[106] Neighbouring countries Poland and Lithuania do not recognize Lukashenko as the legitimate president of Belarus and the Lithuanian government has allotted a residence for main opposition candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and other members of the Belarusian opposition in Vilnius. The European Union and the United Kingdom did not recognise the result and the EU imposed sanctions. [246], According to the census of November 2011, 58.9% of all Belarusians adhered to some kind of religion; out of those, Eastern Orthodoxy made up about 82%: Eastern Orthodox in Belarus are mainly part of the Belarusian Exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church, though a small Belarusian Autocephalous Orthodox Church also exists. [184], Belarus's Democracy Index rating is the lowest in Europe, the country is labelled as "not free" by Freedom House,[185] as "repressed" in the Index of Economic Freedom, and in the Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders, Belarus is ranked 153th out of 180 countries for 2022. [17][82][83] The population of Belarus did not regain its pre-war level until 1971. The former Soviet republic was occupied by the Nazis between 1941 and 1944, when it lost 2.2 million. Interaction between public authorities The state authority in the Republic of Belarus is exercised on the basis of separation of powers into legislative, executive and judicial branches. After the failed revolt, the Russian government reintroduced the use of Cyrillic to Belarusian in 1864 and no documents in Belarusian were permitted by the Russian government until 1905. In January 1919 a part of Belarus under Bolshevik Russian control was declared the Socialist Soviet Republic of Byelorussia (SSRB) for just two months, but then merged with the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic (LSSR) to form the Socialist Soviet Republic of Lithuania and Belorussia (SSR LiB), which lost control of its territories by August. Settlements without their own local council and executive committee are called territorial units (Belarusian: ; Russian: ). For the past few years, the Hungarian government under authoritarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbn has overtly courted the American right, wooing the kinds of anti-democratic forces buoying former. [198] Lithuanian authorities and top European officials Ursula von der Leyen, Josep Borrell condemned the usage of migrants as a weapon and suggested that Belarus could be subject to further sanctions. In the years following the union, the process of gradual Polonization of both Lithuanians and Ruthenians gained steady momentum. Much of the northern section of this area was added to the Byelorussian SSR, and now constitutes West Belarus. Typically, Belarusians eat a light breakfast and two hearty meals later in the day. We do not recognize him but we must deal with him", U.S. no longer recognizes Lukashenko as legitimate president of Belarus, "Belarus election: UK refuses to recognise result and demands international investigation into 'grisly repression' of protests", "Canada denounces Lukashenko's inauguration in Belarus, preparing sanctions over human rights violations", "U.S., EU Sanction Belarus in Coordinated Western Action", "Britain and Canada impose sanctions on Belarus leader Lukashenko", "Ukraine conflict: UK sanctions Belarus for role in Russian invasion", "EU bans 70% of Belarus exports to bloc with new sanctions over Ukraine invasion", "Could Russia's Reliance on Belarus be its Soft Underbelly? [177], Most of Belarus's service members are conscripts, who serve for 12 months if they have higher education or 18 months if they do not. [195], On 23 May 2021, Belarusian authorities forcibly diverted a Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius in order to detain opposition activist and journalist Roman Protasevich along with his girlfriend; in response, the European Union imposed stricter sanctions on Belarus. [244] Gomel, with a population of 481,000, is the second-largest city and serves as the capital of the Gomel Region. As an OSCE member state, Belarus's international commitments are subject to monitoring under the mandate of the U.S. Helsinki Commission. [73][74] Nonetheless, compared to the (larger) Ukrainian minority, Belarusians were much less politically aware and active, and thus suffered fewer repressions than the Ukrainians. [40], From 5000 to 2000 BC, the Bandkeramik predominated in what now constitutes Belarus, and the Cimmerians as well as other pastoralists roamed through the area by 1,000 BC. [120], Belarus lies between latitudes 51 and 57 N, and longitudes 23 and 33 E. Its extension from north to south is 560km (350mi), from west to east is 650km (400mi). The title, "Socialism Is the Best Prophylaxis," comes from a statement made by Dr. Maxim Zetkin (1883-1965), the son of the communist and international women's rights activist Clara Zetkin . ", "Belarus Economic Crisis Deepens as Currency Plunges", "Security Council Press Statement on Minsk Bombing | Meetings Coverage and Press Releases", "Belarus's Protests Aren't Particularly Anti-Putin", "Protests in Belarus continue despite challenger's departure", "Belarus asks Lithuania to extradite opposition leader Tsikhanouskaya", "Lithuania to Belarus: 'Rather watch hell freeze over' than deliver Tsikhanouskaya", "Headquarters of Tsikhanouskaya, Coordination Council and National Anti-Crisis Management", "Belarus protests: Why Poland is backing the opposition", "Belarus opposition leader: Foreign mediation may be needed", "El Pais interview with HR/VP Borrell: "Lukashenko is like Maduro. The Belarusian leader pointed out that NATO was quickly building up forces on the border with Belarus in Poland and in the Baltic countries Read more Moscow-Kiev talks to begin at 12:00 Moscow . Among the parties supportive of Lukashenko are the Communist Party of Belarus (KPB), a successor of the monolithic ruling Communist Party of the Soviet era; the Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus; and the Agrarian Party. Communist domination ended in 1990, when Bulgaria held its first multiparty election . [219] The country relies on Russia for various imports, including petroleum. [41] The region was first permanently settled by Baltic tribes in the 3rd century. Xi, C hina's most powerful figure in decades, has no formal role in the National People's Congress, which will convene a meeting of its . It was published in Prague and Vilnius sometime between 1517 and 1525, making it the first book printed in Belarus or anywhere in Eastern Europe. Under the 1994 constitution, the president could serve for only two terms as president, but a change in the constitution in 2004 eliminated term limits. The official version of events as publicised by the Belarusian government was questioned in the unprecedented wording of the UN Security Council statement condemning "the apparent terrorist attack" intimating the possibility that the Belarusian government itself was behind the bombing. [103] Around the same time the 2011 Minsk Metro bombing occurred in which 15 people were killed and 204 were injured. [206] The Regions are further subdivided into 118 raions, commonly translated as districts (Belarusian: ; Russian: ). Having fought on the losing side in both World Wars, Bulgaria fell within the Soviet sphere of influence and became a People's Republic in 1946. [248] Roman Catholicism is practiced mostly in the western regions, and there are also different denominations of Protestantism. However, it was short-lived as the communist rule and later the Nazi occupation of Belarus would suppress the freethinking writers of Belarus and force many into leave the country. American taxpayers still give money to Communist China for. [73][74] The polonization drive was inspired and influenced by the Polish National Democracy, led by Roman Dmowski, who advocated refusing Belarusians and Ukrainians the right for a free national development. [151], In the 2006 presidential election, Lukashenko was opposed by Alaksandar Milinkievi, who represented a coalition of opposition parties, and by Alaksandar Kazulin of the Social Democrats. [170] Belarus also has strong ties with Syria,[171] considered a key partner in the Middle East. [236][237] A new currency, the new Belarusian ruble (ISO 4217 code: BYN)[238] was introduced in July 2016, replacing the Belarusian ruble in a rate of 1:10,000 (10,000 old ruble = 1 new ruble). Formerly Communist countries (by current name): Formerly part of the Soviet Union: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. Belarus has so far won five medals (two silvers and three bronzes) at the 2nd edition of the Children of Asia Games. Albania country profile 16 January Albania is a small, mountainous country in the Balkan peninsula, with a long Adriatic and Ionian coastline. [266] The National Academic Theatre of Ballet in Minsk was awarded the Benois de la Dance Prize in 1996 as the top ballet company in the world. The experts also received reports of violence against women and children, including sexual abuse and rape with rubber batons. MOFA condemned the Chinese Communist Party's "continuous spread of false statements" and its practice of forcing other countries to agree with its claims. Ukrainian lands used them until 1860s. Then Came the Crackdown", "Modest Advances in US-Belarus Relations", "Belarus Democracy Act Will Help Cause of Freedom, Bush Says", "China's Xi promises Belarus $1 billion in loans", "China, Belarus agree to upgrade economic ties", "Syria and Belarus agree to promote trade", "Belarus-Syria report substantial progress in trade and economic relations", "Membership of the Republic of Belarus in International Organizations", "Growth in United Nations membership, 1945present", "Military Development and the Armed Forces of Belarus", "NATO Council adopted individual partnership program with Belarus", "Nato and Belarus: partnership, past tensions and future possibilities", "Lukashenka promises "serfdom" in villages", "Paszczyzna u ukaszenki. The Soviets invaded and annexed much of eastern Poland, which had been part of the country since the Peace of Riga two decades earlier. Ever since the emergence of statehood in the territory of Belarus and up to the end of the 18th century, the country belonged to the Western, rather than Eastern, tradition of Christianity.. MINSK, March 1. In 1939, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union invaded and occupied Poland, marking the beginning of World War II. The depreciation was even steeper on the black market and financial collapse seemed imminent as citizens rushed to exchange their rubles for dollars, euros, durable goods, and canned goods. The present borders of Belarus were established during the turmoil of the World War Two. The directives, part of a 3,500 . [134], The term for each presidency is five years. [256] Belarusian, although not as widely used as Russian, is the mother tongue of 53.2% of the population, whereas Russian is the mother tongue of only 41.5%.[255]. Despite significant efforts, the state ceased to exist, primarily because the territory was continually dominated by the German Imperial Army and the Imperial Russian Army in World War I, and then the Bolshevik Red Army. Belarusian language was banned in schools while in neighboring Samogitia primary school education with Samogitian literacy was allowed. During that time, 209 out of 290 towns and cities were destroyed, 85% of the republic's industry, and more than one million buildings. [48] During this time, the duchy was involved in several military campaigns, including fighting on the side of Poland against the Teutonic Knights at the Battle of Grunwald in 1410; the joint victory allowed the duchy to control the northwestern borderlands of Eastern Europe. Two years later the so-called Milk War, a trade dispute, started when Russia wanted Belarus to recognize the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and through a series of events ended up banning the import of dairy products from Belarus. Beltelecom owns all the backbone channels that linked to the Lattelecom, TEO LT, Tata Communications (former Teleglobe), Synterra, Rostelecom, Transtelekom and MTS ISPs. Covering an area of 207,600 square kilometres (80,200 sq mi) and with a population of 9.2 million, Belarus is the 13th-largest and the 20th-most populous country in Europe. [272], Belarusian cuisine consists mainly of vegetables, meat (particularly pork), and bread. [164] Travel bans imposed by the European Union have been lifted in the past in order to allow Lukashenko to attend diplomatic meetings and also to engage his government and opposition groups in dialogue. Most major Belarusian banks are also under restrictions. It is time to fight back against communism. [263] The free development of literature occurred only in Polish-held territory until Soviet occupation in 1939. [222] In 2005, GDP increased by 9.9%; the inflation rate averaged 9.5%. The Head of State is the President of the Republic of Belarus. Treaties in 1995 and 1996 demarcated Belarus's borders with Latvia and Lithuania, and Belarus ratified a 1997 treaty establishing the Belarus-Ukraine border in 2009. [160], The union of Russia and Belarus, a supranational confederation, was established in a 199699 series of treaties that called for monetary union, equal rights, single citizenship, and a common foreign and defense policy. Northern Bulgaria attained autonomy in 1878 and all of Bulgaria became independent from the Ottoman Empire in 1908. 1921 - The Treaty of Riga divides Belarus between Poland and Soviet Russia. Receiving heavy sponsorship from the government, ice hockey is the nation's second most popular sport after football. Belarus rarely receives much media attention in the West, but it has long been subjected to political interference from its neighbors, the USA, and the European Union. The welcoming ceremony also included the anthems of the two countries and the honor guard march. The Belorussian senior group earned bronze at the 2012 London Olympics. [44] The Battle on the Nemiga River in 1067 was one of the more notable events of the period, the date of which is considered the founding date of Minsk. [252], Belarus was once a major center of European Jews, with 10% of the population being Jewish. The contested lands were divided between Poland and the Soviet Union after the war ended in 1921, and the Byelorussian SSR became a founding member of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in 1922. [178] Demographic decreases in the Belarusians of conscription age have increased the importance of contract soldiers, who numbered 12,000 in 2001. [65], The Belarusian People's Republic was the first attempt to create an independent Belarusian state under the name "Belarus". Except for China, the numbers for most comrades are weak in GDP as well as human development see Belarus, North Korea, Cuba, Vietnam, Laos, and Venezuela. The national awakening in today's Belarus is especially striking because it is taking place in a country that had previously clung to the traditions, symbols, and narratives of the USSR with more enthusiasm than any other former Soviet republic. Lukashenko was officially re-elected in 2001, in 2006, in 2010, in 2015 and again in 2020, although none of those elections were considered free or fair nor democratic.[91][92][93][94][95][96][97][98][99][100]. For criminal cases, the highest court of appeal is the Supreme Court. Belarus has competed in the Olympic Games since the 1994 Winter Olympics as an independent nation. [223] Several state holidays, such as Independence Day and Victory Day, draw big crowds and often include displays such as fireworks and military parades, especially in Vitebsk and Minsk. [222] In 1994, Belarus's main exports included heavy machinery (especially tractors), agricultural products, and energy products. It existed from only 1918 to 1919 but created prerequisites for the formation of a Belarusian state. THE DECISION by Alexander Lukashenko, the president of Belarus, to force a passenger flight from Greece to Lithuania to land in Minsk, his country's capital, in order to arrest a journalist on. The Zarubintsy culture later became widespread at the beginning of the 1st millennium. Employment is also high in agriculture, manufacturing sales, trading goods, and education. [85][86], By the late 1980s, political liberalization led to a national revival, with the Belarusian Popular Front becoming a major pro-independence force. Belarus is also known for its strong rhythmic gymnasts. [261] The modern era of Belarusian literature began in the late 19th century; one prominent writer was Yanka Kupala. People with old Belarusian national flags shout during an opposition rally in August in Minsk, Belarus. In: Zeitschrift fr Slawistik 45 (2000), 200214. Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. [79] Most of Western Belarus became part of the Reichskommissariat Ostland in 1941, but in 1943 the German authorities allowed local collaborators to set up a client state, the Belarusian Central Council. The law was compared with serfdom by Lukashenko himself. [citation needed]. [38][39] The etymology of the word Gudija is not clear. [239][240], The banking system of Belarus consists of two levels: Central Bank (National Bank of the Republic of Belarus) and 25 commercial banks. [123][124] The country lies within two ecoregions: Sarmatic mixed forests and Central European mixed forests. It was the last Soviet republic where the communist economic system worked and it was also the most militarized. It has been run by authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko since 1994. [90], Mass protests erupted in April 1991 and became known as the 1991 Belarusian strikes. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko believes that his country will develop more intensively under a strong China, the BelTA news agency reported. Average Belarusians still remember his heyday - and the pledges that never came through. ", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Belarus&oldid=1141790380. ), 2005. MOSCOW Not so long ago, the image of Belarus was of a peaceful, if tightly controlled, former Soviet republic, squeezed between Poland and Russia. After the World War, most literature focussed on war-related topics. Although Belarus is now an independent nation, it is also an isolated dictatorship that has in some ways remained unchanged since the 1990s, and is largely seen both culturally and. [130][131], Belarus borders five countries: Latvia to the north, Lithuania to the northwest, Poland to the west, Russia to the north and the east, and Ukraine to the south. [210][211] The councils are elected by their residents, and have executive committees appointed by their executive committee chairs. Since 2004, Belarus has been sending artists to the Eurovision Song Contest. [122] Three major rivers run through the country: the Neman, the Pripyat, and the Dnieper. ", "The Russo-Polish Historical Confrontation", "Belarusian": UCLA Language Materials Project, , "Europe's Last Dictatorship Is Opposed by the Oldest Exiled Government in the World", "War, Population Displacement and State Formation in the Russian Borderlands 19141924", "Stosunki polsko-biaoruskie pod okupacj sowieck (19391941)", Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin, "Andrei Gromyko Dies, Was Soviet Diplomat for 50 Years", "Belarus: Five things you may not know about the country", Republic of Belarus Presidential Election 19 March 2006: OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission Report, "Statement of Preliminary Findings and Conclusions", "Standing up for Free and Fair Elections in Belarus", Belarus election 'neither free nor fair,' says UN human rights expert, "Belarus poll workers describe fraud in Aug. 9 election", "Lukashenka vs. democracy: Where is Belarus heading? As of March 2022, countries or regions subject to U.S. sanctions (either unilaterally or in part) include Afghanistan, the Balkans, Belarus, Burma, Central African Republic, Cuba, Democratic. Belarus is the only country after Pakistan to have its relationship with China described that way. Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe.It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Angela Davis, 79, was . [62][63] Immediately afterwards, the PolishSoviet War ignited, and the territory of Belarus was divided between Poland and Soviet Russia. NATO used to be much smaller, and it is only since the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the break up of the Warsaw pact, the communist equivalent to NATO, that the organisation swelled its. He spent the World War I years in Soviet Belarus, becoming one of the country's most distinguished artists and a member of the modernist avant-garde and was a founder of the Vitebsk Arts College. Under Lukashenko, Belarus has been considered an autocracy where power is ultimately concentrated in the hands of the president, elections are not free and judicial independence is weak. [231], The labor force consists of more than four million people, among whom women hold slightly more jobs than men. The unemployment rate has been in decline since 2003, and the overall rate of employment is the highest since statistics were first compiled in 1995. China is one of the few remaining Communist countries. The defense of Brest Fortress was the first major battle of Operation Barbarossa. Jahrhundert. In 2015, 39.3% of Belarusians were employed by state-controlled companies, 57.2% were employed by private companies (in which the government has a 21.1% stake) and 3.5% were employed by foreign companies. Numerous Belarusian players are present in the Kontinental Hockey League in Eurasia, particularly for Belarusian club HC Dinamo Minsk, and several have also played in the National Hockey League in North America. [125], Many streams and 11,000 lakes are found in Belarus. [245], Like many other Eastern European countries, Belarus has a negative population growth rate and a negative natural growth rate. [232] The ruble was reintroduced with new values in 2000 and has been in use ever since. Belarus, by constitution, is a presidential republic with separation of powers, governed by a president and the National Assembly. He garnered 45% of the vote in the first round and 80%[89] in the second, defeating Vyacheslav Kebich who received 14% of the vote. The present borders of Belarus were established during the turmoil of the World War Two. [73][74] In 1935, after the death of Pisudski, a new wave of repressions was released upon the minorities, with many Orthodox churches and Belarusian schools being closed. Each region of Belarus has developed specific design patterns. [174] Belarus is included in the European Union's Eastern Partnership program, part of the EU's European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), which aims to bring the EU and its neighbours closer in economic and geopolitical terms. The incumbent regime, steered for the past twenty years by de facto dictator Alexander Lukashenko, is arguably more centralized than the one in Moscow. Beltelecom is the only operator licensed to provide commercial VoIP services in Belarus. [122] About 70% of the radiation from neighboring Ukraine's 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster entered Belarusian territory, and about a fifth of Belarusian land (principally farmland and forests in the southeastern regions) was affected by radiation fallout. Darya Domracheva is a leading biathlete whose honours include three gold medals at the 2014 Winter Olympics. [82], After the war, Belarus was among the 51 founding member states of the United Nations Charter and as such it was allowed an additional vote at the UN, on top of the Soviet Union's vote. There were 679,000 unemployed Belarusians, two-thirds of whom were women. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is in the midst of a three-day visit to Beijing to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping . [89] Stanislau Shushkevich, the chairman of the Supreme Soviet of Belarus, met with Boris Yeltsin of Russia and Leonid Kravchuk of Ukraine on 8 December 1991 in Biaowiea Forest to formally declare the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the formation of the Commonwealth of Independent States.[89]. We were very nervous . [47] Of the principalities held by the duchy, nine of them were settled by a population that would eventually become the Belarusians. [261], The last major revival of Belarusian literature occurred in the 1960s with novels published by Vasil Byka and Uladzimir Karatkievich. [258] The government's Ministry of Culture finances events promoting Belarusian arts and culture both inside and outside the country. Ella Reeve Bloor was one of the founders of the Communist Labor Party of America, a predecessor of the Communist Party of the USA, and a tireless labour organiser during the Great Depression. The transformation of the ex-Soviet forces into the Armed Forces of Belarus, which was completed in 1997, reduced the number of its soldiers by 30,000 and restructured its leadership and military formations. [166][167] Diplomatic relations remained tense, and in 2004, the United States passed the Belarus Democracy Act, which authorized funding for anti-government Belarusian NGOs, and prohibited loans to the Belarusian government, except for humanitarian purposes. Belarus is not in the European Union (EU). [142], Lukashenko has been frequently described as the "last dictator" in Europe in media. [196] In May 2021, Lukashenko threatened that he will flood the European Union with migrants and drugs as a response to the sanctions. The Americans and British feared. [241], According to the 2019 census the population was 9.41 million[242] with ethnic Belarusians constituting 84.9% of Belarus's total population. The Statutes were initially issued in the Ruthenian language alone and later also in Polish. By one hypothesis the word derives from the Old Prussian name Gudwa, which, in turn, is related to the form udwa, which is a distorted version of Sudwa, Sudovia. eligowski later in his memoir which was published in London in 1943 condemned the annexation of the Republic by Poland, as well as the policy of closing Belarusian schools and general disregard of Marshal Jzef Pisudski's confederation plans by Polish ally.[68]. In 2011, Belarus suffered a severe economic crisis attributed to Lukashenko's government's centralized control of the economy, with inflation reaching 108.7%. [224], In the 1990s, however, industrial production plunged due to decreases in imports, investment, and demand for Belarusian products from its trading partners. Beijing's economic plan has implications beyond business and trade, according to Harley Seyedin, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in South China. [123] The city of Minsk is split into nine districts and enjoys special status as the nation's capital at the same administration level as the oblasts. Yet another hypothesis is based on the idea that Gudija in Lithuanian means "the other" and may have been used historically by Lithuanians to refer to any people who did not speak Lithuanian.
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