Belarus (magazine #11 2021)

MAGAZINE FOR YOU

No. 11 (1058), NOVEMBER, 2021 Беларусь. Belarus

BELARUS Politics. Economy. Culture

ISSN 0320-7544

Integration in action LOOKING FORWARD

REALITY AND PERSPECTIVES

COSMONAUTS AND THEIR ROLES

HOME LAND COMPASS

NEWSPAPER FROM BELARUS

ГОЛАС РАДЗІМЫ EDITION OF THE "ГОЛАС РАДЗІМЫ" IS AVAILABLE AT WWW.ZVIAZDA.BY

The newspaper for fellow countrymen: well-known and well-read ГАЗЕТА З БЕЛАРУСІ

ГОЛАС РАДЗІМЫ

Голас Радзімы серада, 27 кастрычніка, 2021

ВЫДАЕЦЦА З КРАСАВІКА 1955 ГОДА l

l № 10 (3646) l

1

l СЕРАДА, 27 КАСТРЫЧНІКА, 2021

ВЫДАННЕ “ГОЛАС РАДЗІМЫ” ЧЫТАЙЦЕ Ў ІНТЭРНЭЦЕ НА ПАРТАЛЕ ZVIAZDA.BY

Паэтычны свет Абая: прачытанне ў цэнтры Еўропы КАНТЭКСТ

Меншасць і большасць у люстэрку навукі

Жылі музыкі ў Капылі

Стар. 3

Стар. 4

Стар. 7

Нашы людзі на арбіце

На борце Міжнароднай касмічнай станцыі закончылася “зорная камандзіроўка” Алега Навіцкага. І змяніў нашага земляка, героя Расіі на адказнай пасадзе камандзіра МКС Антон Шкаплераў – таксама Герой Расіі, у якога моцныя беларускія родавыя карані. На нашых вачах творыцца “касмічная кінагісторыя”. Прычым з самым непасрэдным удзелам нашых супляменнікаў. Безумоўна, першы ў гісторыі кінапраект са здымкамі ў касмічных караблях, на МКС выклікаў велізарную цікавасць у свеце. Ды вывеў зноў касмічную тэму на, можна сказаць, высокую арбіту грамадскага інтарэсу. І пакуль расійскі кінаэкіпаж – актрыса Юлія Перасільд і рэжысёр Клім Шыпенка – купаюцца ў промнях славы, яе водбліскі падсвечваюць і касманаўтаў Антона Шкаплерава ды Алега Навіцкага. Якія, дарэчы, сыгралі свае ролі для мастацкага фільма “Выклік”. Бо першы, мы ведаем, узначаліў “кінаэкспедыцыю” на МКС, дапамагаў актрысе з рэжысёрам у паскораным рэжыме, з нуля за тры месяцы падрыхтавацца да палёту і працы ў космасе, а потым сам і даставіў кінагрупу на арбіту. Прайшла інфармацыя: у фільме Шкаплераў будзе ў ролі касманаўта Антона. Цікава, ці знайшлася роля Алегу Навіцкаму, камандзіру карабля “Союз МС-18”? Гэта ж дзякуючы яму кінаэкіпаж паспяхова вярнуўся з арбіты, прызямліўся 17 кастрычніка

Сустрэча на арбіце. Кастрычнік 2021 года. Пётр Дуброў, Антон Шкаплераў, Юлія Перасільд, Клім Шыпенка і Алег Навіцкі. Фотаздымак з сацсеткі https://vk.com/anton_astrey – афіцыйнай публічнай старонкі касманаўта “Роскосмоса” Антона Шкаплерава.

пад казахстанскім Джэзказганам. Наколькі адказнай была праца ў Алега Віктаравіча (якому, дарэчы, у часе працы на арбіце – 12 кастрычніка – споўнілася 50 гадоў) – сведчыць такі факт. Аказваецца, калі прызямлялася 19 чэрвеня 1963 года наша супляменніца, першая ў свеце

жанчына-касманаўт Валянціна Церашкова (пазыўны “Чайка”), то спускальны апарат з-за збою ў сістэме кіравання карабля “Союз-6” занесла ў Алтайскі край. Быў гэта Баеўскі раён, паблізу сяла Мурашкіна. “Ого, куда я просвистела...” – сказала вяскоўцам Чайка, як даведалася, што прызямлілася не ў Ка-

захстане. Здымачная група беларускага Агенцтва тэленавін – карэспандэнт Святлана Карульская і аператар Віталь Моцін – былі побач, калі Алега Навіцкага падымалі са спускальнага апарата. Ураджэнец горада Чэрвеня на гэты раз прабыў на арбіце 191 дзень, і гэта па яго

просьбе і землякоў-беларусаў падключылі ў пошукавую экспедыцыю на Зямлі, дапусцілі да касманаўта ў першыя мінуты пасля вяртання з арбіты. У інтэрнэце ёсць эксклюзіўны рэпартаж АНТ. Алег Навіцкі праходзіць рэабілітацыю, а ў снежні абяцаў наведацца дадому, у Беларусь. Што да Шкаплерава, то стартаваў ён у космас, ужо чацвёрты раз, 5 кастрычніка: у якасці камандзіра карабля “Союз МС-19”, суправаджальніка кінаэкспедыцыі – і кінагероя. Праца яго на МКС прадаўжаецца ў складзе 66-й працяглай экспедыцыі. Калі ўсё пойдзе па плане, то і Антон Мікалаевіч сустрэне там сваё 50-годдзе: 20 лютага ў 2022-м. Хоць нарадзіўся ён у Севастопалі (дакладней, у Балаклаве), ды мае па бацьку беларускія родавыя карані. На адной з прэс-канферэнцый на пытанне, кім сябе лічыць, украінцам ці рускім, Антон Мікалаевіч адназначна адказаў, што ён беларус (Гл. : “З Быхаўшчыны – у космас” – ГР, 25.04.2013; “Быхаўскія карані Антона Шкаплерава” – ГР, 19.09.2018); “Шляхі да зорак” – (ГР, 01.10.2018). Іван Ждановіч

З АРХІВАЎ ЧАСУ

Беларускія сляды ў Каліфорніі

“Хвалёныя бубны за гарамі!..” Так іранічна пісаў колішні Мікалай Судзілоўскі, больш вядомы за межамі Беларусі як Николай Руссель або Nicholas Russel, згадваючы жыццё выхадцаў з Расійскай імперыі ў амерыканскім “Залатым штаце”. Бо і насамрэч жыццё ў ЗША часта не ўдавалася. Што не ўсім там, за акіянам, добра — таму і Судзілоўскі сам быў прыкладам у пэўным сэнсе. Хаця гэта ж той самы Русель, што ў 1901-м пабыў і прэзідэнтам Сената Тэрыторыі Гаваі! Але наш аповед — пра час ранейшы, калі эмігранту,

“урачу й хірургу”, спецыялісту па хваробах вачэй, вуха й горла, які напрыканцы ХІХ стагоддзя вызначыўся актыўнасцю ў жыцці рускай і праваслаўнай сан-францыскай абшчыны, пасля многіх турбот запатрабаваўся сур’ёзны адпачынак. Каб адпачыць, ён з жонкай планаваў нават прадаць ледзь не ўсю маёмасць! Нам вядома, што перад тым пабачыў гэты беларус мясціны на ўсход ад Сан-Францыска па маршруце з Нью-Ёрка (у 1887-м), вандраваў па Каліфорніі паўднёвай цягніком ды па заходнім беразе заліва Сан-Францыска ў экіпажы. У канцы ж мая 1891-га выехаў ён з Сан-Францыска ў паўночна-ўсходнім кірунку. Хто быў з ім пры тым? Верагодна, што жонка Леакадзія (адэсітка з беларускімі родавымі каранямі, урач са спецыялізацыяй на хваробах жанчын і дзяцей), а можа й сябар Карл Сіверс, з якім разам паляваў, сек дровы, чытаў, калі яны ўдваіх пасяліліся ў лясной зямлянцы. У сваім рэпартажы “Па Каліфорніі” доктар Русель даследуе феномен вака-

цыйнага турызму і гасціннасці, апісвае прадстаўнікоў флоры, фаўны й соцыуму, ландшафт, архітэктуру, транспарт... Закранутая тэматыка жыцця ў Каліфорніі вельмі разнастайная. Падарожнікі пабывалі ў Сакрамента, і “залатаноснаму” графству Эль-Дарада — Плэйсервілю й больш ці менш аддаленым ваколіцам — прысвечаны некалькі заключных раздзелаў тэксту. Цікавая дэталь: з пэўнага часу на бланкавай паперы доктара, якая выкарыстоўвалася, змяніўся адрас і тэлефон яго сан-францыскага офіса. Травелог дапісваўся на Гаваях, але застаўся няскончаным: з-за вялікай занятасці аўтара, наступных бурлівых падзей ды новых уражанняў. Русель шмат месца прысвяціў у рэпартажы “залатой ліхаманцы”, паглыбіўся ў тэхніку золатаздабычы, аналіз яе наступстваў для прыроды. Расказаў і пра метыса Джэка, які пазбавіўся свайго залатаноснага ўчастка з-за схільнасці да віскі. Урэшце вандроўнікі вырашылі наведаць славутае возера

Мікалай Русель

Таха, ды апісаннем іх выезду туды аповед абрываецца. Закрэслены ў рукапісе першапачатковы загаловак — “Два месяцы ў Сьера-Невадзе” — указвае на час, які быў праведзены Руселем і кампаніяй у той частцы штата. ➔ Стар. 6

4 LOOKING FORWARD THROUGH PRAGMATIC ACTION

10 Reality and perspectives in the event context Interaction between Belarus and Russia in their economic policies coordination will make it possible to more fully use the advantages of mutual cooperation.

14 Regions are ready to be at the forefront China occupies an exceptional place in our foreign policy; it is, in fact, our main strategic partner in the Asian region. So the level of cooperation between the two countries was outlined by the Deputy Foreign Minister of Belarus Nikolai Borisevich.

22 Inclusive cashier gets a job In Vitebsk State Industrial College, the demand for graduates exceeds the supply four times. This educational institution is implementing a pilot project "Inclusive Cashier". БЕЛАРУСЬ.BELARUS NOVEMBER 2021

1

BELTA

IN THE ISSUE

Беларусь. Belarus

IN THE ISSUE

Social and political magazine No. 11 (1058), 2021 Published since 1930 Founders: Zviazda Publishing House editorialand-publishing establishment Editor-in-Chief: Viktor Kharkov Executive Secretary: Valentina Zhdanovich

ANOTHER BUILDING BLOCK IN THE EFFORT TO PRESERVE HERITAGE

32 Legends live in Geraneny The ancient town of Geraneny, famous for its apple orchard, flower factory and a large lake with lots of fish, is included in the Golden Ring of Ivye district of Grodno region. Today the city attracts tourists with its past: the history of the tragic love of Belarusian Romeo and Juliet.

40 Masters accepted congratulations

The 6th Republican Theatre contest "National Theatre Prize" has ended.

42 Home land compass

About Boris Zaborov – world famous artist and book graphic artist from Belarus.

2

БЕЛАРУСЬ.BELARUS NOVEMBER 2021

30

Editorial office address: 220013 Minsk, Belarus, 19 Zakharova Street Tel.: +375 (17) 263-80-12. www.zviazda.by E-mail: belarus.mag@mail.ru Subscription index – 220034 Registration Certificate No. 8 issued on 16.07.2018 by the Information Ministry of the Republic of Belarus Design and Layout by Kseniya Kulikova Беларусь. Belarus is published in Belarusian, English and Chinese.

The magazine is distributed to 50 countries worldwide.

Final responsibility for factual accuracy and interpretation lies with publication authors. Should any article of Беларусь. Belarus be used, reference to the magazine is obligatory.

The editorial office does not bear responsibility for contents of advertisements.

Signed for printing on 25.11.2021 Offset printing. Coated paper.

Format 60х84 1⁄8.

Conventional printed sheets 5.58 Accounting published sheets 7,12 Total circulation – 684

copies (261 – in English) Order Republican unitary enterprise "BudMedyyaPrayekt" Licence No. 02330/71 on 23.01.2014 220123 Minsk, Belarus, 13/61 V. Khoruzhey Street

© Zviazda Publishing House editorial-and-publishing establishment, 2021

PANORAMA Everything is done thoroughly The updated Constitution draft is planned to be presented for national discussion in late November – early December this year The working team actually completed the preparation of amendments to the Basic Law, literally its article-by-article discussion took place. After it, the project will be submitted for consideration by the Constitutional Commission.

"So far, the proposals that were formulated by the working team have been generally supported.

Subsequently, there is still a discussion with the Constitutional Commission. I think that by the end of November – the beginning of December we will be ready for a nationwide discussion of the Constitution draft," – the head of the Presidential Administration Igor Sergeenko told reporters after the meeting of the head of state with the working team on finalization of the Constitution draft.

At the stage of public discussion, everyone will have the opportunity to express own proposals and wishes on the content of amendments to the Basic Law, which will be taken into account when preparing the final version of the amendments. "You see how many stages we go through, a very serious attitude, since this document is being made for a long period of time in the life of our country," – the head of the Administration noted.

Of particular interest is the securing of the status and powers of the All-Belarusian People's Assembly in the Constitution. "The All-Belarusian People's Assembly will be proposed as the highest representative body, – said Igor Sergeenko. – Accordingly, the powers of this body are determined – a number of powers that were proposed by the Constitutional Commission, and the ones that the working team added, inter alia, on the election of the leaders from the Constitutional and Supreme Courts, the CEC, approval of socio-economic development programs for the five-year period and a number of other issues." The issues of nomination of candidates to the All-Belarusian People's Assembly have also been reflected in the Constitution draft.

"Innovations should only help to strengthen statehood and protect the constitutional order and sovereignty of our country," – Igor Sergeenko stressed.

As we know, the final text of the amendments to the Constitution must be published for public review a month before the referendum.

Planned approach to innovations The government has determined measures to implement the State program for innovative development of Belarus until 2025 First of all, the Council of Ministers approved a list of projects for the creation of new industries that are of decisive importance for the country's innovative future, as well as a schedule for their implementation and financing.

Totally, 63 objects are on the list of projects for creation of new production facilities. These include the construction of the resource-independent quarter "Dom Park", the creation of a hightech agro-industrial production of the full cycle for the period 2016-2032, the organization of the production of innovative equipment and components for

the oil and gas industry. On the list there is also the creation of modern production facilities for the production of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. Besides, the list includes the construction of a diagnostic, inpatient ward, operating and intensive care building in Minsk for the establishment of a hybrid cardiac surgery center at the Cardiology Center.

The State C ommittee on Science and Technology was instructed to coordinate the activities of the relevant structures for the implementation of the decree.

Equal conditions are the main priority The heads of government of the EAEU states discussed joint forecasts for the development of the agro-industrial complex at the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council in Yerevan In-person meeting of the council was held with the participation of the heads of government of the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union, the EAEU observer states – Cuba and Uzbekistan, as well as the chairperson of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission.

The heads of government discussed the state of mutual trade, joint forecasts for the development of the agro-industrial complex, supply and demand balances of the allied countries for agricultural products, food, rawhide, wool, flax and cotton fiber for the current and future years, measures to provide raw materials for metallurgical enterprises of the EAEU states, progress of work on the convergence of the Union states’ positions within the climate agenda.

Dur ing t he work of t he intergovernmental council, a draft EAEU biological safety strategy

was considered, as well as issues of electronic commerce, including the approval of a roadmap for creation of favorable conditions for its development in the EAEU, an action plan on the increase of the level of provision of the Union countries with strategically important drugs and pharmaceutical substances for medical use, the production of which should be ensured in the EAEU until 2024.

Besides, the council discussed issues of ensuring equal conditions for participation in the program for the purchase of agricultural machinery and equipment in Kazakhstan for manufacturers of the EAEU and third countries.

The heads of government signed an agreement on the procedure for the exchange of information included in credit histories within the EAEU. БЕЛАРУСЬ.BELARUS NOVEMBER 2021

3

THEME

INTEGRATION IN ACTION

Looking forward through pragmatic action

New union programs, joint Military Doctrine and Concept of Migration Policy... Belarus and Russia have taken important and decisive steps towards further union building. This is the main result of the meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Union State, held in early November under the chairmanship of the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko. Due to the epidemiological situation, the meeting was held in a videoconference format.

4

БЕЛАРУСЬ.BELARUS NOVEMBER 2021

BELTA

the Supreme State Council is without exaggeration the culmination of this process. And even more – the beginning of a new stage in the Union State development.

Actually, Belarus has always firmly advocated deepening of integration in the post-Soviet space and strengthening of strategic relations with Russia.

It remains true to these principles even now, as Alexander Lukashenko unambiguously stated: – The Union State for the Republic of Belarus is the first priority. Together we have created a unique integration model, thanks to which equal rights are ensured for Belarusians and Russians, and economic interaction i s d e e p e n i n g . We a re a c t i v e l y cooperating in various areas and are aimed at further expansion of union integration, defense of historical and moral values common to our fraternal peoples.

Yes, the previous Supreme State Council meeting was held three years ago, but all this time the integration work did not stop. On behalf of the leaders of the two countries, the governments have prepared a package of union programs that should bring union construction to a new level.

According to the estimates of the Belarusian side, the direct effect for Belarus from the implementation of this integration package is forecasted in the growth of GDP by about one billion dollars. And this doesn’t include additional opportunities for Belarusian bus i ne ss i n t he Russ i an marke t .

However, the economic effect in this case is mutual. This is especially important in the context of external pressure that Belarus and Russia have faced recently.

Alexander Lukashenko notes that this has become a serious test of the strength of bilateral relations: – It can be stated with confidence that we have passed this test. Moreover, we are getting stronger.

Vladimir Putin, in turn, remarked: – For Russia, Belarus is not just a good neighbor and closest ally, cooperation with which is built on the principles of mutual respect, support and consideration of each other's interests. This is a truly fraternal republic, fraternal people. And we strive to do everything to keep it this way forever.

A

All sorts of challenges and threats, multiplied by the ongoing global pandemic, have recently disrupted the schedule of regular meetings for many statespersons. Nowadays politicians, experts, business circles with ever increasing frequency have to meet online. However, this applies to a lesser extent to the closest strategic allies and partners. This year alone, Alexander Lukashenko and Vladimir Putin met twice in Sochi and twice in Moscow, as well as in St. Petersburg. To this should be added regular talks between the prime ministers of the two countries, meetings of the Union Council of Ministers, and inter-parliamentary interaction. Such an intensity of contacts speaks of a mutual desire to advance the union development.

It is obvious that in fact the entire year has passed under the sign of d e e p e n i ng of B el ar us i an - Russ i an integration. The November meeting of

Rebooting of the joint economic space Specific figures are the best evidence of the level of cooperation between the two economies. Even despite the pandemic, the dynamics are positive.

A l e x and e r Lu k ashe n ko c ite d t he following data: – Over the nine months of this year, the volume of the Union commodity turnover grew by more than a third and reached 28 billion dollars in difficult times.

According to Vladimir Putin, Russia is the main business partner of Belarus: the country accounts for almost half of the Belarusian foreign trade turnover: – We rank first in terms of direct investment in the Belarusian economy – about $4 billion. In turn, Belarus ranks first among the trade partners of our country in the CIS and fourth in the world.

The Russian leader also noted serious progress when speaking about the oil and gas sector: – To d ay B e l ar u s re c e ive s g a s from Russia seven, eight, and at some moments even nine to ten times cheaper than on the European spot markets. This creates a competitive environment for functioning and moving on.

However, both in Minsk and in Moscow today there is an awareness of the need to deep en the union development. Which, of course, will be facilitated by the decree of the Supreme State Council "On the main directions for the implementation of the provisions of the Treaty on the creation of the Union State for 2021-2023." In fact, these are the very 28 union programs that define the essence of joint work in almost all spheres of activity – industry, energy, transport, finance, and agro-industrial complex.

Alexander Lu kashen ko sig ne d the decree right during the meeting (Vladimir Putin had done this earlier).

The President of Belarus outlined the meaning of the document as follows: – In fact, we are starting the rebooting of the joint economic space.

The rebooting involves the introduction of modern technologies, styles and decision-making methods.

The result of this work should be the formation of a qualitatively new БЕЛАРУСЬ.BELARUS NOVEMBER 2021

5

THEME

TASS.RU

INTEGRATION IN ACTION

environment for the turnover of goods and services, the creation of united industry markets, the implementation of uniform financial, tax, credit, industrial and other policies.

Relevance of the approved documents Alexander Lukashenko also highlighted close cooperation in the field of defense: – As recent events have shown, the regional grouping of the alliance's troops is a reliable security shield not only for our countries, but also for the entire postSoviet space. The President (of Russia – Ed.) and I do not conceal our intentions to strengthen this grouping in the future.

The first step in this direction has already been taken. The Supreme State Council approved a new Military Doctrine of the Union State. Vladimir Putin emphasized in this regard: – The formation of an atmosphere of stability and security on our external borders is of particular importance. We intend to jointly resist any attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of our sovereign states. And Russia, of course,

6

БЕЛАРУСЬ.BELARUS NOVEMBER 2021

Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia:

"For Russia, Belarus is not just a good neighbor and closest ally, cooperation with which is built on the principles of mutual respect, support and consideration of each other's interests. This is a truly fraternal republic, fraternal people"

will continue to provide assistance to the fraternal Belarusian people. There is no doubt about that.

According to State Secretary of the Union State Dmitry Mezentsev, the new Military Doctrine will allow to increase the level of coherence of defense policy, timely adapt the tasks of the defense ministries, taking into account the changes in the military-political situation in the region.

In the field of security, another common document was approved – the Concept of Migration Policy, which will coordinate the actions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, state security agencies, border services and foreign affairs agencies of the two countries and will become a key condition for the formation of a single migration space.

– The relevance of the document has been confirmed by the latest events on the border of Belarus and the European Union, to which the republic responds with consistency and professionalism, – said Dmitry Mezentsev.

Tomorrow’s integration Speaking about the implementation of the signed agreements, Alexander

BELTA

Lukashenko warned the government against delving into theory: – We should see the practical efficiency of the decisions we make, as they say, tomorrow. First of all, we are talking about the implementation of large joint projects.

There are already positive examples, in particular in the areas of nuclear energy and space exploration. There are substantive agreements on other promising areas as well. The project on pilot-controlled cosmonautics, t he cre at ion of a ne w u lt ra-hig h resolution Earth sounding apparatus. In microelectronics there is an agreement on comprehensive study of the design and pro du c t i on of an el e c t ron i c component base.

At the meeting of the Supreme State Council, the topics of combating the coronavirus pandemic, countering the falsification of history, and militarypatriotic education were also discussed.

A special emphasis is on the work of the media. In this regard, the President of Belarus noted the need to reform the union media: – We c ou l d c re ate, as e x p e r t s suggest, a media holding of the Union

Alexander Lukashenko, the President of Belarus:

"As recent events have shown, the regional grouping of the alliance's troops is a reliable security shield not only for our countries, but also for the entire post-Soviet space.

The President (of Russia – Ed.) and I do not conceal our intentions to strengthen this grouping in the future"

State. And the money, even small, won't b e dist r ibuted b etween t he existing newspapers, magazines and telegram channels, and by bringing t hem toget her, to cre ate a me di a holding and talk about what is going on.

Summing up the work of the Supreme State Council, Alexander Lukashenko emphasized: – 25 years after the signing of the Treaty on the Establishment of the Union State of Belarus and Russia, we are making another important step on the path of union building. There is a lot of work ahead, but I am sure that everything that has been planned will be fully implemented for the benefit of our countries and peoples.

Me anw h i le, as a resu lt of t he meeting, it was decided to award the Union State Prize in the field of science and technology in 2021 to Russian and Belarusian scientists for outstanding results of joint scientific research and t he d e vel opme nt of s ampl e s of new equipment and progressive technologies.

Vasily Kharitonov

БЕЛАРУСЬ.BELARUS NOVEMBER 2021

7

THEME

BELTA

INTEGRATION IN ACTION

Obvious essence of priorities Experts agree that the decisions of the Supreme State Council will timely and positively affect the future of Belarus, Russia and the Union State in general The historical significance of the meeting of the Supreme State Council and the decisions made thereat can hardly be overestimated, says Nikolai Shchekin, Head of the Sociology of Public Administration Department at the Sociology Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus: – November 4, 2021 will go down in the history of the global politics as the consolidation of perhaps the most demanded mutually beneficial interstate relations in the 21st century.

8

БЕЛАРУСЬ.BELARUS NOVEMBER 2021

From the point of view of functional ge op ol it i c s , t he Un i on St ate is a stabilizing factor that brings balance to the world system of international architecture of relations.

According to the expert, the State Council demonstrated to the whole world the strong positions of the Union State such as close economic cooperation, military-political and military-technical mutu a l ly b enef ici a l co op erat ion, understanding of the current political situation with a unified translation of

the historical achievements of the two countries: – And the signed integration decree, 28 union programs bring relations b etween B elar us and Russia to a fundamentally new qualitative level.

We are talking about equal conditions for business development of the two countries, harmonization of tax and customs legislation, a new level of co op eration b etween government bodies, uniform rules for food supplies to the Union State market.

GOVERNMENT.RU

BELTA

Roman Golovchenko, Prime Minister of Belarus:

Mikhail Mishustin, Prime Minister of Russia:

Citation – The most important a re a o f i nt e ra c t i o n between Belarus and Russia will be the harmonization of tax and customs legislation.

We worked a lot on this map. It is indeed quite complex, but at the same time very precise, clear and measurable.

Our countries w ill have to introduce an integrated system for administering indirect taxes and conclude an inte r national treat y on general principles of taxation in terms of indirect taxes. Besides, it is planned to create joint advisory bodies of the Union State on tax and customs issues.

– Residents of Russia and Belarus will receive great benefits from the deepened integration. This is what I see as our main common goal. Within the Union State, unified approaches will be formed to harmonize legislation in terms of labor relations, as well as employment, social insurance and pensions.

An even more serious stage awaits us ahead – the implementation of all the agreements reached.

Much should be done at the legislative level: more than four hundred acts and bilateral agreements should be adopted. New regulation will be created, but this time on a general integration basis.

Yes, perhaps the most anticipated outcome of the SSC meeting was the approval of the union programs. This is the result of almost three years of painstaking work by the governments of the two countries, the effect of which has yet to be assessed by the real sector of the economy. The programs outline the trajectory of joint work in almost all spheres of activity – industry, energy, finance, agro-industrial complex. The implementation of the defined measures will allow Russia and Belarus to create equal unified conditions for doing business.

Signing of a package of integration agreements officially launched the work on the unification of laws related to the convergence of economic and monetary policy, currency regulation, tax and customs law, emphasizes Tatiana Runets, Chairperson of the Standing Commission of the Council of the Republic for Economy, Budget and Finances: – At t he s ame t ime, w hich is especially important for Belarus, there is no talk of losing sovereignty. Only mutually beneficial solutions are to be implemented through the lens of economics. And the approval at the current stage of the joint Militar y Doctrine will allow the two countries to effectively resist the military buildup of the North Atlantic Alliance on the borders of the Union State and will ensure security both in Eastern Europe and on the European continent as a whole.

According to experts, adoption of union programs will be a big step forward, primarily in the economy.

– We are starting to form common oil and gas and electricity markets. In all political and economic scenarios, this is the basis on which relations are built, – said political observer Aliaksei Dzermant. – The competitiveness of our products depends on energy prices.

There is an opportunity for a long-term planning of our development in industry, technology and energy.

Thus, the economies of the two countries will begin to function on the basis of common agreed rules and regulations, which is a logical continuation of consistent actions on creation of a single economic space, free movement of labor resources and capital, as well as a single energy market.

Alexey Fedosov

БЕЛАРУСЬ.BELARUS NOVEMBER 2021

9

THEME

INTEGRATION IN ACTION

Reality and perspectives in the event context Interaction between Belarus and Russia in their economic policies coordination will make it possible to more fully use the advantages of mutual cooperation Integration is undoubtedly a more related to improvement of access to cooperation are important for both complex form of relations than just trade natural resources and wider markets, countries. or industrial cooperation, although it is for Russia it is more about geopolitical Due to the significant difference in based on the same principles of mutual interests related to the preservation and the scale of the economies and industrial benefit. It is necessary to complexes of Russia and Belarus, cle arly underst and t hat the incomparability of integration integration associations and effects for the partner countries all accompanying processes was initially an objective condition are the essence of the foreign for their interaction. Russia is the economic policy of states, the main trade partner of Belarus. result of their deliberate and Meanwhile, the Republic of Belarus purposeful activity. In short, ranks fourth in terms of the volume they did not fully result from of trade between Russia and the the functioning of the market countries of the world and first 47.9 percent – share of Ranks 4th in terms of the or the operation of market among the CIS countries. The share the total turnover of volume of trade between mechanisms. of Belarus in Russia's foreign trade Belarus in 2020 Russia and the countries of the world and first It is obvious that the turnover in 2020 amounted to just among the CIS countries i nte g r at i on of s t ate s i s over 5 percent. The share of Russia realized on the basis of in the total turnover of Belarus in the national interests of the same year amounted to 47.9 countries, and not on the percent, including 45.2 percent of basis of the interests of exports and 50.2 percent of imports.

45.2 percent of exports, Over 50 percent of individual economic entities.

The most important goods supplied 50.2 percent of imports Belarus GDP is formed through cooperation with The interest of Russia and to the Russian market are milk and Russia Belarus in it is of the same dairy products, trucks, tractors nature – the need to expand and semi-trailer trucks, meat and living space. Undoubtedly, edible meat offal, furniture, plastic there are certain differences in containers, medicines. Note that approaches, which correspond expansion of friendly socio-economic for the most part these are goods to the development conditions of each space, transport and logistics corridors. with high added value, products of the В ней используются В ней используются текстовые возможности,manufacturing industry. At the same country. For Belarus, integration is moreописательные At the same time, mutual trade, industrial как содержание, элементы, такие как connected with geo-economic interests and s cient if ic andтакие te chnolog ic a l time, almost half of Belarusian goods глоссарий, индекс, тема, конфликт, герои,

10

БЕЛАРУСЬ.BELARUS NOVEMBER 2021

RUSSIA

BELARUS

место действия и заключение.

ярлыки, диаграммы, фотографии и графики.

BELTA

are made from Russian raw materials and components. This is not just trade, it is production cooperation. Currently, more than eight thousand Belarusian and Russian enterprises are connected by mutual deliveries of products. Among them – the production of vehicles, grain and forage harvesters, loaders, excavators, various specialized agricultural equipment, industrial equipment, household appliances, consumer goods and chemical products.

C o op e r at i on b e t we e n B el ar us and Russia in the industrial sphere is an important factor in ensuring the competitiveness of both countries.

As analysts note, mutual deliveries of intermediate industrial products between Russia and Belarus take place practically in the unchanging number of industries. This indicates a high level of complementarity and versatility of the industrial complexes of the two countries.

By the way, for Russia, interaction in the field of industrial cooperation gives a positive balance of trade turnover.

This means that the development of

the Belarusian industrial complex, which entails an increase in imports of intermediate products from Russia, will also contribute to the growth of Russian industry.

The Russian Federation continues to be the main investor in the economy of the Republic of Belarus. At present, about 1,500 joint ventures have been created in Russia, more than 2,500 companies with Russian participation operate in Belarus, more than 60 investment projects are being implemented in various fields, including the Belarusian nuclear power plant, Omsk Carbon Black Plant in Mogilev, Nezhinsky GOK (investor – industrial and financial group "Safmar") and others. This area of activity, as a rule, involves enterprises with modern technologies that produce competitive products with high added value. So far, more than forty scientific and technical programs of the Union State have been implemented with the participation of the largest research, scientific-production and industrial organizations of both states. As a result of the implementation

of the Union programs, unique samples of new equipment and technologies have been developed and introduced.

R e c e nt l y, Ru s s i a n - B e l a r u s i a n cooperation at the regional level has also been developing, primarily between neighboring regions of the two countries.

Belarus maintains direct trade and economic relations with 80 regions of the Russian Federation, including more than 60 regions – on the basis of intergovernmental agreements on longterm cooperation.

Despite the fact that Belarus and Russia are characterized by a similar level of economic development and similar dynamics of industrial production, their economic mechanisms are not compatible in everything, therefore integration requires a search for compromises and mutual concessions. Practice of the EAEU development has shown that rivalry in the field of economic policy leads to an increase in the conflict in international economic relations, confrontation between states. This, in turn, slows down the integration processes and leads to БЕЛАРУСЬ.BELARUS NOVEMBER 2021

11

THEME

ENERGYBASE.RU

INTEGRATION IN ACTION

Nuclear power plant is one of the landmark joint projects of Belarus and Russia

general problems, in particular, to the loss of positions in the world market.

Belarus, guided by national interests, at one time acted as one of the initiators, and later an active participant in the formation and development of integration associations in the post-Soviet space. The goal of the Eurasian economic integration both in the format of the Union State and the EAEU is simple and clear – to

But further integration deepening requires a common understanding of a number of provisions by the political and scientific elites of the two countries. For example, the fact that cardinal changes in geo-economics and geopolitics have the same impact on the development prospects of both Belarus and Russia.

That in the context of the growing uncertainty of international economic

signed a free trade agreement with the EAEU. Egypt, Israel also expressed their intentions. Negotiations are underway with India.

In fact, strengthening of integration in the Union State of Belarus and Russia, the EAEU and the CIS in practice means expansion of trade and economic cooperation and deepening of international production cooperation,

More than 50 percent of Belarus GDP is formed through cooperation with Russia, more than 60 percent of enterprises are included in cooperative chains. Belarus is one of the three largest trade partners of Russia. create conditions for the free movement of goods, services, capital and labor, to pursue a coordinated economic policy.

This makes it possible to significantly enhance the competitive advantages of manufacturers in both countries.

Besides, Eurasian integration allows us to overcome the covid crisis and sanctions pressure with fewer losses. It has become the most important factor in maintaining stability in the region.

12

БЕЛАРУСЬ.BELARUS NOVEMBER 2021

relations and unfair competition, the role of state regulation of national economies and interstate coordination of foreign economic activity of the countriesmembers of the integration association is increasing.

Meanwhile, other countries also understand the benefits of the Eurasian economic integration as a whole. It is not for nothing that Serbia, Vietnam, Singapore, and partly Iran

w h i ch re qu i re s t he for mat i on of common markets and the coordination of economic policy. In turn, the adoption and approval of the road maps of the Union State shows that the interaction of Belarus and Russia in coordination of their economic policies will make it possible to more fully use the advantages of the international division of labor and mutual cooperation.

Vladimir Velikhov

Pilot project is being prepared to be launched

BUTB.BY

Since the beginning of the year, foreign investments in the real sector of the Belarusian economy have reached about $7 billion. These are the data of the National Statistical Committee. The leading investors, which was easy to assume, are the economic entities of Russia. On the whole, they account for almost half of all incoming investments.

In turn, Belarusian business entities in January-September invested $4.1 billion abroad. And a significant number of them – almost 80 percent – were addressed to Russian partners. All this undoubtedly indicates the priority of counter investment flows, which have a clear advantage over other areas of the investment movement.

F

Forms of investment, however, as well as other types of mutual RussianBelarusian cooperation, have been asserting themselves more and more actively lately. Just recently, information appeared that Karelia is ready to offer its dairy products precisely through the Belarusian Universal Commodity Exchange. Vladimir Labinov, Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of the Republic of Karelia – Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, expressed interest in selling raw cow milk and other agricultural products on the exchange trading floor during a teleconference organized at the request of the Russian side. In his opinion, the experience of BUCE in the field of exchange trade in agricultural products can be used by Karelian enterprises in order to increase the efficiency of their trade and procurement activities. "Since raw milk is a perishable product and, taking into account long distances, it would be problematic to organize its deliveries to Belarus, we are primarily interested in the possibility of using the exchange mechanism when

selling milk raw materials in Karelia from the neighboring regions of Russia.

As far as I know, exchange trade in raw milk is developing quite dynamically in Belarus, so we would like to adopt this experience and try to sell the products of Russian dairy producers through your trading platform. Of course, in the future, if our pilot project is a success, the range of goods sold at the exchange trade will expand," – said Vladimir Labinov.

For his part, BUCE Chairman of the Board Aleksandr Osmolovsky, confirmed the exchange readiness to cooperate with the government of the Republic of Karelia not only in terms of trade in agricultural pro du c t s , but a l s o i n any ot h e r commodity areas. At the same time, he noted that Russian companies are leading in the number and volume of transit transactions, therefore, the initiative to sell raw milk from Vologda, Kaliningrad, Pskov and other regions of the NorthWest Federal District in Karelia has every chance of success.

– Transit transactions made by foreign companies on our electronic

platform are one of the most promising areas for the development of exchange trade. Moreover, this mechanism is especially in demand among Russian bidders. In January-October, in this way they sold products at the amount of about $6 million. As for trade in raw milk, this is a commodity item with great potential, which we are gradually disclosing. So, if in 2019 14 thousand tons of raw milk was sold at the exchange trade, then in 2020 the sales volume amounted to 125 thousand tons. I am sure that this year we will cross this threshold as well. The price dynamics was also positive. This means that when Russian dairy producers come to our platform, they can expect a significant increase in revenue. Moreover, we are ready to organize separate trading sessions specifically for participants from the Republic of Karelia, which will allow Karelian enterprises to get the maximum economic effect from the use of the exchange mechanism," – stressed Aleksandr Osmolovsky.

As a result of the teleconference, an agreement was reached on working out te ch n i c a l and org an i z at i ona l issues of participation of enterprises of the Republic of Karelia in stock trading. At the same time, the Russian side offered to assist in informing Karel i an ag r i c u ltu r a l e nte r pr is e s about the possibilities and advantages of the B elar usian exchange f loor.

Meanwhile, today BUCE is one of the largest commodity exchanges in Eastern Europe. The main function of the exchange is to assist Belarusian enterprises in exporting products and to help foreign companies to enter the Belarusian market.

Alexander Pimenov

БЕЛАРУСЬ.BELARUS NOVEMBER 2021

13

BELARUS – CHINA: NEW FEATURES OF COOPERATION

Regions are ready to be at the forefront

– Mr. Ambassador, what is the main goal of the Year of Regions?

– Holding of the Year of Regions of China and Belarus this and next year is an important agreement reached by the President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping and the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko during a telephone conversation in January this year. Interregional cooperation is becoming an increasingly important component of the Chinese-Belarusian relations. We are pleased to note that all six regions of Belarus and the city of Minsk have established twinning relations with the provinces and cities of China. The regions of the two countries actively cooperate and exchange in the fields of economy and trade, science and technology, education and culture, medicine and health care and have achieved a number of excellent results, playing an irreplaceable role in the development of business cooperation, cultural exchanges and strengthening friendship between the two countries.

– What events will take place within this global interstate project?

– Within the Year of Regions, China and Belarus are implementing more than 100 different projects of interregional cooperation and exchange with the participation of most of the provinces and cities of China, all 6 regions and the capital of Belarus, as well as the main government departments of the two countries. Planned events include twinning agreements, business meetings of enterprises, economic forums, international exhibitions, scientific and technological innovation forums,

14

БЕЛАРУСЬ.BELARUS NOVEMBER 2021

BELTA

China occupies an exceptional place in our foreign policy; it is, in fact, our main strategic partner in the Asian region. So the level of cooperation between the two countries was outlined by the Deputy Foreign Minister of Belarus Nikolai Borisevich at the opening ceremony of the Year of Regions of Belarus and China. In 2021-2022, within this global interstate project, dozens of important events are planned to be held.

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to the Republic of Belarus Xie XIAOYONG told us why interregional cooperation has become a new growth point in relations between Belarus and China. cultural festivals, music weeks, photo exhibitions, events promoting traditional medicine, scientific seminars etc.

We have every reason to believe that the regions of the two countries will support the concept of mutual benefit and adhere to the goal of a joint exchange of results, take the opportunity to hold the Year of Regions of China and Belarus to give an even greater impetus to interregional cooperation and make it a new growth point for business cooperation between the two countries, as well as to improve the quality of the ChineseBelarusian relations.

– How can you characterize the Belarusian-Chinese cooperation at this stage? To what extent do communication and exchange of views between the leaders of the two states on a number of key issues contribute to the further deepening of cooperation?

– Thanks to the strategic leadership and personal care of the leaders of the two countries, the Chinese-Belarusian relations are developing dynamically. Friendship grows stronger day by day. Bilateral cooperation in various fields continues to deepen.

Both sides build political mutual trust, cooperate closely in international affairs and strongly support each other on issues affecting the fundamental interests and important concerns of our two countries. The Chinese side strongly supports the Belarusian side in protection of its state sovereignty and national dignity, opposes the interference of foreign forces in internal affairs, and respects the development path chosen by the Belarusian people in accordance with their national priorities.

advantage of the opportunity to jointly build "One Belt One Road" for the comprehensive expansion of cooperation in trade, investment, science and technology, infrastructure construction and other areas. China-Belarus Industrial Park "Great Stone" has become the largest foreign facility of this kind created by Chinese companies, and is a symbolic and exemplary project of cooperation between the two countries in the joint construction of "One Belt One Road". BELGEE component assembly project filled the gap in car production in Belarus and helped your country to fulfill its dream of producing its own passenger cars. Chinese electrical appliances have entered thousands of homes in Belarus, and high-quality Belarusian dairy and other agricultural products are very popular with the Chinese.

There is also a noticeable dynamics in the field of cultural and humanitarian exchanges. Both sides created different platforms for effective exchange and established friendly channels for communication between people, successfully organized the Year of Tourism, the Year of Education, "Days of Culture", MLYN.BY

Business cooperation between the two countries has achieved brilliant results, overcoming the challenges of the severe COVID-19 pandemic and the global economic downturn. The overall Chinese-Belarusian trade turnover is impressive: from January to September this year it amounted to $2.809 billion, which is 34.1% more than in the same period last year. New progress has been made in the construction of the China-Belarus Industrial Park, which has become a model project for the Belt and Road Initiative. An impressive cultural and humanitarian cooperation has been established between the two countries. There are six Confucius Institutes founded by China in Belarus and the Chinese Cultural Center in Minsk. The number of international exchange students in both countries is constantly increasing. China-Belarus friendly exchanges are becoming closer and closer.

Anti-epidemic cooperation is very effective. Our countries provide each other with medical assistance and share their experience in fighting the epidemic. The Chinese government has provided Belarus with several batches of anti-COVID-19 vaccines, which gives Belarus a reliable guarantee in the fight against the epidemic and the safety of people, and also reflects the high level of the Chinese-Belarusian relations and deep friendship between the two peoples.

Not so long ago, the First Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Nikolai Snopkov noted that "in fact, we have already entered a new stage, the decision to strengthen de jure a new level of relations is up to the President of Belarus and the Chairman of the People's Republic of China." I totally agree with that. We have every reason to believe that the quality of the Chinese-Belarusian relations will improve due to a comprehensive strategic partnership, and cooperation in various fields will open up new prospects for development.

– Our countries will soon celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. What is the peculiarity of this time? What are your expectations and vision for the further development of the BelarusianChinese cooperation?

– China is one of the first countries that recognized the independence of Belarus and established diplomatic relations with it. The 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Belarus will be celebrated on January 20 next year. Within this period of time, the ChineseBelarusian relations have stood the test of the rapidly changing international situation, and have also displayed effectiveness and viability from the very beginning to the present.

Political relations are developing dynamically. Over the past 30 years, the number of visits by senior officials of the two countries has exceeded sixty. The President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping twice visited Belarus, met 13 times with the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, who visited China or attended events in China 13 times. Both sides have established effective cooperation mechanisms, including the Belarusian-Chinese Intergovernmental Cooperation Committee, closely cooperate in international and regional affairs, protect the common interests of the two countries, and have made important contributions to the strengthening of regional and global peace and security. Mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Belarus is reaching a new level.

The volume of bilateral trade has increased 87 times since the establishment of diplomatic relations. Both sides are taking

"Cinema Weeks", and exhibitions of paintings were held several times. All these events deepened the understanding and cultural integration of the two peoples. In 2018, the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Belarus and the Government of the People's Republic of China on a mutual visa-free regime for ordinary passport holders officially entered into force, which directly contributed to cultural and humanitarian exchanges between the two countries. The concept of friendship between China and Belarus, which is passed down from generation to generation, is deeply rooted in the hearts of the peoples of our countries.

Chinese-Belarusian interregional cooperation continues to open up new prospects for development. As relations deepen, more and more Chinese provinces and cities send their delegations to Belarus. Now 33 pairs of twinning relations have been established between cities and regions. During the state visit of the President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping to Belarus in 2015, a Chinese-Belarusian interregional business forum was successfully held in Minsk. The regions and enterprises of the two countries took advantage of this opportunity and signed 25 cooperation documents worth almost $7 billion. The role of interregional cooperation in the study of new models and new projects of cooperation between the two countries is growing day by day. The Year of the Regions of БЕЛАРУСЬ.BELARUS NOVEMBER 2021

15

BELARUS – CHINA: NEW FEATURES OF COOPERATION

16

БЕЛАРУСЬ.BELARUS NOVEMBER 2021

contribution to the fight against the epidemic in Belarus and neighboring countries.

The reason the Chinese-Belarusian relations have acquired such a solid vitality in the 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations is that their development meets the fundamental interests of the two peoples and the long-term needs of China and Belarus for stability and development, and has also brought tangible benefits to both parties. Over the past 30 years, we have witnessed great achievements in the economic and social development and state building of the two countries, as well as the stable development of Chinese-Belarusian relations.

Over the course of 30 years, our countries have become really close brothers, good partners whose cooperation brings mutual benefit, and have become good friends who often visit each other. We have every reason to believe that the peoples of China and Belarus will continue to walk hand in hand and usher in the next golden stage in bilateral relations.

– Mr. Ambassador, we know that you have been working in Belarus for a whole year and have done a great job to deepen the Belarusian-Chinese cooperation. However, due to the epidemic and other reasons, you probably did not have the opportunity to visit different parts of Belarus. If the opportunity presents itself, what places in our country would you like to visit the most?

– Yes, time spins away, in a flash a year has passed since I came to work in Belarus. During this year, we, together with Belarusian friends from all circles, actively cooperated and worked, witnessed the concerted efforts of the two countries in the international arena, the active development of the Chinese-Belarusian trade and economic cooperation, despite negative global trends, and sincere mutual assistance and mutual support of the two peoples during the epidemic.

For me, the past year has been a significant one. I learned even more about Belarus, I have more friends. Belarus is a wonderful country with a unique historical and cultural heritage. The Belarusian people are hardworking, wise, very welcoming and friendly. I am very interested in learning more about this country and its people. I sincerely hope that in the near future I will have the opportunity to visit all 6 regions and large cities of Belarus, personally witness new successes, new events and positive changes in the Belarusian society, economy and people's life, as well as get acquainted with local residents and special Belarusian traditions.

In conclusion, I would like to congratulate a large number of Belarusian friends and also wish fraternal Belarus and its friendly people prosperity and a happy life!

Nikolay Litvinov JUSTARRIVED.BY

China and Belarus will give a new impetus to the deepening of cooperation between the two countries.

The Chinese-Belarusian anti-epidemic cooperation continues to open up new horizons. Against the backdrop of the protracted and persistent COVID-19 epidemic in these two years, cooperation between China and Belarus in the joint fight against it has become a key area of cooperation between the two countries. In addition to the provision of humanitarian assistance in the form of anti-epidemic materials and vaccines, as well as the exchange of experience in combating the epidemic, which I have just told you about, there are two other important aspects of the Chinese-Belarusian cooperation in this area. The first is to support scientifically grounded research into the origins of the virus and jointly counter the politicization of the problem.

In response to the US political manipulation under the pretext of investigation of the virus origins and its encouragement and the use of explorationbased research into the origin of the virus, Belarus has rep e ate d ly publicly declared its opposition to the politicization of the virus through such means as sending a letter to t he WHO Director General and a public statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It has repeatedly publicly declared its opposition to politicization of the issue of research into the origin of the virus, and together with China strongly defended the global cooperation of scientifically based research into the origin of the virus and the world cohesion in the fight against the epidemic.

The second important point is cooperation in the development of traditional Chinese medicine drugs that have good efficacy in the treatment of COVID-19. In August this year, the Chinese company Novaera Biotech and the Center for Examinations and Tests in Health Service of the Republic of Belarus signed a cooperation agreement, taking the first step in the joint development and production of special drugs for the treatment of COVID-19 by China and Belarus. Now, with support and assistance of the Chinese Embassy and the Ministry of Health, the Qingyi capsule developed by this company, which has good efficacy in the treatment of COVID-19, has already received state registration of the drug and a production permit issued by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus, and is also presented in China in the fourth Chinese international import EXPO in Shanghai. We hope that in the near future the production of Qingyi capsules will be launched in the China-Belarus Industrial Park and will make an active

VK.COM/ANTON_ASTREY

FELLOW-COUNTRYMEN IN SPACE

Petr Dubrov, Anton Shkaplerov, Yulia Peresild, Klim Shipenko and Oleg Novitskiy

Cosmonauts and their roles On board the International Space Station a fiction film "Challenge" was shot in which cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Oleg Novitskiy, our fellow countrymen, played their roles.

"The history of space cinema" is being created before our eyes and with the direct participation of our compatriots.

Undoubtedly, the first ever film project with filming in spaceships on the ISS aroused great interest in the world.

Once again, space issues were put into, so to speak, high orbit of public interest. And while the Russian film crew – actress Yulia Peresild and director Klim Shipenko – bask in glory, its gleams illuminate cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Oleg Novitskiy, who, by the way, played their roles in the feature film "Challenge". After all, the former, as we know, headed the "film expedition" in the ISS, helped the actress and the director at an accelerating pace within three months to prepare for flight and work in space from scratch, and then he himself delivered the group to orbit. There was information that Shkaplerov will play the role of cosmonaut Anton in the film. Apparently, the commander of Soyuz MS-18 spacecraft, Oleg Novitskiy, also starred in the film. Thanks to him, the film crew successfully returned from orbit, landed on October 17 in the region of Kazakhstan's Dzhezkazgan.

The film crew of the News Agency Belteleradiocompany – correspondent Svetlana Karulskaya and cameraman Vitaly Motin – were nearby when Oleg Novitskiy was removed from the launcher. This time the native of Cherven spent 191 days in orbit, and at his request, his fellow Belarusians were included

in a search expedition on Earth, which was allowed to see the cosmonaut in the first minutes after his return from orbit. There is an exclusive ATN report on the internet. Oleg Novitskiy is undergoing rehabilitation, and in December he promised to come home to Belarus.

As for Shkaplerov, he went into space for the fourth time, on October 5: as the commander of Soyuz MS-19 spacecraft, a film expedition companion and the hero of the film. His work on the ISS continues as part of the 66th long-term expedition.

If everything goes according to the plan, Anton Nikolaevich will celebrate his 50th birthday on February 20, 2022 there. By the way, he participated in the 31st International Congress of the Association of Space Flight Participants, which was held in Minsk in September 2018. While meeting the students of the Faculty of Biology of the Belarusian State University, which we, journalists attended, he said the following about himself: "Do not hesitate to say that you are Belarusians. I tell everyone: I am not Russian – I am a citizen of Russia, but I’m Belarusian."

He also named the small homeland of his ancestors – the village of Kipyachi, Bykhov district, Mogilev region. His father was born there. By the way, cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev is now in the cosmonaut team. He, like Anton Shkaplerov, is a Belarusian, native of Druya, Verkhnedvinsk district, Vitebsk region.

Inga Likhtarovich

БЕЛАРУСЬ.BELARUS NOVEMBER 2021

17

HISTORICAL MEMORY BELTA

Without "blank spot" in our memory A large grave of the Great Patriotic War-era was found near Minsk. Despite the fact that the search season of the 52nd separate specialized search battalion of the Ministry of Defense is coming to an end, the military units still have a lot of work to do. Recently, in the forest 9 kilometers from Minsk, near the former Uruchye tract, a large burial ground of the Great Patriotic War-era has been found. According to preliminary estimates, more than 38,000 people were buried in several mass graves – Red Army prisoners of war, underground fighters, partisans, civilians...

18

БЕЛАРУСЬ.BELARUS NOVEMBER 2021

T

The exact number of the dead will be calculated by experts.

In the near future, the actions of the invaders will be given a legal assessment – in the spring the Prosecutor General's Office initiated a formal investigation into the genocide of the Belarusian people during the Great Patriotic War and in the post-war period.

Forgotten funeral

Excavations are currently underway in one of seven (according to preliminary data) burials. Experts say that only one pit can contain the remains of more than 8,000 people. It has already been established that they were killed by headshots.

People tried to get out of the pit – as evidenced by the location of the remains. However, a control shot from above awaited them... Throughout the entire period of the occupation, brutal massacres of people took place here.

– We thought that our predecessors had done enough to establish memorial sites associated with the events of the Great Patriotic War, to honor the memory of the places of mass executions of the Belarusian people, – Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko said during his visit to the excavations. – Indeed, a lot of work has been done, but the scale of this tragedy is so great that, probably, over all the post-war years, the Soviet Union era and the time of independent Belarus, we could not achieve hundred-percent results, and taking into account new facts and circumstances that are constantly unfolding, it will take many more years.

The head of the government said that all the established burial places of the Great Patriotic War will be immortalized.

On the 9th kilometer of Moscow highway, an obelisk was erected in memory of those killed at this place. However, today very few people have heard of it, and when they see the monument, they hardly associate it with a huge mass grave, in which tens of thousands of innocent citizens are buried.

And by the way, this place cannot be called little-known.

The place of mass execution was identified by the Extraordinary Commission for the Investigation of the Nazi invaders crimes in the BSSR immediately after the war. There were no excavations and, as a result, no estimation of the dead: all human and material resources were used for the restoration of almost completely destroyed Minsk, for the revival of Belarus.

Justice will soon be restored: every Belarusian, as well as guests of our country, will learn that people were killed near Minsk and in the capital, and not only in Trostenets, Masyukovschina, Drozdy... A mass killing was committed there, just outside the Minsk Ring Road, not far from Uruchye microdistrict. In the near future, the memory of those who rest here will be immortalized.

A new memorial could be installed.

680 names have been identified The findings, which, together with the remains, were picked up by the soldiers of the 52nd battalion, testify only to one thing: the people who are buried in a large mass grave, like everyone else, really wanted to live. It is hardly possible that many people realized that they were being taken to the execution. Cutlery, plates, coins, belts, boots, buttons, a hairbrush – these are the belongings that have remained of the murdered innocent people. Bullets – large, covered with rust – that killed thousands

of people, have also survived... These horrific finds, which undoubtedly confirm the fact of genocide of the population of our country, will be attached to the materials of the criminal case by the prosecutor's office Representatives of the Ministry of Defense are directly involved in the investigation. The 52nd Separate Special Search Battalion is a unique military unit that has been making a valuable contribution to the preservation of memory for 26 years. No one, except for these servicemen, in our country has the right to engage in search activities. Due to the fact that more and more unaccounted burials are being identified, the number of search teams of the Ministry of Defense will increase.

"In the last five years alone, the battalion's servicemen have worked at more than 500 sites, where the remains of 13,781 people were found," – said the Defense Minister Lieutenant General Viktor Khrenin. – All were reburied with military honors. 680 names of the missing have been identified. Our task is to preserve the memory of the courage and heroism of the unconquered people, of the terrible crimes that were committed on our land. Today, the distortion of historical facts has actually become a weapon against our country.

Criminals will be brought to responsibility For the military there will be enough work near Uruchye tract for the next search seasons. Excavations will continue until all the circumstances of what happened there during the war are revealed.

– Additional information has been received, according to which extermination of civilians, in addition to regular troops of Wehrmacht and SS, were carried out by numerous collaborationist formations, consisting of nationalists of Latvia, Lithuania, soldiers of the so-called army of Kraina and Ukrainian nationalists, – said the Deputy Prosecutor General Aleksey Stuk. – Regular troops ordered these formations to kill civilians and participate in punitive operations. Unfortunately, this mood has also been passed on to the modern political elite of these countries. Sometimes we are denied legal assistance in this criminal case, in the extradition of certain persons. Lithuania and Latvia have already done this.

At the same time, the Russian Federation is actively helping in the investigation, i.e. we are provide with archival documents and other data, as well as legal assistance. The task of the specialists is to establish all the facts of the crimes of the Nazi invaders and their accomplices on the territory of Belarus, as well as to find those responsible for their commission.

The ground was still moving...

The investigation of the criminal case received a response from the population. People report to law enforcement agencies on the events that they witnessed. Those who know about the crimes of the invaders from eyewitnesses share their information.

One of them is Vasily Chernov, who showed the approximate location of the burial ground where excavations are underway.

More than 20 years ago, he learned about this terrible tragedy near Minsk from a person who was a witness to one of the shootings. Together with his mother and younger brother, they were returning home from the forest, when suddenly they heard БЕЛАРУСЬ.BELARUS NOVEMBER 2021

19

BELTA

HISTORICAL MEMORY СОЦЫУМ

The recognition of the genocide of the Belarusian people, in our opinion, is the most important step towards strengthening of the legal architecture of this historical memory. Today we must take these legal steps and prove, at all levels, at all venues, our right to preserve historical memory. shots and shouts. They hid under a nut tree and stayed there until it got dark. In the morning, the children wondered what had happened the day before in the forest. When they returned, they saw a hole covered with sand. The ground was still moving...

Many states have joined the investigation, and the law enforcement agencies of our country and the State Forensic Examination Committee have joined their effort to restore justice. Historians work fruitfully in the archives. The deputies also reacted to the initiative of the Prosecutor General's Office.

The parliament is preparing a bill on the recognition of the genocide of the Belarusian people.

– Today we are responsible for establishing, including at the legislative level, the fact of genocide against the Belarusian

20

БЕЛАРУСЬ.BELARUS NOVEMBER 2021

people, residents of other nationalities living in the BSSR, – said Lilia Ananich, Deputy Chairperson of the Permanent Commission on Human Rights, National Relations and Mass Media of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly. – Today we, Belarusians, cannot tolerate distortion of historical memory and denial of this sinister fact even in someone's mind. Why is this needed in a global context? The recognition of the genocide of the Belarusian people, in our opinion, is the most important step towards strengthening of the legal architecture of this historical memory. Today we must take these legal steps and prove, at all levels, at all venues, our right to preserve historical memory.

Veronika Kanyuta

BEST PRACTICES

Time for bold innovations The fact that large-scale digitalization, automation and robotization of production will increase the competitiveness of the Belarusian economy in the world market was actively asserted during the II Interregional Forum Smart Industry Expo

P

Perhaps no one would argue that the rapid development of digital technologies is changing our daily reality. The Internet has become the main platform for communication, work, education, business building and management. Of course, Belarusian scientists, engineers, designers, programmers are actively involved in these processes. Moreover, the digitalization of the real sector of the economy, the development of information technology is one of the strategic goals of the current five-year plan.

Chairperson of the State Committee for Science and Technology Alexander Shumilin, who participated in the forum, drew attention to the fact that the country is actively working on the development of production automation, the introduction of advanced digital technologies and smart solutions for industry.

But in his opinion, in the near future it is necessary to work out the projects that provide for the optimization of existing business processes and their transformation based on new forms of interaction between participants in economic relations, to make it possible for various parties to interact with each other, including online.

In accordance with one of the decrees of the head of state, the first priority direction of scientific, research-engineering and innovative activities for 2021-2025 is digital information and communication and interdisciplinary technologies, production based thereon, including the development of information and control systems, artificial intelligence and robotics. To achieve this goal, the state program "Digital Development of Belarus" until 2025 was adopted. One of the directions of this program, in particular, provides for the development and implementation of the digital platform of the Ministry of Industry and the implementation of the Industry 4.0 concept.

in the field of robotization and digitalization. In particular, at Novopolotsk Plant of Technological Steel Structures, it is planned to soon introduce a technology for the production of steel structures with multisystem integration of processes based on the Industry 4.0 concept. This technology will be based on the automated system for the production of workpieces with the function of drilling, milling and plasma cutting in conjunction with a 3D modeling system. In Vitebsk region, it is planned to build a digitalized plant for the production of innovative veterinary drugs with the introduction of world approaches to the design, control and management of production.

– In the near future, we plan to carry out a significant modernization of the manufacturing sector through the widespread use of software and equipment based on artificial intelligence technologies, 3D printing, robotic systems and complexes, which will allow to introduce a new type of intersectoral paradigm into the country's industry – a smart industry, – said Alexander Shumilin. – And an indicator of our successful work will be at least 15 percent share of the digital economy in the country's GDP in 2025.

The II Interregional specialized forum for the smartization of the real sector of the economy "Smart Industry Expo" was held in Minsk in an online format. Its main goal was the exchange of the world's best practices and solutions in the field of digital transformation of production and the expansion of advanced digital technologies in the national production sector.

And there is the news that came from Pakistan and which also deals with the theme of innovation. To be more precise, at the International Industrial Exhibition "International Trade and Industry Fair" in Karachi, Belarusian scientists have

The state program for innovative development of Belarus for 2021-2025, envisaged implementation of a number of projects in the field of robotization and digitalization.

Other state scientific and technical programs are also being implemented, e.g. "Digital Technologies and Robotic Complexes" and "Intelligent Instrumentation", which are used for the development and implementation of information technologies in the industry. For example, in the field of precision agriculture, monitoring of industrial equipment, engineering cooperation systems, a lot is already being done on the basis of digital interaction and computer-assisted design technologies.

Besides, the state program for innovative development of Belarus for 2021-2025, envisaged implementation of a number of projects

already presented about 60 of their scientific, technical and innovative developments. Besides, during the exhibition, a Belarusian-Pakistani business forum was held with presentation of innovations of Belarusian participants, as well as bilateral meetings and negotiations with representatives of governmental authorities and business community in Pakistan.

As you can see, these are very conspicuous facts. They indicate that today the Belarusian scientific community has something to present as the best innovative practices, even of the world level.

Alexey Fedosov

БЕЛАРУСЬ.BELARUS NOVEMBER 2021

21

KAKPROSTO.RU

USEFUL PROJECT

INCLUSIVE CASHIER GETS A JOB In Vitebsk State Industrial College, the demand for graduates exceeds the supply four times. This educational institution is implementing a pilot project "Inclusive Cashier", thanks to which people with disabilities can get the required qualifications and get a job in one of the largest retail chains in Belarus.

T

The new educational institution was not created from scratch, it received a new status, continuing the best traditions of the state polytechnic vocational lyceum and industrial-pedagogical college.

According to the director of the educational institution, deputy of Vitebsk Regional Council Ruslan Vinokurov, both institutions trained specialists in trade and services. Today the total number of students exceeds a thousand. They are taught by about two hundred teachers.

22

БЕЛАРУСЬ.BELARUS NOVEMBER 2021

Optimization will allow to accumulate and more thoughtfully spend budget funds. And the quality of education, which is already high, will increase and meet the needs of the labor market.

The students did not have any problems connected with the change in the status and name of the educational institution. One can get there the profession of a baker, waiter, bartender, pastry chef, cook, cashier, shop assistant...

And even two at the same time. And it

goes without saying that the skills of a cook and pastry chef are useful for life.

Such specialists easily find work both at home and abroad. The trend of the time is the development of the food industry. Even COVID-19 pandemic and the related restrictions did not change it.

Residents of the border regions of Russia also come to Vitebsk Industrial College to study. By the way, graduates – pastry chefs, cooks and other young specialists – have the opportunity to choose the best

Practice in the classroom The institution has a resource center with a good canteen and a stylish cafe.

Students cook and serve meals there.

These are practical lessons under the guidance of teachers, which, by the way, has a positive effect on the price. And at the food-truck in the college courtyard, queues line up for hot cakes and other tasty things. Recently another food-truck appeared which specializes in natural ingredients.

According to Marina Ulasevich, deputy director for educational and production work, the learning process at the college is practice-oriented.

Both townspeople and visitors are happy to go to the college cafe. One of the interesting things there is that tea in a teapot is heated with a candle.

The design and furnishings are well thought-out and made by the hands of teachers and students. A special software for the service was ordered: young waiters approach the tables with tablets. Artificial intelligence monitors how much and what is ordered, which dish is the most popular, whether there is a shortage, whether there are enough production ingredients.

Students from about ten educational institutions of the region practice theoretical knowledge in the cafe and in the kitchen. Experience is shared by the peer-to-peer method.

UMC.VITUO.BY

suited options for employment from among the many where they are expected.

home by special transport.

This was envisaged in the project, which is being carried out with the financial support of one of the German charitable organizations.

In the classroom there is an imitation of a graduate's future place of work in the shopping center. People come to study there not only from Vitebsk region, but also from Minsk region.

T h e c o r r e s p o n d e nt talked to future cashiers.

They said that it was very interesting to study, and the teachers treated them very well.

This experience will be adopted in other regions of Belarus. Large trading corporations are also interested in it.

Alexander Pukshansky.

Photo credit: the author.

Wheelchair is not a hindrance The author of these lines was interested in learning to make candies. It turns out that everyone can attend feepaying master classes.

For a c oupl e of d ay s you will be taught to be familiar with chocolate.

Earlier people with disabilities were taught to cook, now they can get a profession there. One of the project implementers i s Vite b s k Un ite d Organization of the Republican Association of Wheelchair Users.

Lessons began at the end of the summer. The duration of training is less than half a year. If necessar y, they can be taken to classes and back БЕЛАРУСЬ.BELARUS NOVEMBER 2021

23

Non-coincidental coincidences

O

Often, when I watch a Belarusian-made cartoon, I catch myself thinking a few things. Firstly, they are probably made by those who love children. Secondly, it is interesting to be able to speak with the most demanding audience: to cultivate in them love of their native and eternal values is a top class skill.

And if what you see on the screen touches you, sometimes even moves to tears, you simply admire true professionals. One of them is my interlocutor – art director, screenwriter, director of animation studio of the National Film Studio "Belarusfilm" Tatyana Kublitskaya.

We create a new world every time – Tatyana, this year Belarusian animation is 50 years old.

What are your feelings and assessments of what we have and where we are moving?

– It's good that Belarus has a studio of animated films.

After all, film production and animation in particular is very expensive. This requires attention and financial costs. And the fact that we managed to preserve this production (and we went through different times) is a big plus. For the country as well.

Because Belarusian animation is recognizable: we have good masters, and watching some of my colleagues' works, I am proud of them. What will happen next – no one knows, but the fact that the studio has existed for half a century and continues to exist is the merit of everyone who worked and is working here. I am endlessly grateful to everyone who took part in the creation of my films.

Actually, if we get them together, we can even fill a small cinema. We often worked with a will, and I felt such support, without which nothing would have been achieved at all.

I am very grateful to Uladzimir Kandrusevich for the cooperation, we made music for some of my cartoons with him, and "Songs of the Lark" and "The Legend of Gusli" would not be so touching and poetic without the live music of Leonid Pavlenok and Nagual group. The actors, my female artists and everyone

24

БЕЛАРУСЬ.BELARUS NOVEMBER 2021

with whom we were a single creative team, gave confidence of success and the assurance that there are those who can be relied on.

– How did you get to Belarusfilm? Was the choice of a profession answered the call of the heart?

I got here by chance, according to post graduate work assignmnet. Those were the 80s. But on the TV screen I often saw fairly simple works (I am an artist by education), and they were not very impressive. I was assigned to "Belarusfilm". We did painting and filling. And the fact that we delved into the process of drawing a cartoon and went through different stages of its creation was good experience and gave an idea of everyday process of film-production.

– Apparently, you got addicted to animation…

– Probably. First, Alla Matyushevskaya and I, as directors, made our first puppet film "How Vasily kept house", and then other films appeared. Independent work was gone.

It was very pleasant to work with puppets. At first they were ordered in Moscow, puppet-makers made our heroes according to our sketches. Later, the puppets played in the entire film.

Now there are new technologies for 3D animation. But in any case, by the end of the project, all the characters are already alive, and you know how they behave, what they are capable of.

– When you shoot a film and let it float freely, what do you feel? Do you follow its assessment by your audience and colleagues?

– The opinion of the public and colleagues is definitely important to me. But there are fundamental points that should be observed. Otherwise, the meaning or style of the film is lost.

Sometimes, if something didn’t work out the way you wanted, you can’t even watch the work. And later, you either admit or regret it every time you watch it.

– You have been working in the field of cartoons creation for 40 years. How has your view of the profession changed and what prevails here: creativity or routine?

PROFESSIONALS – There is no routine here at all, because every time we create a new world. The only thing you always think about is whether we will manage to do everything on time. And this is a certain stress. In this case, it is necessary to take into account the artistic component, otherwise you cannot explain to anyone why one failed to do something, another did not have time, and so on.

go, and the picture says: "This boy is so good that he is probably… quite tasteless."

– The theme of Belarusian culture sounds vividly in your works. Do you understand right from the start that you want to talk to your audience like that?

– The Belarusians have original fairy tales, stories, legends, rich literature. Our distinctive culture is interesting for many people. It is important for me to acquaint the public with our treasures.

– I also like that there is a lot of meaning in your works. In the same "The Legend of Gusli" there is a theme of war and the ability of art to unite people. How do you feel about the presentation of such moments, given that your audience is children?

– I recommend "The Legend of Gusli" for the age of 7+. Before the pandemic, we managed to visit the festival in Bialystok, and there this film of mine was on the 10+ program, and that's good.

The children watched attentively, asked interesting questions... While working on this cartoon, I remembered both fairy

In any case, in order to get a good result, you have to find a compromise.

Find yours and don't repeat yourself – Was the transition from production designer to director easy for you?

– At that time there was no work for a production designer. It was a good reason to make a short film, I tried it. Of course, this is an additional responsibility. But also new opportunities.

– How do you look for your unique image, if there is a theme that needs to be embodied on the screen?

– I sweep away commonplace ideas that arise at first (the subconscious mind first gives out what you have seen, read, heard somewhere), and always set myself the task to come up with something new. In my opinion, the theme determines the style. For the film "Spring in Autumn" based on a very expressive and poetic fairy tale by Vladimir Korotkevich, I made watercolor sketches of moods. Gloomy autumn day, restless sea ("horror-madness") of the sick Boy, the Sun. Sometimes you work on the characters first.

For example, the image of Baba Yaga in "Pilipka" could not be found for a long time. This character is famous, but I didn’t want duplication. There are three characters in total, and it was important for me to work out each of them as accurately as possible. Children really like the fairy tale "Pilipka". But I didn’t want the character to boil anyone, which I immediately told the author of the script. Otherwise, what kind of character would it be? It will, in fact, behave like Baba Yaga. When a child I read the fairy tale "The Little Humpbacked Horse", I had the feeling that I did not like it when the king was boiled and everyone was happy.

I didn't understand why there was no other way out.

Therefore, Pilipka does not boil anyone, and Baba Yaga let him

tales and Belarusian mythology. There is an opinion that the most vulnerable – women and children – suffer the most from cataclysms. I mentioned my family history.

Experience is the master key – Do the pages of your personal biography, the mood during the work on a project always influence your creativity?

– It is inevitable. You create a character, and it makes no difference whether this boy is from the distant past or is our contemporary. The experience just gives an understanding of how the hero can act in certain situations. In "The Legend of Gusli", a nine-year-old boy goes in search of his father, who went to war. And when my brother read the script, he asked, "He's the eldest man in the family, and he left?" And after this important БЕЛАРУСЬ.BELARUS NOVEMBER 2021

25

question, a scene arose where the hero exchanges his pipe for a loaf of bread (because he leaves his mother with the younger children), and only then leaves the house.

Of course, without this scene, the film could exist, but this is a very important moment in life...

– How are your films perceived in different count r i e s and d o e s the perception of the audience differ?

– The reaction to the film is always a little d i f f e r e nt . B u t c h i l d r e n are interested in a hero who helps to answer their questions, concerns, shows an example of behavior. In Germany, for example, films are very carefully selected taking into account the age of the audience.

And in Poland, I remember a boy who, after watching "The Legend of Gusli", asked: "Why is the boy who offends the main character so angry?" It seems to me that if such thoughts arise

26

БЕЛАРУСЬ.BELARUS NOVEMBER 2021

LUCHANGELA.RU

LUCHANGELA.RU

in a child, it means that he or she realizes the value of another person and it is important for him/her not to harm his/her neighbor.

Alena Drapko.

Photo credit: interlocutor's archive.

NATIONAL COLOUR

For symbols to have the power of protective amulets Someone goes to Charouny Mlyn (Fairy Mill) exhibitionfair for unique gifts that cannot be bought in a regular store, someone – for inspiration. We went to see what interesting things related to national traditions are offered

by Belarusian masters today.

T

The last time I visited "Mlyn" was two years ago. And, to be honest, then there were much more items with a national tint.

– There were more tourists, and our people also traveled abroad more often, therefore, the demand for products decorated with ornaments and vytinanka (papercutting) was greater, – explains Dmitry Bokhan, a craftsman from Minsk.

Dmitry works with wood. He makes beautiful trays, lamps. He also carves the bases for key rings, holders for napkins and mobile phones, which his wife trims in decoupage technique. Many are decorated with Belarusian ornaments and vytinanka. The married couple also makes "perpetual" calendars with the names of the months, including in the native language.

– We would be happy to make calendars exclusively in the Belarusian language, – says Dmitry. – If only they would be bought...

Roman Cherkashin from Vitebsk has been producing stylish wristwatches, i n clu d i ng t h o s e w it h B e l ar u s i an ornament, for more than 10 years. Swiss clockwork, a case made of sugar maple, ornament and face inserts are made of African paduk wood. There is also a watch with an ornament that glows in the dark. The effect is achieved with a special epoxy resin.

– My first watch, by the way, was made of Belarusian oak with a green ornament, – the master recalls. – I am constantly experimenting. I can make any watch to order. You can choose the type of

wood, mechanism, order any engraving on the face. We can make a gift wooden box.

Such designer watch costs 248 rubles, luminous – 198 rubles.

Aleksey Shkirman came to the fair with his sister Marina from B obruisk. They brought original gift sets for embroidery in the micro-embroidery technique. The set includes instructions, a pillow, a canvas, a thread, a needle, a БЕЛАРУСЬ.BELARUS NOVEMBER 2021

27

КСЕНІЯ КУЛІКОВА

28

БЕЛАРУСЬ.BELARUS NOVEMBER 2021

NATIONAL COLOUR base for a pendant (brooch, bracelet), instructions for care.

– Trims and threads are of high quality, no need to worry that they may darken or peel off, – Aleksey stresses. – Marina and her husband Dmitry embroider professionally, and I came up with an idea of protective symbols. This theme speaks to me very much. I have embroidered only one pendant in my life – a symbol of wealth (shows). So even a beginner can cope with micro-embroidery.

– Why did you decide to make such sets? – I'm interested. – You could sell only finished products.

– In order for the symbol to have protective power, you need to embroider it with your own hands, – Aleksey smiles.

– Or with the hands of a loved one, – added Marina.

Yulia Kurlenya works in an interesting string art technique. With the help of a hammer, multi-colored threads and small nails, she creates designs on wood.

This technique was invented in England in the 16th century. With the help of nails and thread, the English researcher Mary Boole taught children geometry.

Among the works of Yulia there are also Belarusian protective symbols.

– During my school years, I performed in a folk ensemble, so Belarusian symbols are not alien to me. And there is demand.

A man chose the amulets, which he hung over the door in his house. Women, for some reason, most often choose fire – a symbol of the male principle. I had to embroider a decorative panel in the shape of an auroch; it was taken as a gift to Belarusians as far as Sri Lanka.

Once I was ordered a map of Belarus with the inscription "The place where you are always waited for". For an interethnic wedding I made photo frames with crossing contours of the flags of the two countries.

Many artisans at the fair offered stylish linen clothes.

– Linen cardigans are in fashion now, – says Tatyana Soldatenko. – Each of my items is unique and inimitable. You must admit that it is not very pleasant for a woman who sits on the panel in the first row (and I make clothes for Belarusian VIPs as well) to see a colleague in the same outfit.

Tatyana sews all her life. She worked with various fabrics including foreign linen. According to her, Belarusian linen is the best in the world.

I really liked the eco-prints "Breath of Herbs" on thin linen, made by Marina Guscha. And also tapestries made of dried herbs and flowers, which look very impressive on the wall. Quite a good alternative to the painting, isn't it?

– The tradition of making grass mats has existed since ancient times, – says craftswoman Yulia Gordeyko. – To collect herbs and braid them is a sheer pleasure.

While working I enjoy the scent of herbs and flowers. A green rug can also be made from medicinal herbs. Such tapestry will fill the house with the scent of summer and create coziness. Do you know what people do first when they see such a tapestry? They run their hand over it.

They stroke so gently that each grass has time to "say hello". And then they inhale the smell. And everyone has their own memories...

And, of course, what "Mlyn" is without embroidered shirts and T-shirts?! Signs of our time have also appeared – masks with cornflowers and Belarusian ornaments.

– We sell different clothes, but embroidered T-shirts are always number one in demand, – says Igor Korolev, a representative of Faіny.by. – Cornflowers are my favorite theme. When the Olympic Games were held, athletes from Estonia bought all our T-shirts with cornflowers.

It turns out that they also consider cornflowers a national flower. We are not at a stop, we experiment not only with the types of ornament, but also with its color scheme. For example, this cornflower has as many as 18 shades of the same color.

The ornament most popular with our customers is "life".

Igor Korolev said that on the eve of Kupalya, an insurance company bought embroidered shirts for the entire team.

"We are also proud that Pesnyary perform in our embroidered shirts."

It's nice to see new young faces at the fair. Yan Kostik has recently been involved in embroidered clothing. He works in tandem with his dad, who sews professionally. They started with the market in Zhdanovichi. Now they have their own shop, where they sell casual embroidered clothes: linen dresses for women, hoodies, jacket hoodies with national embroidery...

Yan enjoys wearing embroidered shirts made with his own hands.

I also liked the idea that two young mothers implemented during their maternity leave. Viktoria and Zoya came up with a set for Batleika shadow theater.

The Theater has 18 figures of fairy-tale heroes on a magnetic basis. They are easily attached to a special screen. With their help, you can play one of four popular fairy tales – "Repka (Turnip)", "Kolobok (Roly-Poly)", "Teremok (Attic story)", "Kurochka Ryaba (Ryaba the Hen)" or invent your own story. My husband and I gave this batleyka to our goddaughter as a birthday present.

Just recently we went to visit Ivonka, showed the children a shadow performance. The kids were delighted.

To be honest, this time I wasn’t going to buy anything at Mlyn.

But, as practice shows, it is unrealistic to leave the fair empty-handed where there are so many excellent things. Craftsman Viktor Shubin, dad of 6 children, t alked s o tempting ly about his wooden spoons with the symbol of the sun that I wanted to buy one of them for my son. While choosing, I learned a lot of interesting things about the healing properties of oak, pear, Karelian birch, maple, hornbeam, alder. The master knows a lot about the trees from which he carves his crafts.

As a result, I bought an oak hair comb and a spoon made of mountain ash. By the way, it was the mountain ash that Viktor advised to plant on a private plot of land close to the road. Since ancient times a tree or a bush with red berries has served as a powerful amulet against any misfortune, envy and the evil eye.

Nadezhda Drindrozhik.

Photo credit: Alina Mazovets.

БЕЛАРУСЬ.BELARUS NOVEMBER 2021

29

Another building block in the effort to preserve heritage If a person combines the qualities of an entrepreneur, a philanthropist and an inquisitive researcher, the result can be very fruitful. A striking case in point is the personality of Franz Zhilko. His book "Mill Business in Belarus: History and Modernity" was recently presented at the National Library of Belarus. But this publication is a kind of continuation of good deeds that its author has been doing for our country and his small homeland for over a year.

The ancient base of the mill in Zhodishki (18th century) has a beautiful stonework, the finish looks like a work of art

30

БЕЛАРУСЬ.BELARUS NOVEMBER 2021

REALT.ONLINER.BY

Thanks to the efforts and funds of Franz Zhilko, a cultural and production center was created in the village of Zhodzishki on the basis of a water mill. Those who want to discover unexplored Belarus with its ancient traditions, craftsmanship and inventions of modern masters, who cannot live without creative selfexpression for the benefit of their small homeland, the Motherland as a whole, go to Zhilko Mill.

Z

IVAN ZHDANOVICH

Franz Zhilko during the presentation

AN

ZH

DA

NO

VI

CH

way, the author also mentioned the case when he, a six or seven-year old boy, came to the mill and was very impressed by the way everything was working there...

– It was important for me to record the state of the mill's structures at the beginning of the 21st century. The book is in Belarusian, and when you read it, you will notice that it contains a lot of technical vocabulary, but in Belarusian it was even easier for me to find the right word, – said Franz Zhilko, the author of the book "Mill Business in Belarus: History and Modernity".

This book shows more than 150 mills. And these are not only buildings, there are also courtyards. After all, today we know that there are different mills. There are mills where people live today. Water flows under the floor, but living conditions are normal, humidity is not even felt. There are mills where the building is in good condition and no one can decide what they can be rendered suitable for. And they could be used for a variety of purposes, e.g. for housing, exhibitions...

By the way, during the presentation, a copy of the book was solemnly handed over to the National Library.

Alena Drapko IV

Zhodishki water mill was restored by the descendants of its owners.

– It is very pleasant that there are people in Belarus who can succeed in their personal business, do business, but at the same time treat their small homeland with great respect. To create a museum of life, to restore a mill, to build a chapel for those who cannot get into the church due to their age... In fact, all this is worth a lot, – said Oksana Knizhnikova, Director General of the National Library of Belarus during the presentation.

The presented new edition is a unique opportunity for interested readers to plunge into the history of their native land, into the history of mill production. The book contains hundreds of photographs of places where water mills once worked and have survived to this day. It reflects the richness of the various architecture of water mills, it contains works of artists, historical information about the mills.

– Water mills are a very important historical and cultural heritage of Belarus. Almost forgotten, abandoned, which today requires close attention. Because, as you know, mills (and water mills constituted the majority) in Belarus were very important not only as industrial, but also as social and cultural objects, where people gathered not only to work, but also to share news, to discuss something... I remember when my parents went to the mill, for my father it was like going on holiday as he carried there the most expensive thing, i.e. grain, which he had grown to bring home flour, which would later become bread, – says Tadeusz Struzhetsky, chairman of the Belarusian Cultural Foundation. – Besides, the owners of mills used to be not only wealthy, but also very educated people. They enjoyed well-deserved respect with the villagers and city dwellers.

This is exactly what the author of the presented publication did, giving a "new life" to the water mill, which once belonged to his family. Thanks to his unindifference and desire to leave important evidence of the past in his homeland, Franz Zhilko created Wa t e r M i l l Museum of the 18th centur y in the agrotown of Zhodishki, Smorgon District.

The countryside here is scenic, with a rich historical background.

Zhodishki is located on the banks of the Viliya River and has been known since the beginning of the 16th century.

The water mill was built here in 1781.

And today every visitor, either from Belarus or abroad, can not only see it in action, but also get a unique experience. If desired, anyone with their own hands can grind cereals into flour, from which bread is then baked...

I think this is an experience that will give emotions and new knowledge, as well as the author's book about the mill business in the Belarusian lands. At the presentation of the book, by the

PRESENTATION

БЕЛАРУСЬ.BELARUS NOVEMBER 2021

31

TRAVELING TOGETHER

Legends live in Geraneny

The ancient town of Geraneny, famous for its apple orchard, flower factory and a large lake with lots of fish, is included in the Golden Ring of Ivye district of Grodno region. Today the city attracts tourists with its past: the history of the tragic love of Belarusian Romeo and Juliet – king Sigismund II and Barbara Radziwill, as well as the ruins of the 15th-16th centuries castle, where they used to be happy. through would become so attractive for tourists. And that a 70 km-long cycling route Ivye – Subotniki – Zhemyslavl – Geraneny – Lipnishki – Ivye (or maybe

more, depending on the objects of visit) will be called the "Golden Ring of Ivye district". And we really covered most of it.

Today cyclists and those who prefer cars and buses (there is no special lane for cyclists on local roads yet) are invited to visit Ivye Museum of National Cu lt u re s , a m o s q u e , t h e Church of St. Peter and Paul, the Church of the Holy Martyr Gabriel of Bialystok, a spring ( Ivye town), the church of St. Nicholas, the ruins of the castle of the 15th-16th centuries ( G e r a n e ny ) , t h e C hu r c h of St. Vladislav, the tomb of the Umyastovsky family (Subotniki), the estate of the Umyastovsky (Zhemyslavl), the Church of St. Casimir (Lipnishki). In short: there are many interesting places.

After Zhemyslavl we went along the field road to the city of Subotniki, where we met the border guards and greeted them. They didn't even check our passports. Apparently, due to the fact that we showed interest in them, asked where the guys come from, whether they liked their service... We didn’t expect to have any The Church of St. Vladislav in Subotniki is over 100 years old. Over time, this temple, as they say, has not changed at problems while being in the all and has not lost a single piece of its interior. This church was built at the expense of local rulers from the famous border area as we had an Umyastovsky family, and there is much to see here. official document signed by the PLANETABELARUS.BY

At the time when we were travelling along the state border of Belarus (AprilAugust 1996) we even could not believe that in 25 years the places we walked

32

БЕЛАРУСЬ.BELARUS NOVEMBER 2021

We did not stay in Subotniki, we decided to move towards Geraneny. On the way, we met a pleasant man who was returning home from work, his dusty overalls tiredness clearly indicated it...

But the lively cornflower-colored eyes on his swarthy face shone... And it was impossible not to notice it. We also noticed some inner dignity, so to speak, intellectuality, which is inherent in many villagers, whom we met in those places. No wonder they say: nobility is passed down from generation to generation. Our acquaintance could be a descendant of those princes or their favorites, who used to ive in those places a couple of centuries ago. As it turned

found out: Ivan Stepanovich Vasilevsky and his wife Faina Viktorovna are now retired. They have three grown children – two daughters and a son, four grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and the third will soon appear. "When 13 people gather at one table (and this is without grandchildren and greatgrandchildren), the heart rejoices," – says Faina Vasilevskaya. – All received education. But they do not live with us.

The son settled in St. Petersburg, one daughter – in Grodno, she is a philologist, the other is also a philologist in Lida district, in the town of Dvorische, she is a school teacher. She visits us more often: she lives nearby. One granddaughter is GRODNONEWS.BY

then commander of the border troops V.F. Morkovkin. The document said that we, journalists, can freely move around the border area "to study the culture and traditions of the Belarusian people." The border guards advised us to visit a local 19-century catholic church of St. Vladislav. A little later, not far from it, in the center of Subotniki, we had a rest and drew in pencil in the diary beautiful stained-glass windows of this church.

We learned from the locals that the temple with a high three-

Geraneny today

tiered bell tower with a graceful spire that rises high in the sky was the main attraction of the town.

Now we know from the Internet that the church was built by Vladislav and Yanina Umyastovsky – the owners of the palace in Zhemyslavl. The building was consecrated in 1904, its founder was buried in its crypt, and later the remains of his relatives were also brought there.

That was what the memorial plaque said which was installed in 1931 in the crypt of the church, where the family tomb of the Umestovsky is located. There is no name or date on the tombstone, which was intended for Yanina (she took care of it herself ). As we later learned, the Countess died far from her ancestral nest – in Rome…

out, our interlocutor worked at that time as a tractor driver of the collective farm "Subotniki" of Ivye district (now a communal village and an economic unitary enterprise Subotniki). The work, as you know, is not easy: dust, roar, stress… At that time tractors were very different from the modern ones.

After some time, we wrote in our diary: "We met a tractor driver with clear blue eyes from the village of Kvyatkovtsy.

He wondered who we were and where we came from. His wife, he said, was a teacher and philologist. We asked what the tractor driver believes in. In the heart, he answered, and added: it won't let me down.

The other day (early November 2021) we got in touch with Kvyatkovtsy and

studying to be a doctor." In general, the Vasilevsky family, as was clear from the mood of my interlocutor, is good, parents are respected in it, although it is rarely possible to get everyone together, except on holidays.

We have repeatedly said that in addition to the castles and temples that we saw during the trip, acquaintance with people was very valuable. Hence Ivan Vasilevsky – one of those benevolent and modest Belarusian workers whom we remember from the time of the trip. We pay tribute to him not only for his hard work on earth, but also for his sincerity, cordiality, ability to hear, listen to, help.

Such p eople are like precious diamonds that were encountered on our way to the "Kingdom of Far Far Away". БЕЛАРУСЬ.BELARUS NOVEMBER 2021

33

TRAVELING TOGETHER We arrived at Geraneny late, having covered 30 km (as evidenced by the entry in the diary). We spent the night at the local high school gym. Principal Nina Gavraeva placed us there. We found her at home: we were told where the principal lived. She was in a cheerful mood and has a desire to show hospitality. Mrs. Nina told us that she had just parted with the guests after her birthday party. She even read poetry to us. However, we, listeners, were not very attentive, we were too tired... And we were ready to fall right on the sports mats, without sleeping bags.

But we had to be patient so as not to look ungrateful, so we kept up the conversation with the principal in every possible way.

In the morning after breakfast we examined the school. This is what we wrote about it in our diary: "At that time there were 400 children in Geraneny school. Some of them have to cover 5-7 km to get to school. The village school works in one shift. There are 5 such schools in the region, 40 teachers." The principal was asked about the atmosphere at the school.

She replied: "We are trying to create the

one that would be to the liking of all of us. We are exploring the homeland. Zoya Vikentsevna is a traveler, she travels with c h i l d r e n . We have t ravele d all over Belarus.

Besides, the school has 2 dance and 2 folklore groups.

We are writing down the history of our village.

There is a large handwritten book." The subject "World Art" has been taught at the Barbara Radziwill and Sigismund II Augustus. school since Lithograph from the collection of artists Valentin and Lilia Varetsa.

1989. Pupils and teachers found the former coat of arms school, taught World Art. Recently Elena of Geraneny – it is in Ivanovna has donated two of her books the book by Anatoly "Geraneny" to Ivye district library: Titov "Coats of Arms "Reference and informational materials" of Belarusian Cities". and "The Church of St. Nicholas the On the coat of arms Wonderworker in agro-town Geraneny", there is an image: a which everyone can read today. red heart pierced by We learned from Mrs. Elena in 1996 a sword against green that the settlement had been known since background. The town the 13th century as Geraneny Muravanye received its coat of or Gashtold. And the entire previous arms on May 25, 1792. history of the town is associated with one A f te r t h e of the most powerful noble families of the m e e t i n g , h a v i n g Grand Duchy of Lithuania. There is a lot t a l ke d w it h E l e n a of information about it on the Internet S m o l y a n i c h e n k o , today. Interestingly, the Magdeburg who at that time was Law was granted to Geraneny by King responsible for the August Poniatowski in 1752, and in 1792 study of histor y of Geraneny’s coat of arms was approved. the region, we wanted We asked Mrs. Elena about this. She t o s e e t h e p l a c e s told us about a love story of Barbara w h e r e e v e r y t h i n g Radziwill and the Grand Duke (later breathed antiquity. king) Sigismund. I remember us sitting at By t he way, E lena the desks in one of the class-rooms and Ivanovna is a writer listening with interest and excitement to and ethnographer. She the romantic-dramatic story. Then, at the was born in the village ruins of the castle, where Barbara used to of Kudeishi in Ivye live for 4 years, made us think: the past district. She is Grodno does not go anywhere, it is always with us.

Yanka Kupala State In short, the story was like this. In Pedagogical Institute the fall of 1543, 24-year-old Grand Duke graduate. She used to Sigismund II Augustus, left his residence Fragment of the painting "The Ghost of Barbara Radziwill". work as a teacherin Vilnius, and went to the possession Artist Jan Matejko. organizer at Geraneny of his vassals to consider the claims and

34

БЕЛАРУСЬ.BELARUS NOVEMBER 2021

he, just like his mother, Queen Bona Sforza, of Italian origin, didn’t accept his wife Elisabeth von Habsburg (Elizabeth of Austria), daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I. The queen died in 1545. His father Sigismund I the Old and some of the nobility who wanted rapprochement with the Austrian court, insisted on marriage.

Sigismund II Augustus was decribed to be a noble brunette with a small beard, of medium height, who did not inherit his father's athletic appearance, but was excellent in weapons and w a s h ard e ne d i n knightly

most beautiful woman of the two states – Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

Her perfect proportions, refinement of manners, grace, gentle looks and kind speech aroused admiration of men.

They spent the whole of October 1543 together... Their marriage (concluded in 1547) was kept a secret for almost a year…

Only after the death of Sigismund I the Old, when the Grand Duke of Lithuania Sigismund II Augustus received the Polish crown in 1548, did it become clear that the young king had a Lithuanian wife.

The news was disliked by the magnates of both states and the mother of the new king, who fiercely hated her daughterin-law. Bona Sforza demanded an immediate divorce, but the son was

VEDAJ.BY

complaints of the local nobility and at the same time enjoy the numerous balls and hunts arranged specially for him.

During the trip, he had to decide on the huge legacy of the Gashtold family. The last male representative of this dynasty, governor Stanislav Gashtold, died in 1542 at the age of 35, leaving no heir. According to the laws of that time, the property of the family in such cases was taken over by the Grand Duke, and he was to decide its further fate.

A few hours that the Grand Duke planned to spend in Geraneny castle turned first into days, then into weeks...

The reason for this was the beautiful Lithuanian Barbara from the famous princely family of the Radziwills. At fifteen, she married Stanislav G a s ht o l d . T h at was a

In 1519, Prince Albrecht Gashtold built a brick church of St. Nicholas. In its architecture elements of late baroque and classicism are used.It is still shrouded in the spirit of Belarusian medieval architecture with a strange and centuries-old history. It is surrounded with a brick wall. This temple attracts a huge number of both tourists and pilgrims who come to these lands. In the 19th century Stanislaw Januszewicz, Kanut Rusetski, and Napoleon Orda painted the church.

marriage of political convenience and did not bring happiness to the spouses.

They did not live in marriage for long, only five years, and for Barbara they were burdened by her husband's frequent infidelities. In 1542 Stanislav died, so she was a twenty-year-old widow. The Grand Duke was familiar with the Gashtolds, and more than once had met them at balls in Vilnius. Sigismund II Augustus himself was also married (since 1543), but initially

t ou r n a m e nt s a n d m a ny hu nt i n g amusements. From his mother he inherited a fine artistic taste, an interest in art. He founded a library in Vilnius, for which books were bought from all over Europe.

When the Grand Duke came to Geraneny, he met not an unfortunate widow there, but a young, attractive person. According to the descriptions of contemporaries, Barbara was perhaps the

adamant. On December 1, 1550, Barbara Radziwill was crowned and became the queen of the Polish state. The Polish nobility were forced to submit to the will of their king. But Bona Sforza did not submit to it… She hated the Radziwill family, did her best to prevent the Sejm from crowning Barbara. By the way, Nikolai Radziwill the Black went to Rome to see the Pope to successfully resolve the issue. The Queen Mother, failing to БЕЛАРУСЬ.BELARUS NOVEMBER 2021

35

GRODNONEWS.BY

TRAVELING TOGETHER

Elena Smolyanichenko, ethnographer, writer always enthusiastically tells about love of Barbara Radziwill and King Sigismund, as well as the Belarusian artist Napoleon Orda, who in 1875 painted a picture of the castle ruins. And she is the author of the songs – "Come to Geraneny", "Our Corner".

achieve her goal, secretly left Krakow and went to her homeland, to Italy. She took her whole court with her, but left the agents with the task of poisoning the hated daughter-in-law. Among them was her personal pharmacist Monti, a poison specialist, a native of Florence. It is said that his slow-acting poison killed Barbara in six months, and she died in agony.

The king continued to love his Barbara for the rest of his life. After the death of his beloved, he decided to perpetuate her memory. And he succeeded. The famous icon of Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn was painted from the portrait of Barbara Radziwill and was lyricized by Adam Mitskevich and other poets. This is confirmed by many researchers. You can read more about the tragic story of this love on http://www.poznaibelarus.by/ barbara_radzivill/.

According to a legend, since those distant times, the soul of Barbara has not found solace, roming the world. Why so? It is said that in Nesvizh Castle, the ancestral home of the Radziwills, the sorcerer Mr. Twardowski in the presence of King Sigismund with the help of a magic mirror performed the ritual of her return from the dead. And although the king was forbidden to touch the ghost that appeared, but seeing the face of his beloved, he could not help doing it. The ghost dissolved in the air and, and it is

36

БЕЛАРУСЬ.BELARUS NOVEMBER 2021

believed, the soul could not return to the other world and settled in Nesvizh Castle.

She appears in black in front of the living: in mourning for her lost love. The owners of the castle had the impression that she warned when they were in danger, i.e. war, disease. From the middle of the XVIII century the Black Lady allegedly took on new responsibilities: to monitor the behavior of young beautiful girls and women. During the balls, she lay in wait in dark places for those beauties who had overly revealing outfits on. During the war, the Germans in occupied Nesvizh were very afraid of the Black Lady, and when they saw something black in the park, they shouted "Schwarze Frau!". fired in that direction and fled to hide.

Contemporaries compared the love story of Sigismund II Augustus and Barbara Radziwill with the story of Romeo and Juliet. It was lyricized both in the Renaissance and in later times. There were and are different opinions about this drama. However, no one can deny the depth of the feelings of Sigismund and Barbara, which have brought to the national and world history of mankind another confirmation: there is a great, true feeling of love in our world.

Ms. Elena also told us about the talented people living in Geraneny, sug geste d me et ing fol k musician Ivan Stankevich from the village of

Sinyavschyna and his large family of singers in G e r a n e n y, but we had to follow the r o u t e . We were very grateful for the e nt hu s i a st i c stor y of the teacher, who said about herself: "I'm here as a chronicler Pimen: I keep a chronicle of the region."

In Geraneny not far from the ruins of the castle rises a majestic and beautiful church of St. Nicholas, which will soon be 500 years old. The stone Gothic church was built in 1529 at the expense of Vilnius governor Albrecht Gashtold, and in 1537 the marriage of his son Stanislaus and Barbara Radziwill was consecrated in that church. The church has a memorial plaque in honor of Oscar Corvin-Milevsky (1817-1906) – one of the owners of Geraneny, who is buried in the sacristy of the church, the construction of which he completed at his own expense in 1859. The stone bell tower was built in 1855 by the architect Tomasz Tyszecki.

TRAVELING.BY

Today, in te place of the castle, where Barbara Radziwill used to live for 4 years, only earthen ramparts and small fragments of brick walls have survived. For the first time, the castle was badly damaged during the bloody war of 1654-1667. But after that, in peacetime, it was restored. During the Northern War (1700-1721), the castle was blown up by the Swedish army, and no one tried to restore its former glory. The ruins of the castle have survived to this day.

– The town got a powerful impetus for development at a time when the local collective farm "XXII Party Congress" was headed by the legendary Vladimir Baum, who received the title of Hero of Socialist Labor, – Viktor Vershalovich, the chairman of Geraneny village executive committee, told our colleagues from Grodno Pravda in 2018. – The household sector also developed on a strong manufacturing base. The village received a new impetus in its development in 2006: houses were built here in accordance with the President's program.

All conditions for life, work, rest and development have been created in

Geraneny. The infrastructure is urbanlike, ecologically friendly environment.

There is a high school, children's art school, kindergarten, house of culture, outpatient clinic, pharmacy, bank and communications departments, canteen (where the celebrations are held), bathhouse, six shops, two lakes for locals and guests of the agro-town. And tourists here have much to visit. The ruins of the castle are of great interest. One would think: ruins are just ruins… But it's like a kind of portal into the past. Use your imagination and and look at the castle defense structure, unique for that time, i.e. the creation of ditches and mounds

around the walls, as when the castle was under construction, the artillery was not yet powerful enough to destroy such fortifications.

To d a y t h e r e a r e m a ny s o n g s d e d i c ate d to G e r an e ny. S om e of them, e.g. "Come to Geraneny", "Our corner" by composer Evgeny Karput, with lyrics by our good friend Elena Smolyanichenko. A striking annual event in the cultural life of Geraneny is the theatrical performance "At the Ball of Barbara Radziwill". And this year in October, the ball again gathered fans of such events.

Valentina and Ivan Zhdanovich

БЕЛАРУСЬ.BELARUS NOVEMBER 2021

37

SUCCESS

Piece of performance of Belarusian girls in group event

Brilliant performances The national rhythmic gymnastics team of Belarus showed the best result in history at the World Championships in Japan Say what you like, but it's great to realize that in Belarus girls are not only the most beautiful, slender and graceful, but also talented, hardworking and diligent. The World Championship, which took place in Japan, fully confirmed all these maxims and made a couple of promising advances: our cheery rhythmic gymnastics team were returning home with a suitcase that was literally going to pieces with the medals of all values, they were satisfied with the brilliant season and full of hope that the coming year would be even better.

38

БЕЛАРУСЬ.BELARUS NOVEMBER 2021

One gold, two silvers and two bronzes in individual exercises, third place in the group all-around and in the team championship: a total of seven medals – a catch yield that cannot be called small.

In all types of personal programs, Belarusians made it to the podium, and the result would have been even better if uniformity of movement of the group members hadn’t failed them – the girls didn't managed to win medals in exercises with balls, as well as with hoops and clubs. It's a pity, but now it is clear what they need to work on first of all.

An ast asi ia S alo s

Palace, which opened its doors three years ago, it is located in a picturesque district of Minsk. "We have been waiting for this for a very long time, – Irina Leparskaya said then. – I myself drew it and have already seen it a hundred times in a dream. We entered it with positive thoughts and a good mood. I am very grateful to the President for his support, everything here is at the highest level. And everything is Belarusian-made, except for carpets. We take good care of our home, we teach children to do this. They understand and appreciate everything. It is not an exaggeration that we can live here. This is our real home. At the same time, all children's sport schools will remain, we select only the best, most promising ones and we will wait for replenishment from schools every year.

We will live for this, look for talents and make them unbeatable, we will do our best and a little more."

As we can see, the head coach’s words meet the actions. "Each of our girls has a dream of her own, – added Irina Leparskaya. – And we will live for the sake of every dream of the Alina Harnasko pupils."

Alina Harnasko and Anastasiia Rhythmic gymnastics is a specific sport. For connoisseurs.

Salos have already begun to fulfill their This is a kind of sports opera with ballet, theatrical performance dreams. However, the halls and other of the ultra category with such top-class aerobatics that it takes premises of the Gymnastics Palace your breath away. One can fail to understand this kind of sport are not empty– work is in but it is impossible not to accept it – it pleases the eye, like any full swing here every day high art. The athletes achieve high results at an unusually young and young competitors age, champions, as a rule, manage to compress their rich careers are rapidly growing behind into two rapid Olympic cycles, after which they leave top-class the backs of the top athletes. sports at an age when everything is just beginning in other sports.

Daria Tkacheva, Anna The Averin sisters are now 23 years old, Evgeniya Kanaeva won Kamenshchikova, Arina her two Olympic golds at 18 and 22, Margarita Mamun at 21, Krasnorutskaya... These Alina Kabaeva achieved the highest score from 16 to 23... and other girls, too, will Our primas, who showed great results in Kitakyushu, are at soon be ready to surprise. golden age now: Alina Harnasko turned 20 in August, Anastasiia The main thing is to work.

Salos is 19.

To believe. And, of course, Harnasko burst like a whirlwind into the pool of elite to dream. gymnasts this season, having won bronze in Tokyo 2020 and Sergey Kondratovich. four awards of the world championship: silver in the all-around, Photo credit: FIG. as well as gold, silver and bronze in individual disciplines – an amazing result! If injuries and failures are avoided, then

by Paris 2024 Alina may easily take it upon herself to achieve the unbeaten in Belarus record of her personal trainer Marina Lobach, who won the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. But at the same time, Salos should in no way be discounted – she is a girl no less talented and hardworking than her teammate, although she temporarily moved to reserve positions. Do not forget that it was Salos who won the national championship in 2020 and was considered number one in the team.

The top echelon is represented by the professorial coaching school with the leading roles played by Irina Leparskaya, Marina Lobach, Lyubov Cherkashina... And all of them are surprisingly competently integrated into the policy of state support for sports, without which it would hardly be possible to stay afloat and show such stable and high results. An example that confirms better than any words that the scheme goes like clockwork is the Rhythmic Gymnastics БЕЛАРУСЬ.BELARUS NOVEMBER 2021

39

AWARDS TO THE BEST

MASTERS ACCEPTED CONGRATULATIONS The 6th Republican Theatre contest "National Theatre Prize" has ended. The awards ceremony took place on the stage of the country's main theatre – Kupala Theatre.

A

At first glance, it might seem that such contests are necessary only for those who are involved in theater business. But the awards create healthy competition among artists as well as popularize theatre with the audience.

The 6th Republican Theatre contest was held under the motto "The Power of Unity", and as the hosts noted during the awards ceremony, this year more than 70 applications were filed. It took the jury a month to select the best out of 28 nominees.

The award ceremony was truly solemn with many most heartfelt thanks, theater artists from different parts of the country staged small performances for visitors. It

40

БЕЛАРУСЬ.BELARUS NOVEMBER 2021

turned out to be a kind of excursion into theatrical genres, i.e. there were opera parts and drama monologues, one could also enjoy ballet.

At the ceremony, Minister of Culture Anatoly Markevich congratulated the participants on the beautiful and successful completion of the theatrical contest: – O u r au d i e n c e w e re a b l e t o f u l ly e x p e r i e nc e t he out st and i ng performances that took place on the stages of our country. For our society the B elarusian theatre has always been and remains a real school of life, a place of learning and unforgettable emotions.

Among the theatre award winners there were two leaders which received the largest number of awards. The first of them is the performance of Vitebsk Puppet Theater "Tim Thaler Dolls, or Laughter Sold ". The performance was recognized as the best in several nominations. The director of the play, Mikhas Klimchuk, received the award for the best director's work, and this work also won in the nominations "Puppet Theater" and "Performance for Children and Youth".

The other leader, as expected, was the National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre. "Anna Karenina" performance won in the nomination "The best ballet performance". "Faust" was named "The best opera performance".

Spectators remember the triumph of Anna Motornaya’s directorial debut on the stage of the Bolshoi Theatre: the director took a risk and transferred the action to Germany of 1935-1945, which immediately revealed the corresponding subtexts. It is not surprising that Anna Motornaya received the award for the best directorial work. Maestro Alexander Anisimov was named the best conductor.

The prima ballerina of the Bolshoi Irina Yaromkina received the award in the "Musical Theatre" nomination – for the best female role in the ballet "Love and Death". The musical detective "Jack the Ripper" of the Youth Variety Theater was

the best performance of this nomination.

"The best work of the artist" was awarded to Yuri Borisevich. The soloist of the Belarusian State Academic Musical Theater Denis Nemtsov received the award for the best male role in the play "Truffaldino from Bergamo".

Those who participated in the creation of masterpieces of puppet theaters were not forgotten either. Belarus has a lot to be proud of in this area. Larisa MikinaProbodyak impressed the audience with her artistic work in the play "Lokis" of Grodno Regional Puppet Theater. The performance received another award in the nomination "The best actor's work", Larisa Mikulich was awarded with it for the role of Black Lady.

It is gratifying that the literary classics are brilliantly represented on the Belarusian stage. In the "Drama Theater" nomination, Roman Tsyrkin from Mozyr Drama Theater was awarded for the best director's work in the play "People in the swamp" by Ivan Melezh The jury awarded the prize to Mikhail Klimenko for his role in this performance. Pavel Marinich was awarded for the outstanding theatrical scenery of Gogol's "Viy" on the stage of Polesie Drama Theater. The performance was also awarded in the nomination "The best performance for a small stage".

Alexey Dudarev was recognized as the best playwright of the sixth premium

season for the performances "Evening" and "Don't Leave Me", which have already become classics. The role in the performance "Fake Note" of the Studio Theatre of Film Actors brought Vladimir Mischanchuk the award in "The best male role" nomination. The performance also won "The best performance for a big stage" nomination. But in the nomination "The best female role" the award was received by the actress of the New Drama Theater Nadezhda Antipovich for the play "Warsaw Melody".

During the National Theatre Prize ceremony, prizes were awarded in special nominations. Vasily Matyushevsky, Chairman of the Management Board of Belvnesheconombank, Open Joint Stock Company, was awarded a prize for support of theater arts in Belarus.

The honorary award "For many years of stage service" were rightly given to outstanding masters – the artistic director of the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus Valentin Elizariev and the artistic director of Brest Academic Drama Theater named after Lenin Komsomol of Belarus Alexander Kozak.

Special prize "Inspiration" was awarded to the director of Mogilev Regional Dunin-Mar tsinke vich Drama and Comedy Theater Veronika Vinel.

Arina Karpovich.

Photo credit: Alina Mazovets.

БЕЛАРУСЬ.BELARUS NOVEMBER 2021

41

CREATIVE FEATURES KONSTANTIN DROBOV

Home land compass About Boris Zaborov – world famous artist and book graphic artist from Belarus I am leafing through the 1972 edition of the poem of the national poet of Belarus Yakub Kolas "Symon the Musician".

Minsk book publishing house "Belarus". Its circulation is unique – 20 thousand (!) copies. A real gift for the 90th anniversary of the birth of Yakub Kolas. The author of the book is the book graphic artist Boris Zaborov. …"What a real success – to meet the right person at the beginning of the Path. Teacher. He was and remains my first teacher: Sergey Petrovich Katkov. He was a man of broad, kind soul, generous love for us, insightful. He understood that we all, six or seven of us in a group of boys, love him very much, so he treated everyone equally and attentively, not letting envy settle in our hearts," – Boris Zaborov said in a preface to a book that cannot be forgotten, which was published in St. Petersburg in 2018. I wish this book were republished, translated into Belarusian! On the pages of the publication there are meetings with Vasil Bykov, Naum Kislik, Ryhor Baradulin, Petrus Brovka, the artistic and literary life of Minsk in the 1950-1980s...

And some more passeges from the book of memoirs of the artist Boris Zaborov: "In summer, Sergey Petrovich took us out for plein air. One trip to Polesie, a region known in Belarus for impenetrable forests, swamps and peat bogs, is alive in my memory. We stayed in a small village surrounded by forest. We slept on the barn-floor... In the morning, we got up before dawn and we went out with a local guide. Our hike was called "Around partisan places." We walked through the forest along a narrow, with tree abatis, animal path. After several hours of hiking, we got tired, decided to rest, and then it turned out that our guide had lost his way.

But we didn’t worry as Sergey Petrovich was with us. He, a former Soviet army officer, had a compass.

I was impressed by this image, this artistic symbol, which, perhaps, even by the future famous artist was not chosen for the sake of an accent... The compass of Sergey Petrovich Katkov...

Boris Abramovich Zaborov (1935-2021) was born in Minsk. Belarusian and French painter, graphic artist. The son of the artist Abram Zaborov.

From 1949 to 1954 Boris Zaborov studied at Minsk Art School. Then he studied at Ilya Repin Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture of the Autograph from a famous artist USSR Academy of Arts in Leningrad. In 1956 he

42

БЕЛАРУСЬ.BELARUS NOVEMBER 2021

Illustrations by Boris Zaborov for Yakub Kolas' book "Symon the Musician"

changed it for V.I. Surikov Moscow State Art Institute, which he graduated from in 1961 with a degree in stage design. After graduation he returned to Minsk. Member of the Union of Artists of the BSSR since 1962. In October 1980 he emigrated from Belarus. At first he lived and worked for several months in Austria. Then – in France... In Belarus, Boris Zaborov was known as a talented book graphic artist. He designed dozens of books of works of Belarusian and Russian writers, books of translations into Belarusian, e.g."Hamlet", "Sonnets" by William Shakespeare, "King Matt" by Janusz Korczak, "Blow the Wind" by Janis Rainis... The National Art Museum of Belarus contains 50 graphic sheets of Boris Zaborov. Abroad, the artist was engaged in painting. Already in 1983 in Paris his solo exhibition was held in the gallery of Claude Bernard, in 1986 – Exhibition at the Art Point Gallery in Japan, Tokyo, in 1991 – solo exhibitions in Paris, Amsterdam and Tokyo... In 2008 – "Exhibition of one painting", Uffizi Gallery, Florence. Recognition that no Belarusian artist has!.. The date of foundation of the Uffizi Gallery is 1581. About two million people are known to visit it annually... It houses permanent exhibitions of works by Botticelli ("Spring", "The Birth of Venus", "Slander", "Madonna and Child with an Angel"), Leonardo da Vinci, Titian...

As for the graphic discoveries of Belarusian and French artists, let's get acquainted with the already mentioned book by Yakub

Kolas "Symon the Musician". In the 1972 edition, there are nine sheets with Boris Zaborov’s graphic pictures... The protagonist of the illustrations is Symon the Musician. His creative life begins with a pipe given to him by his grandfather. Then, waking up from fantasies, he picks up a violin... This is how the guy with the violin becomes a typical character in colorful illustrations. The artist created his own poem, perhaps no less important than the work of Yakub Kolas. It seems to me that Boris Zaborov felt the colors of his home land, followed the musician's path through his native land and managed to find a place for his fantasies. The artist is not afraid to distort reality. Symon the Musician is not only connected to the earth, but also finds a place in heaven. I wish the author could have seen such a publication, enriched with the imagination of the book illustrator!.. But the artistic fate of the classics usually continues in eternity. Boris Zaborov's graphics dedicated to "Symon the Musician", together with the poem, will also remain in eternity. There is no doubt about that!..

Now one of the national book publishers is preparing a personal encyclopedia "Yakub Kolas" in several volumes.

Undoubtedly, among the articles about other artists who contributed to the reading of the Belarusian folk poet’s heritage, there is a worthy story about Boris Zaborov, the great artist of our time.

Ales Karlyukevich

БЕЛАРУСЬ.BELARUS NOVEMBER 2021

43

CULTURAL SPACE

Vladimir Prokoptsov:

"The museum mission is primarily educational" The National Art Museum of Belarus always cordially, with the hospitality of a friendly host, invites art lovers to its home This building in the center of Minsk is well known. Outwardly, it immediately resembles a museum by its architectural style. Of course, both the citizens of Minsk and numerous guests of the capital have been here. Fortunately, there is always something to see in the National Art Museum.

But the collection of the country's main museum was not easy to form.

During the Second World War, it was actually lost. And only thanks to the enormous selfless work, the mus eum to day can b e proud of its collection of the most valuable and interesting exhibits.

In fact, in the post-war revival of the museum collection much merit belonged to the then director Elena Aladova.

This woman is fondly remembered not only by m u s e u m workers.

This is the story I heard once from the Pe opl e ' s Ar t ist of Belarus Leonid Schemelev: "My graduate work "Wedding"was lost

44

БЕЛАРУСЬ.BELARUS NOVEMBER 2021

under strange circumstances. But there is a higher justice: I found it. As a student, I heard a lot about Elena Aladova. I dared to come up to her and ask for advice on how to safe my work. I remember Elena Aladova saying only one word: "Bring..."

I, of course, was taken aback, did not realize at first what a lucky chance I had, but when I did, I was absolutely over the moon. Since then, my graduate work has been kept in the main museum of the country. But Elena Aladova took it, as they say, not for my good looks. She had a very subtle perception of fine arts and it is thanks to her that the museum has a very worthy collection."

Even now, when the time for mass events is not the most suitable due to the well-known pandemic reasons, the National Art Museum lives a rich exhibition life. A number of other educational projects in a modern style are being implemented. And this is largely due to the activity of the current Director General of the museum, Vladimir Prokoptsov.

For the last twenty-three years, it is he who has been in charge of the staff of the museum. He literally gushes out ideas that are based on an understanding of the high status of culture and art in the turbulent flow of time. It is interesting to talk with Vladimir Prokoptsov, to receive frank answers, which reflect the essence

Vladimir Prokoptsov

of personal views on museum business and his belief that he is engaged in this business by vocation.

– It is interesting to hear your opinion on whether the museum should somehow shape the taste of visitors?

– Definitely. A museum cannot be just for fun. The mission of the museum is scientific and educational or educational and pedagogical. It is,

halls, equipment, salaries... Everything in order to develop people's tastes.

That is why the museum should always be proactive, even aggressive in an amicable way. And be three steps ahead.

Especially now, during the time of globalization. If a person is attracted to a museum, then it should be interesting for him/her there. There should be lectures, excursions, albeit in online

highest level at one time. The project was well-invested in. I hope that the museum quarter will be finished in the near future.

– After all, what will be the main function of the museum quarter?

– Firstly, we will allocate, evenly distribute our funds, our collections.

Secondly, we will create the necessary infrastructure. After all, today the museum does not have a good cafe. And

There are always many interesting events in the museum

if you like, an educational center. The museum today takes on a completely different form. In spite of everything, it should be active, if necessary, it should go beyond its walls. That is, today an exhibition can have its applied continuation in various directions. For schoolchildren it may be one thing, for adults it may be another. A lot of money is invested in the museum:

format, if the situation requires it. The mission of the museum, I am absolutely sure of this, is primarily educational. So take it or leave it.

– Judging by the new building and reconstruction, do you count on the development of the museum's infrastructure?

– Certainly. Firstly, the idea of a museum quarter was supported at the

it should have at least one hundred seats, with special equipment. And in the project for the development of the museum quarter such a cafe will be situated on Karl Marx Street. Unfortunately, we do not have a museum shop either, where the relevant cultural literature would be sold.

I have been to many European museums.

You come into it – there is a store with an area of two hundred meters: books, БЕЛАРУСЬ.BELARUS NOVEMBER 2021

45

CULTURAL SPACE

albums, various souvenirs with the logo of the museum, some decorations – just everything. And from the sale of souvenirs, the museum, on average, has up to forty percent of its profits. In the future, we will have all this. I wish it were. So that no one, leaving the museum, remains indifferent.

So that a schoolchild would buy some kind of branded magnet, a tourist who came from abroad would buy an album dedicated to this or that exhibition, a catalog of works of this or that Belarusian artist or sculptor. Catalogs, albums should be in at least three languages: Belarusian, Russian and English. For a tourist to come and say: give me a book dedicated to the

46

БЕЛАРУСЬ.BELARUS NOVEMBER 2021

work of your famous fellow countrymen Pen, Chagall, your icons. And such things should always be in stock in the museum shop. It is a must. The main mission and goal of our future museum quarter is for a person to enter the museum at eleven a.m., and leave it in the evening. If he/she is tired, he/she goes to a cafe. Or he/she goes to the patio and sits on the bench.

Rests in the fresh air and goes back to the museum – to visit another exhibition.

This is how it should be in an ideal scenario. We will try to promote this. The main thing is that there is support.

– In a word, you do not avoid using the experience of others?

– When I come to another country, when I get to a museum, I look not at the paintings, but at the way the paintings are fixed. What kind of exhibition equipment is used, what kind of lighting, finally, what kind of parquet is laid in the halls. First of all, I look at it with the eyes of a business executive. Then I look at the pictures.

– Over the years of your directorship of the National Art Museum, you have become convinced that the viewer has become more prepared, more fastidious.

– Of course. After all, there is the Internet, and an art lover can, for example, easily, albeit virtually, walk around the Tretyakov Gallery. Or one can

watch online masterpieces in other famous galleries and museums in the world. Today, nothing will surprise the viewer. He/she became a gourmet, more demanding, discerning. And we need to be ready for this. So that we do not lag behind: in technology, in methodology. In staff. The new generation is changing – this is a global issue. And the director of the museum cannot stay idle. I constantly keep the team in suspense. Maybe someone doesn't like it. In the 60s-70s, the museum was a safe haven. And now it has to make money, maintain the image of its country. And it should definitely do international projects.

What does the visitor ask and demand?

Give him/her an exhibition by Marc Chagall or other famous masters from Belarus, give an exhibition from the Tretyakov Gallery. Today, employees should necessarily have knowledge of foreign languages. In short, we need to constantly expand the format of the museum.

– This means that even at the present time, when there are certain restrictions due to the pandemic, the term "fight for the viewer" is not outdated and is still relevant.

– On the contrary, now we have to fight for every visitor. Only with interesting projects, meaningful programs will we be able to attract the viewer to us. In an ideal scenario, a museum is a large cultural industry.

Like Hollywood.

– It is probably difficult to manage such a mechanism.

– Not easy. This is a great responsibility, because the museum is the country's visiting card. I tell the staff that over time we will all be replaced. A museum shouldn't be like a nursing home. The museum has to work. And therefore, of course, a great responsibility lies directly with the head. I feel it, I understand it.

That's why I turned gray so early.

– Is the museum director more of a manager or a scientist?

– All at once. I cannot imagine that the director of the National Museum of Art is not an artist, not an art critic, but only an economist-manager. Can you imagine an economist at the head of the Hermitage?

Or at the head of the Tretyakov Gallery?

I can't. Yes, they have managers, but still, there should be an art specialist in charge.

The manager can be the chairperson of an agricultural complex. If I had chosen an agricultural path, I would have become an agronomist, I would have been the head of an agricultural plant. But I took a different path, so I am the director of the museum. Today the figure of the museum director is universal. He/she should be a manager, an economist, and an art critic.

Especially if it is a museum of such field of art. Firstly, artists come to the director to discuss the organization of their solo exhibition, some other issues. And how I, just an economist, will behave with a prominent artist. What will I talk to him/ her about? We will not understand each other. That is why I am not ashamed to learn everything.

– What criteria are used to determine the value of a particular work that a museum acquires?

– We do not buy ourselves, we have a council when it comes to contemporary art. If a thing is purchased abroad, for example, sashes of Slutsk, we persuade the Ministr y of Culture that it is absolutely necessary for the exhibition.

But the decision is made collectively. If it is a particularly valuable item, then a tender is held. And so, of course, the whole policy is formed by the museum community headed by the director. That is why today the director is obliged to understand everything: both in tenders and in paintings.

– Do you happen to have a split personality – between the director Prokoptsov and the artist Prokoptsov? БЕЛАРУСЬ.BELARUS NOVEMBER 2021

47

CULTURAL SPACE

– On the contrary, there is complete harmony. One complements the other. I had a split personality when I worked in the office of the Council of Ministers and did not participate much in exhibitions. Then officials were not encouraged to exhibit together with artists.

This was not welcomed, to put it mildly, in the 80s-90s.

But now, on the contrary, I feel very comfortable.

– During your museum directorship, there were many exhibitions from foreign museums.

Regarding the presentation of works of the National Museum of Art abroad, are you planning actions to show our museum wealth?

– Yes, there are such plans. We have already shown Khrutsky's paintings in Vilnius as part of the bicentennial of the artist's birth. We successfully implemented a project with the Vatican – they showed Belarusian icons there: Orthodox and Catholic. Of course, this is all a very troublesome business, at least for the reason that it is associated with insurance.

– And what could the museum afford to purchase for the permanent fund?

48

БЕЛАРУСЬ.BELARUS NOVEMBER 2021

– It is ver y difficult to acquire something substantial.

F i r s t l y , m a s t e r pi e c e s cost a lot of money. If there were means, I would not be chasing Rembrandt or Picasso. I would buy something from Chagall's work. I would have acquired the works of the artists of Paris School.

But the fact that we have t wo

– …Life. There is no life without art. Fine art makes a person richer spiritually. It makes him/her kinder, more harmonious. There is a general set of cultural values that are mandatory as rules of behavior in society: for example, to give up seats to elders, let women go first... But in general, art is life. There will be no development of civilization without art. Why did they start drawing and painting in the caves?

People even then looked at the stars and wanted to see something that was reflected by their vision on the wall. The stars disappeared in the morning. But a handsome hunter appeared on the wall, a scene from the life of a primitive man.

And these drawings are also admirable.

Many of them are heritage. A kind of museum value.

– What is your current directorial job interesting for?

– In it, as the head, I am self-

works by Chagall, two works by Genin is already a step forward. These names are widely represented in the world's leading museums. And here, in their homeland, still thinly represented...

This is the gap I would eliminate in the first place.

– Could you continue the phrase: "Real fine art is…"

sufficient. I received an education in art and can be on equal footing with any artist, by the way, as well as with the director of the Louvre museum. I feel good in this place. I like working at the museum: I am satisfied with it, I feel very comfortable.

Veniamin Mikheev.

Photo credit: the author.

VENIAMIN MIKHEEV

There is always something to see in the National Art Museum

MOSCOW - Frankfurt RTD: 32 ms Riga Moscow

Minsk Berlin Warsaw

London Frankfurt

MINSK - Frankfurt RTD: 21,2 ms

65 000 km fiber optic line (FOL)

Kiev

MINSK - WARSAW RTD: 6,88 ms

4,4 Tbps backbone network capacity

MINSK - MOSCOW RTD: 9,99 ms

4 Tbps up to 16 Tbps intrazone data network

transit network capability

VOICE SERVICES

IPLC/IEPL

Leased line

termination of international telephone calls to fixed and mobile networks of Belarus

dedicated telecommunication circuits between Belarus and any other country in the world

dedicated telecommunication circuits via the territory of Belarus in the direction of Europe and Russia

own fixed network (4,2 millions of subscribers); direct interconnections with all the belarusian mobile carriers; Toll Free Services (IFS/UIFN/HCD).

from 64 Kbps up to 100 Gbps; SDH/DWDM/MPLS (Ethernet L2, L3 VPN); 24/7/365 (366) technical support; SLA 99,5 and above; low latency and RTD.

the shortest direct route; up to 100 Gbps per line; guaranteed SLA up to 99,9; full geographic diversity option; connection with the largest DCs.

“IN TOUCH WITH THE WORLD” Contact us:

isales@main.beltelecom.by

Sales Department Elena Slabko

Carrier Sales Divission Olga Romaniuk

+375 (17) 217 1260

+375 (17) 217 1242