Street In the shadow of the fame of the current building of the National Library in Nezavisimosti Avenue, we’ve somehow forgotten previous buildings from the early 20th century which are all situated in Krasnoarmeiskaya Street. One of them — a yellow building with a tower and decorated with an ‘onion’ — stands closer to the avenue, while the other one is now occupied by the Council of the Republic. Moreover, the whole street is a collection of architectural masterpieces of pre-war Minsk. The House of Officers is the creation of the great architect, Iosif Langbard, while the Presidential Residence (the former building of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Belarus) and school #4 were built to the project of беларусь.belarus 2014

the last pre-war architect of the city, Gerasim Yakushko. If we walk along the tram lines, we’ll find ourselves in a beautiful Stalin’s Empire style district, alongside a hippodrome where, on June 16, 1944, a partisan unit marched to mark the liberation of Minsk… Close to the hippodrome, the barracks of the Red Army were once situated, and even earlier — the barracks of the Russian Emperor Army which were called ‘koshary’ (in the Polish manner). From this comes the ancient name of the street: Kosharskaya. You should ask for Alexandra Volodina, w h o will happily guide you and tell you about many more interesting things.

sian and German armies on this land, the poet, Alexander Blok, served in the Tsar’s army. He also left his traces in Parokhonsk, Luninets and Kolby. He arrived in Pinsk’s surroundings in the summer of 1916 as part of the engineering-construction squad in order to reinforce the front lines. The poet spent almost 200 days here. Meanwhile, alongside severe living conditions, the poet also remarked in his notebook about the local sights, which are now part of the tourist routes: ‘Pinsk, seen from the field, is similar to the town of Kitezh, elevated above the fog: a white church, a black church…’ Blok’s literary museum has been operating in the village of Lopatin since 1980 — the first in the former USSR republic.

Grodno: Entrance to New World Tatiana Kazak suggests going on her excursion — Jewish Grodno. The Big Choral Synagogue, the Museum in Troitskaya Street, the Tobacco Factory (named after Shereshevsky), houses which still remember painter Lev Bakst, Esperanto founder Ludwig Zamenhof and one of the founders of the gambling business in the USA Meyer Lansky (Suchowljansky) — all these will certainly become a discovery for you. You’ll feel the atmosphere of Grodno at the time when it joined Poland, if you wander along cosy streets of the Novy Svet (New World) district, which, unfortunately, is being gradually demolished nowadays. Who knows, maybe, they will reconstruct the initial appearance of this location based on tourists’ recollections.

Pinsk and surroundings: Blok’s notebook instead of fellow traveller A hundred years ago, the First World War broke out, which left ruins and numerous victims in Polesie, but brought here many prominent people as well. During the opposition between the Rus-

Loev: Along the bank of heroes In autumn 1943, the Red Army liberated the first districts and cities of Belarus from Hitler’s occupants — Komarin, Vetka, Dobrush, Loev and Gomel. Even now, we cannot but imagine how it was. Excursions guides will show the place of the famous Loev crossing. Moreover, the Battle for the Dnieper Museum displays materials from that time. Nearby, a military technique from the period of the Great Patriotic War is exhibited under open sky. By Viktar Korbut

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National Art Museum celebrates 75th jubilee by hosting open day to welcome all art lovers

Beauty Reigns Here 50

Alexander Ruzhechka

he building in Lenin Street in Minsk is well known; it truly resembles a museum in its architectural style. The National Art Museum offers much to see and enjoy and attracts many visitors. Its collection has suffered traumatic times, being utterly lost during WWII, but major efforts have enabled the museum to once more feel pride in its collection of valuable and interesting exhibits. After the war, much was done by the former director, Yelena Aladova. She contributed greatly to the revival of the museum collection and is fondly remembered by colleagues and friends. Leonid Shchemelev, a People’s Artist of Belarus, praised her by saying: “My diploma work at the Institute — The Wedding — was lost under strange circumstances. However, in a stroke of good fortune, I found it. As a student, I heard much about Yelena Aladova and decided to bravely ask her for a piece of advice. After listening to me, she told me to bring my work. Of course, 2014 беларусь.belarus

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I was taken aback, failing at first to realise the opportunity I was being given. Of course, once I had gotten over the shock, I was in the seventh heaven. Since then, my work has been kept in the country’s main museum. Ms. Aladova accepted it not for its ‘beauty’ alone but for the skills involved; she was a true expert of fine arts and, thanks to her, the museum now boasts a worthy collection.” At present, the National Art Museum has an active exhibition life, and also conducts several forward-thinking educational projects. All these achievements have been possible thanks to its present Director General, Vladimir Prokoptsov, who has been leading the museum for sixteen years and never stops producing new ideas — based on the understanding of the high status of culture and art in our time. It’s a true pleasure to talk to Mr. Prokoptsov; he openly shares his views on the museum business and admits that everything he’s doing is his vocation. Should a museum try to shape visitors’ taste? This is a must. A museum should not operate aimlessly: its mission is educaбеларусь.belarus 2014

tion and teaching. In effect, it’s an educational centre. At present, the museum is gaining a new role: to be active and ‘move’ outside its walls. Recently, we showcased the Portraits of Rulers of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania exhibition, gathering pictures from three Ukrain-

It’s a true pleasure to talk to Mr. Prokoptsov; he openly shares his views on the museum business and admits that everything he’s doing is his vocation ian museums, as well as our own. As part of the show, we organised a round table discussion with specialists and a major concert — featuring Lithuanian, Polish, Ukrainian and Belarusian musicians. It’s important for new exhibitions to reach out in different ways, since schoolchildren and adults enjoy

different aspects of art. A considerable amount of money has been injected into our museum, spent in equipping halls and paying salaries. This is done to shape public taste and to educate. I believe that a museum must be aggressively active in this, keeping two steps ahead in our modern, global times. Visitors to a museum should be drawn in. Lectures and excursions help with this and I’m strongly convinced that a museum should aim at education: no other mission needed. Do you want to develop museum infrastructure? Of course. The idea of a museum quarter has enjoyed support at the highest level and investments are in full swing. I hope it will be completed within a five-year period. What is the major function? We’ll spread our collections out while creating infrastructure. Sadly, at present the museum lacks a decent café, which should seat at least 100 people and have specialised equipment (situated in Karl Marx Street). We also have a museum shop. I’ve visited many Eu-

ropean museums: on entering a 200sq. m store, you see diverse books, albums, souvenirs (bearing the museum logo), decorations and much more. In fact, souvenirs account for around 40 percent of a museum’s profit. We’ll definitely enjoy all these in the future; I’d love to see this happen. A schoolboy could buy a magnetic souvenir for next to nothing while a foreign tourist can purchase a $50 catalogue or guidebook. I envisage all catalogues and guidebooks being published in at least three languages: Russian, Belarusian and English. I hope to see many Russians coming and I’d love tourists to be able to buy a pen featuring Chagall or an icon as a souvenir. The major mission of the quarter is to create a place in which to spend all day: coming at 11 a.m. and leaving at 7pm, taking a break at a café or sitting on a bench in the inner courtyard to enjoy the air. Afterwards, our visitors would return to the museum to see another exhibition. This would be the ideal situation for me and I’ll do my best to realise it. Crucially, we have the support of our Government. You aren’t shying away from foreign experience, are you? Abroad, I focus not on pictures but on how they are displayed. I view the area as if I am an executive manager, paying attention to flooring and lighting. Pictures are secondary for me, as I’m learning. In 16 years of your directorship, have you become convinced that modern visitors are more demanding and better prepared than before? We have the Internet now, so people can take a virtual tour of the Tretyakov Gallery or another museum. Modern art lovers can take a Belavia plane to Paris: it’s just a two-hour flight to personally see the Mona Lisa. Nothing can surprise us now. Audiences are true gourmands: demanding and sophisticated. We need to be ready, in order not to lag behind in technology, exhibitions, methods and staff. Our new generation is changing; this is a global issue and a museum director cannot remain idle. I never stop keeping my staff on their toes, though

Alexander Ruzhechka

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some might not like it. In the 19601970s, the museum was a safe harbour but now it must earn money — promoting the country’s image and organising international projects. Our visitors wish to see a Marc Chagall show or a Tretyakov Gallery exhibition. Moreover, museum staff should know foreign languages. In a word, the museum format needs expansion. With this in mind, the ‘fight for visitors’ continues…

We have to fight for each visitor and only interesting exhibitions and programmes attract visitors. An ideal modern museum is a large cultural industry — like Hollywood. It’s probably difficult to manage such a ‘mechanism’? It’s not simple; it’s a huge responsibility, as the museum is our country’s ‘calling card’. I continue telling my staff that — sooner or later — new people will replace us. The museum should not re2014 беларусь.belarus

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main idle. It must work and, accordingly, I bear a huge responsibility as its head. I feel this heavily so it’s no surprise I’ve gone grey so early! Is a museum director a manager or a specialist? All of the above. I can hardly imagine a manager — rather than a painter or art critic — as a National Art Museum director. Can you imagine an economist heading the Hermitage or the Tretyakov Gallery? I personally cannot. A manager беларусь.belarus 2014

should lead an agricultural factory. If I’d chosen an agricultural path, I’d have become an agronomist and a farm manager. However, I’ve chosen a different path — that of a museum director who is a manager, an economist and an art critic. This is especially topical for such a large-scale museum as ours. Artists come to a director to discuss shows and other aspects. As an economist, what would I have told People’s Artist Georgy Vashchenko? We’d have found nothing in common and would have failed to understand each other. This is why I have no shame in continuing to learn something new. Which criteria do you use in assessing the value of paintings for the museum? We don’t purchase directly ourselves. Rather, a special council does this (as far as modern painters are concerned). If an article is to be bought from abroad — perhaps a Slutsk sash — we need to convince that it’s needed for an exhibition. However, a final decision is made jointly. Debate is usually organised for especially valuable artefacts. Generally, the museum community — headed by its director — dictates policy and, with this in mind, a director must be expert either in tenders or in pictures. Do you suffer from a split personality: director Prokoptsov and artist Prokoptsov? I enjoy complete harmony, as the former complements the latter. I did experience a split personality when working at the Council of Ministers, as I seldom took part in exhibitions. Back in the 1980-1990s, it was not encouraged for state officials to display their works jointly with artists. In contrast, I feel very comfortable now. In heading the museum, you’ve arranged many foreign shows. Do you plan to exhibit the rich collections of the National Art Museum? We have such plans and have already exhibited pictures by Khrutsky in Vilnius — as part of the artist’s 200th birthday celebrations. At present, we are working on a joint project with the Vati-

can, to show their Belarusian Orthodox and Catholic icons. Of course, such events require considerable insurance and planning. Which artefacts would the museum be able to buy? To make a purchase is a challenge. Primarily, this requires large amounts of money. If I had the budget I would not hunt for a Rembrandt or Picasso; I’d rather buy a Chagall and works by Parisian school artists. Our acquisition of two pictures by Chagall and two by Genin is significant progress. These artists are widely exhibited at leading museums worldwide … but not in their homeland. I’d address this if I had the chance. Would you continue the phrase: ‘True art is….’ ? It’s life. No life is possible without art. Fine arts make people spiritually wealthier, kinder and more harmonious. There is a set of cultural values which resemble behaviour rules (such as allowing the elderly to lead and respect for women). Why did ancient people make wall drawings? Even then, they were observing stars in the sky and were eager to reproduce something on the walls. In the morning, the stars disappeared but a handsome hunter or a scene from primeval life was painted on a wall. All these drawings are worthy of admiration. Many of them are a heritage, with museum value. What attracts you in your present directorship? I feel self sufficient as a director. I received my education in the field of fine arts and can speak to any artist or even the Louvre’s Director as an equal. I think I’m in the right place. I love my work at the museum. I’m happy here and feel comfortable. Mr. Prokoptsov never falters in his love of art. It seems he lives in a different world — heading the country’s main museum and painting himself. However, as I discovered during our interview, these two ‘worlds’ are not in conflict, but rather complement each other. By Victor Mikhailov

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Hard road of the Creator Director Valentina Yerenkova

The season of Belarusian drama, which begun in 2013, continues with a performance of Pesnyar, by young playwright Vasiliy Dranko-Maysyuk, on the stage of the National Gorky Academic Drama Theatre. Directed by Valentina Yerenkova, the play depicts the life of Vladimir Mulyavin, People’s Artist of the USSR. He was an outstanding musician and the creator of the Pesnyary vocalinstrumental ensemble. The actor Sergey Zhbankov will play the character of Vladimir.

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esnyar is not a play for thrill seekers, being more for those who appreciate the subtlety of characterization. There is no predictable plot or dramatic battle; the heroes are not victims of intrigue. Pesnyar is for those who appreciate the inner conflicts of the human soul. Valentina Yerenkova’s production portrays with sensitivity not only the soul of the 1970s singer and composer Vladimir Mulyavin, but his experiences and reflections after a near fatal car accident. The play is brilliantly written, the language almost an ode to Belarusian, so native speakers will greatly admire it. Fans of the music of Vladimir Mulyavin and his ensemble will similarly be entertained. I described my initial reaction to the play to Valentina, who responded by saying, “You have

understood my main aim: the performance is not only about Mulyavin. Initially I struggled with the idea of focusing an entire play on one character. It became Andrey Zakharevich (Yakub Kolas) and Aleksander Zhdanovich (Yanka Kupala)

somewhat of a barrier to my own creativity. The breakthrough came when I began to broaden my thinking to other creative geniuses such as Kolas, Kupala, Aloiza Pashkevich and Bogdanovich. I realised that I could present the broader theme of creativity through this man, by demonstrating the soul of creativity, as well as the responsibility of the state and society to artists. Our Pesnyar is a performance about a musician who could be a member of any creative profession.” Why choose Mulyavin? To put simply, I admire him. The more I researched his music, the more I discovered that Vladimir Mulyavin is a great and often overlooked artist. I felt we had only really scratched the surface and know little about 2014 беларусь.belarus

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Sergey Zhbankov (Pesnyar) — in the centre

such artists. It’s thanks to people like him that the rich and beautiful heritage of our country has been popularised around the world. More than 56 other countries have become familiar with Belarus thanks to Pesnyary ensemble, which was called the Soviet Beatles. The current season of Belarusian drama, which began with the Intimidated Apostle by Andrey Makayonok and Exeutioner by Alexey Dudarev, has been a hard act to follow. The theatre’s idea hamster, Olga Klebanovich, is partly responsible for the choice of Mulyavin, telling me how, running from a rehearsal, she bumped into Valentina, at her wits end as to which eminent and worthy citizen of Belarus to depict in her new play. Olga immediately suggested that none of the theatres had considered Vladimir Mulyavin, who would be a popular and pioneering choice for an evening of entertainment. She advised Valentina to start auditioning the nation’s great singing беларусь.belarus 2014

actors by asking them to read the poetry of the great Belarusian poets. Valentina quickly moved to the idea for her play, and contacted popular Belarusian poet Leonid Dranko-Maysyuk, to put the idea to his son, who is a playwright. Together, they elaborated the play, devoted to the memory of Mulyavin, with Valentina eager to take a fresh approach (hence her choice of a new young writer). She justifies her decision, saying, “Young people are courageous and inquisitive, unafraid to take risks and often overcome barriers easily. We’ve avoided putting anyone on a pedestal, showing them as having a full life; they’ve loved, suffered and created. This is a play about real life, light and dark, and the fact that we have a duty towards art and creativity, helping those who are talented.” Ms. Yerenkova likes working with young people and considers young Russian actors to be of the best quality; they are well trained, move well and are talented. She always prefers to work with

those who are in tune with her, with whom it’s easy to communicate. She comments that it’s easier to solve conflicts when people are fundamentally on the same wavelength. In the leading man, Sergey Zhbankov, Valentina has found this connection. She predicts that he will be highly praised in the future for the role, as in his other works: he is organic and at one with the character, a true professional. Yerenkova, brought up in the tradition of respecting theatre, appreciates it being taken seriously as an art form by young actors. Apart from his intensity of acting, Zhbankov is musical and sings magnificently. The vocal performance of all the actors is strong, especially that of the men’s quintet, which is on the stage almost all the time. Valentina is quick to praise Zhbankov’s professional attitude. She reflects on the prevalence of film and TV work, which, though necessary for actors, has taken something critical from their art. For Sergey, theatre is his first love, his priority, and for this he is highly respect-

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She always prefers to work with those who are in tune with her, with whom it’s easy to communicate. She comments that it’s easier to solve conflicts when people are fundamentally on the same wavelength. In the leading man, Sergey Zhbankov, Valentina has found this connection Shatrova, Yelena Stetsenko, Vladimir Glotov and Andrey Senkin. Valentina is particularly complimentary about the important part musicians play in the performance, telling us, “Their dedica-

tion has touched me deeply. Although the rehearsal workload has been huge, they have met with Mulyavin’s widow, Svetlana Penkina (who made an invaluable contribution to our research), and visited his museum.” Producer Vladimir Tkachenko and composer Oleg Molchan, who worked with Vladimir Mulyavin and knew him well, contributed a lot to the project. The musical concept for the performance belongs to Valentina’s husband and colleague Alexey Yerenkov. Unseen backstage, he performs various accompaniments — including guitar and vocals. Alexey built the musical structure of the performance and adapted the play for a theatrical setting. Valentina adds that, although she is grateful for Alexey’s contribution, this was only made possible by the richness and quality of the original material written by Vasily Dranko-Maysyuk. I ask whether the play has turned out to be everything Valentina envisaged; she replies that for a director there is never an end. A play is never perfect but it can be improved upon even at the last moment; it’s one of the pitfalls of the profession. By Valentina Zhdanovich

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ed. She tells us that she had cast the actor in the role in her head and may not have considered putting on the performance at all had he been unable or unwilling to take the role. Although he has other significant performances behind him, the part of Mulyavin is a major coup for which he hopes to receive acclaim. She has similar respect and admiration for the supporting actors in the play: Alexander Zhdanovich (playing Yanka Kupala) and Andrey Zakharevich (who plays Yakub Kolas). Between them, they bring vividly to life a varied cast of Belarusian heroes. Valentina tells us that their portrayal of these men has been a revelation to her. She is quick to thank Sergey Kovalchik, the Artistic Director of the theatre, for his understanding and judicious attitude to her as a director. With Pesnyar she has been allowed a free rein as far as casting is concerned: unusual for an artistic director. As well as the actors mentioned, the play involves other wellrespected performers: Sergey Chekeres, Anna Malankina, Andrey Dushechkin, Ivan Streltso v, A n a s t a s i a Shpakovskaya, Veronika Plyashkevich, Ye k at e r i n a

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