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Minsk, Paris discuss opportunities THIS ISSUE: for cooperation Minsk, Paris discuss opportunities for cooperation in business, ecolo- gy ...... 1 in business, ecology Belarusian Ambassador to Pavel Latushko informed the Mayor's Office for the assistance in Belarus to take remaining batch of Pavel Latushko met Paris Mayor adviser about the the preparation of a series of con- obsolete pesticides to France for with Aurelien Lechevallier, forthcoming presentation of Bela- certs of young musicians, students Diplomatic Adviser to the rus at the Paris Chamber of Com- of the gymnasium-college of the disposal ...... 1 Mayor of Paris, to discuss op- merce and Industry and the region Belarusian State Academy of Mu- portunities for mutually bene- Ile de France. He also briefed the sic, in the French capital in Octo- Belarus plans to dispose of mercury ficial cooperation between official on the Embassy's activities ber 2016. He also said that the -based pesticides soon ...... 2 Minsk and Paris on 24 August, aimed at promoting Belarusian 500th anniversary of the Belarus- BelTA learned from the Bela- culture and increasing its exposure ian book printing will be celebrat- Ozone layer draws attention ...... 2 rusian Embassy in France. to the residents of Paris, including ed in 2017 under the UNESCO the first Belarusian Music Seasons auspices. In this regard, the Bela- ...... 3 Support for small and medium- arranged in cooperation with the rusian Embassy is planning a Bear’s corner in reserve sized business, waste treatment, French-Belarusian Association Life number of activities in the French water purification, and combating in Music. capital. Tourists from 28 countries visit Be- air pollution are promising areas of cooperation between the two The Belarusian diplomat thanked BELTA, lovezhskaya Pushcha visa free .... 4 25.08.2016 cities, Aurelien Lechevallier said. the representative of the Paris Visa-free travels to three more na- ture reserves in Belarus under con- sideration ...... 4 Belarus to take remaining batch Good deeds unite caring people ...... 4 of obsolete pesticides Belarus to host birding champion- ship Birdrace 2016 ...... 5 to France for disposal Voices are heard within the rushes The last 26 tonnes of pesticides for tackling unused hazardous position, including mercury. All this ...... 5 from the storage site in the chemicals in the former Soviet made the site potentially danger- village of Mizgiri, Grodno Ob- Union.‖ The project is financed by ous to human health and the envi- last will be taken to France for the European Union and the World ronment, especially in the case of Strong motivation to change city disposal by 20 August, BelTA Food and Agriculture Organization an emergency. life for kitchen gardenl ...... 5 learned from the press service of the United Nations (FAO). The of the Ministry of Natural Re- grant allocated to Belarus for this The FAO held an international Mobile carrier launches Belarus' sources and Environmental project was more than €560,000. tender. The French company Protection. TREDI was selected as a contractor largest solar power plant ...... 6 ―The main objective of the project for the removal of obsolete pesti- ―The remaining 26 tonnes from the was to eliminate one of the most cides. From March to July 2016 the Eco-friendly transport plan ...... 6 storage site in the village of Mizgiri troubled storage sites of obsolete company removed 258 tonnes of will be taken to France for disposal pesticides in Belarus – the tempo- obsolete pesticides and destroyed IAEA mission to assess regulatory by 20 August. Thus, thanks to the rary storage site located in the them in a specialized treatment infrastructure in Belarus on 2-14 grant given to Belarus by the Euro- village of Mizgiri, Slonim District, facility in France. ―Another 26 pean Union and FAO, Belarus will Grodno Oblast, which contained tonnes of wastes with a high con- October ...... 6 clean out another site of hazardous over 310 tonnes of hazardous tent of mercury, the destruction of wastes,‖ the Ministry of Natural waste. This site stored the obso- which is currently impossible in Moving to the fifth level ...... 7 Resources and Environmental lete pesticides extracted as a re- Europe, were removed and placed Protection said. sult of the elimination of the Slo- at a secure storage site in Novo- Belarusian Energy and Ecology nim pesticides landfill,‖ the press grudok District, Grodno Oblast. At In March 2014, the Ministry of Forum to take place in Minsk on 11 service informed. last, the remaining 26 tonnes will Natural Resources and Environ- be taken to France by 20 August,‖ -14 October ...... 7 mental Protection launched a pro- The storage site was located less the press service informed. ject of international technical as- than 600 meters away from the sistance ―Improving capacities to nearest settlement, the village of eliminate and prevent recurrence Mizgiri, and the pesticides kept BELTA, of obsolete pesticides as a model there had complex chemical com- 8.08.2016 P. 2 NEWS & EVENTS IN BELARUS

Belarus plans to dispose of mercury-based pesticides soon

Some €200,000 will be allocated to remove then they could put several types of waste into the pesticides kept there had complex chemical mercury-based pesticides from Belarus one container. As we continue repacking such composition, including mercury. All this made the soon, Belarus' Minister of Natural Resources waste, we will take samples and identify mercury- site potentially dangerous to human health and and Environmental Protection Andrei Kov- containing pesticides. They will be gradually re- the environment, especially in the case of an khuto told reporters, BelTA has learned. moved from the country,‖ he said. emergency.

GREEN BELARUS ―The problem with pesticides in Belarus is man- The Minister of Natural Resources and Environ- The FAO held an international tender. The French ageable. It is not pressing. With regards to the mental Protection mentioned the joint project of company TREDI was selected as a contractor for future plans, I can say that first we will remove international technical assistance ―Improving the removal of obsolete pesticides. From March to mercury-based pesticides. Approximately capacities to eliminate and prevent recurrence of July 2016 the company removed 258 tonnes of , 2016 €200,000 will be allocated for these purposes obsolete pesticides as a model for tackling unused obsolete pesticides and destroyed them in a spe- shortly,‖ the minister said. The project will be hazardous chemicals in the former Soviet Union‖. cialized treatment facility in France. Another 26 implemented with the help of the UN Food and Launched in 2014, it is nearing completion. The tonnes of mercury-containing waste, the destruc- Agriculture Organization (FAO). First, Belarus will project is financed by the European Union and the tion of which is currently impossible in Europe,

AUGUST remove 26 tonnes of pesticides with high mercury UN Food and Agriculture Organization. The grant were removed and placed at a secure storage site

content from Novogrudok District which were allocated to Belarus for this project was more in Novogrudok District, Grodno Oblast. At last, formerly stored near the village of Mizgiri, Slonim than €560,000. the remaining 26 tonnes will be taken to France District. by 20 August. The project was aimed at eliminating one of the № 8 (35), ―The volume of mercury-based pesticides in Bela- most troubled storage sites of obsolete pesticides Today there are approximately 10,000 tonnes of rus exceeds 26 tonnes,‖ said Andrei Shakhemi- in Belarus – the temporary storage site located in pesticides in Belarus. The country has already rov, the head of the state ecological examination the village of Mizgiri, Slonim District, Grodno eliminated three underground storage sites of department of the Ministry of Natural Resources Oblast, which contained over 310 tonnes of haz- obsolete pesticides.

and Environmental Protection. ―But we cannot say ardous waste extracted as a result of the elimina- the exact numbers because the pesticides are not tion of the Slonim pesticides landfill. The storage BELTA, identified in our country. The repackaging process site was located less than 600 meters away from 11.08.2016 was conducted since the early 1990es, and back the nearest settlement, the village of Mizgiri, and OZONE LAYER DRAWS ATTENTION

Alexander Krasovsky, a candidate of physical and technical sciences multifunctional PION-UF spectroradiometer, placed on the roof, is a com- and senior researcher at the National Scientific and Research Centre for plex geophysical instrument used in Antarctica. The latest photometer Ozone Sphere Monitoring, within the PION-F is established nearby, measur- Belarusian State University, is con- ing the level of ultraviolet radiation vinced that extreme weather is directly and general ozone concentration. It‘s related to the ozone layer in the upper completely autonomous and solar atmosphere. In constant motion, yes- powered, transmitting data via Wi-Fi terday‘s ‗hole‘ can become a ‗thick and mobile. pillow‘, affecting the lower tropo- ―Several years ago, we established a sphere, where warm and cold air similar device at Naroch, and it masses are formed, and where cy- showed us much of interest, including clones and anticyclones are born, caus- data proving that UV levels there are ing abnormal weather: a hurricane in different from those in Minsk. Due to a Minsk, breaking trees like matches; a more transparent atmosphere and storm in Rostov crashing a plane; or a water surface levels of sun exposure flood in . being higher, you‘re more likely to tan The international community has there. Biologists have discovered that, already recognised that the ozone layer if the amount of ultraviolet radiation of the stratosphere is a vital climatic increases, biological processes change factor worldwide, absorbing solar emis- in natural waters. Having asked us to sions, and protecting life on Earth. The help them with research, we‘ve devel- thinning of this layer, and the appear- oped a device for measuring levels of ance of ozone holes, is an issue requir- ultraviolet rays in water. Data was ing consolidated effort. collected from a number of lakes in Belarus has acceded to the Vienna Naroch and we found a significant Convention for the Protection of the amount of biologically active ultravio- Ozone Layer but, rather than paying an annual fee in foreign currency, we let, at a depth of 15 metres. are doing our part by conducting scientific investigation into the ozone PION-F is already installed in Gomel, and similar devices will soon layer: a mission performed by the BSU Centre. Research is being conduct- appear across all regional centres, sending information to the BSU Centre. ed not only in Belarus but in Antarctica, during seasonal Belarusian expe- Like other countries, it can then pass this on to the World Ozone and ditions. Much information and knowledge has already been gathered. Ultraviolet Radiation Data Centre. Maps reflecting the current situation in ―We believe that having a thick ozone layer is no better than having the ozone layer, over both hemispheres, are being created. little,‖ says Alexander Krasovsky. ―Recent hazardous weather in Minsk The Deputy Director of the Centre, candidate of physical and mathe- and other cities occurred despite there being quite a lot of ozone above matical sciences, Alexander Svetashov, shows us his monitor: light areas us. We numerically simulated the infamous weather situation in Rostov, are ozone holes, which migrate constantly. On June 25th, there was a and found a large amount of ozone and tropopause (the transition layer ‗tongue‘ that stretched from the Baltic to the Black Sea, over Belarus. On between the troposphere and stratosphere); this another day, it moved eastwards. The thinner the literally ‗crushed‘ the lower layers of air.‖ layer, the more UV penetrates, causing not only He continues, ―A low, unsteady jet stream sunburn but cataracts, lens opacity and melano- appeared that hit a ‗Boeing‘. We used to think that mas. Meanwhile, dark areas of dense ozone can all weather was ‗cooked‘ in the surface layer, ‗crush‘ the tropopause and cause extreme weath- while the stratosphere, with its ozone, was rela- er. The picture is ever changing. tively stable. All weather models rested on the The Centre is investigating these processes and tropopause, and everything above was not taken can predict how the situation will develop, includ- into account. However, satellite monitoring and ing calculation of the UV index. Such data should- advanced computing technologies have changed n‘t be ignored. Long ago, WHO recognised that our way of seeing things. At the Climate Assembly ultraviolet radiation can contribute to various in New Zealand, in January 2014, it was clearly diseases, especially now, when holidays in distant stated that the upper atmosphere cannot be ig- hot countries have become so popular. The UV nored. The atmosphere is solid and, if there are index, which gives some indication of danger, changes, they occur through the entire depth. denotes that a level of 0 to 2 requires no protec- We‘re now developing a mechanism to look at how tion. A level of 6-7 requires protective clothing, the ozone affects regional weather conditions.‖ sunglasses and sunscreen, while 8-10 is danger- Experts believe that binding of weather condi- ous, so that staying indoors is advised. Vietnam, tions to the ‗ozone picture‘ is about timing. Ozone so popular recently among tourists, showed an concentration in the surface layer, in the upper extreme index of 12 in July, while Greece was atmosphere, as well as ground-level UV radiation, given a level of 10, and of 9. Taking into is daily measured at the National Scientific and account the ability of ultraviolet radiation to Research Centre for Ozone Sphere Monitoring at weaken the immune system, we should think the BSU, using devices created there. For example, a unique instrument twice about vacation destinations. High indices are sometimes registered for measuring surface ozone, TrIO, provides benchmark data. The hydro- in Belarus; at the end of June, the level was 8, while July had levels of meteoservice, which also monitors this parameter, periodically checks its between 3 and 7. You can monitor the situation at www.ozone.bsu.by.

data against that provided by TrIO. Accuracy is important, since this sub- The Minsk Times, stance is among the six most dangerous to health. The fully authormated 24.08.2016 P. 3 NEWS & EVENTS IN BELARUS http://novostienergetiki.ru/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/solnechnaya-elektrostanciya-v-Yakutii.jpg

Bear’s corner in reserve MT reporter looks for bears in the fantastic torway linking Minsk and Vitebsk that runs Alexey tells me, ―Our forest flies are aggressive. wild forest through the reserve (for about 20km).‖ Let‘s ride towards the edge of the reserve, and we‘ll show you Umka.‖ “Oh, don’t turn around!” smiles the Director This is, of course, very interesting, but where are of Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve, Andrey the bears that tourists from various corners of Umka is a domesticated four-year-old she-bear. Prokoshin. Bears are, perhaps, more afraid of the world yearn to see, just waiting for a signal She‘s such a beauty! She moves about her enclo- GREEN BELARUS us than we are of them. About twenty are from Berezinsky Reserve to head for a ‗bear trip‘? sure, eating oranges, throwing the peel towards known to live in the wild in Belarus, but the gate. She doesn‘t pay attention to visitors. about 35 reside in the reserve, where they’re ―We‘re the only place in the country that has Having enjoyed her fruit, she switches to a more comfortable. organised bear watching in the wild,‖ my guides substantial meal. At one end of the enclosure is a , 2016 tell me. ―Specialists say that such tours are only bowl of bread; a bowl filled with water is at the ―Look at this ant hill near the road!‖ notes An- arranged in a handful of places worldwide. Last opposite end. Umka picks a loaf of bread with her drey, showing me that a bear has been ravaging year, we tested a special observation platform, claw and then takes it to the water bucket, where it. ―The creature was caught in the act during from which we guarantee seeing a bear. This she first soaks the bread, then eats it. If the loaf daylight, showing its confidence. Our driver, AUGUST year, we‘ve received about twenty requests from dissolves, she collects the pieces out of the wa- Sergey Krasnov, was tourists and professional ter, using her paw as a scoop. After do so with passing by, and saw the photographers. Regret- the first loaf, she repeats again with the next. bear near this ant hill. tably, we can‘t expand Alexey knows that it‘s impossible to resist the Sergey rushed home, the ‗audience‘, as this

№ 8 (35), beauty of the bear. took his child and his isn‘t a zoo, and animals camera and, when he shouldn‘t be disturbed ―Umka receives all the berries we confiscate from returned, the bear was too often. How do we poachers, alongside other tasty foods. You should still eating, enjoying its attract bears to arrive at see her holding a bunch of blueberry plants, meal. They managed to the right place at the eating berry by berry, leaving none on the take many pictures.‖ right time? It‘s a secret, stems.‖ but a whole number of I look at the half-ruined factors are important. It‘s clear to see the affection of staff at the re- ant hill and feel aston- Many have tried, but serve, who‘ve raised the bear from infancy. ished at the bear‘s cour- only we have succeed- How did Umka come to be in a forest zoo, and age: he was sitting exact- ed.‖ ly below a road sign indi- why isn‘t she in the wild? It‘s an interesting, yet cating Kraitsy village, ―Here‘s the watch tower sad, story. A cat-sized bear appeared near one of next to the lovely wooden forestry office building. over the windfall. A storm broke many trees, the villages, near Lepel. It frightened people, who Quite audacious! leaving some lying on the ground, and others thought that the bear mother would soon come broken in the middle. Some are torn from the for her cub. They called rescuers, but the little ―They are so relaxed,‖ notes the Head of the ground by the root. The forest is starting to re- bear was scared and returned to the forest. After Tourism Department, Alexey Rimsha, joining our cover, but birches and aspens are growing in- a couple of days, it came back, starving and conversation. ―The reserve is their home. Recent- stead of coniferous trees. These wilds are impass- weak. Most likely, it had lost its mother. The bear ly, a bear came to the village, and broke into a able even for elks, but it‘s a perfect location for was taken to the district inspectorate for natural beehive right there; it wanted to take another bear dens. The raspberries they like so much resources, where it was kept in the head‘s room into the woods but something deterred it and he abound here,‖ my guides reveal. while authorities sought a place for it. The deci- left it on the road. Camera traps in the forest sion was taken quite soon as, within half a day, caught a huge bear taking a dead elk out of the We ride further, and I find that the deep forest Umka began nibbling a table and a chair. Ecol- water; it spent the week feeding on it.‖ ends. We enter Postrezhye. Once, long ago, a ogists called the reserve and requested that it village stood here. It was devastated twice. Dur- take the hooligan bear. However, the cub was Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve staff speak of the ing the war, the Nazis burnt it down, together still of an age when it should have been suckling bears almost as pets. I‘m curious to know who with sixty inhabitants. Later, it was rebuilt but, in its mother‘s milk, so it fell ill. The whole staff was rules the reserve: staff or bears. 1979, the area was awarded the status of a bio- involved in caring for the animal, with people ―The bears, of course,‖ smiles Mr. Prokoshin, sphere reserve, and economic activities were cooking decoctions and porridges, using a baby‘s without hesitation. ―This is a sanctuary: a pro- banned at the heart of it. Postrezhye dwellers had bottle to feed the cub, and walking it on a leash. to move away. Now, only apple orchards remain, tected area. There‘s no other place like this in the ―Umka recovered quite country. Our mission is to observe and protect, wild, ghost-like outlines of former estates. soon and, whenever without interfering in inner forest affairs. As an she saw trees, she exception, we‘ll show you a real bear corner, and An unusual log house would climb them. The you‘ll see that humans had better keep away. towers above: a bear- leash was of no use Entry is usually strictly forbidden.‖ watching platform. when she had to be I‘m intrigued. On either side of me is wilderness. Regrettably, there‘s no taken off the tree, so We‘re moving along a narrow forest path, ap- sense watching for people did it with their proaching a checkpoint. In front of a wooden them at noon. They bare hands. The bear, bridge, over a forest river, there‘s a traffic control come to feed from the however, clearly un- barrier with a big padlock. I‘m told that only a field planted especially derstood that her new few employees at the reserve have keys. Among for them at dawn and caretakers were not them are researchers who conduct their studies dusk. However, I can her mother. She would here without disturbing forest inhabitants. The view the surroundings scratch and bite,‖ reserve, where nature evolves according to its from a height. Andrey recollects. ―I decided to find new special laws, poses many surprises to scientists. ―A she-bear with three For instance, entomologists have discovered hosts for her. At the cubs is our main star,‖ says Alexey. ―Tasty apples time, we were already keeping an old bear several new beetle species, unknown before. One grow here and, last autumn, I saw, with my own has been named after researcher Alexander named Mashka, and a second animal was too eyes, a cub climbing the apple tree and banging much for us. When staff members heard about Lukashuk, who discovered it. Not so long ago, it, to get the apples to fall onto the ground, like a Polish specialists (researchers from various coun- those plans, they all came to me asking not to naughty boy. He threw fruit down to where his give Umka away. They had become attached to tries often come to the reserve) also discovered mother and two more cubs were standing. They several species, new both for the reserve and for the animal, so I had to give in and build a new picked it up and gobbled the apples down. Later, enclosure.‖ Belarus. after ‗dessert‘, they came to feed on the crops. ―The forest is fantastic, holding so many myster- All were standing on two paws, watching the The reserve boasts hundreds of interesting sto- ies,‖ asserts the Director of the reserve. ―It‘s hard territory. It was an adrenaline rush to observe.‖ ries. You might think that it‘s dull to be in the forest but its secrets are only revealed to those to believe, but more than twenty wild orchid I wish I could see it myself. species grow here, including the very rare Lady‘s who are dedicated. More than 40,000 tourists come to Berezinsky Reserve every year, and Slipper. Recently, yet another orchid was found, ―All right, let‘s walk along the bear path, at least many find a common language with nature. They unique for Belarus: Ophrys insectifera, the fly you‘ll see the prints,‖ Mr. Prokoshin replies, see- return, exchanging the comforts of a prestigious orchid. It‘s incredibly beautiful, resembling a ing my thirsty look. butterfly. There are also predator plants, such as sea resort for the tranquillity of Berezinsky Bio- sundew, trapping flies and mosquitos. Tourists I eagerly agree but, after a few minutes, I feel sphere Reserve. Bears don‘t mind having nature- can see all this walking along the eco-path. We too weary. The horse-flies here, in this realm of loving guests. have an array of guided tours, but non- primeval nature, are huge, buzzing into my hair supervised visiting of the forest isn‘t allowed. It‘s in large clouds. If I stop, enormous red ants BELTA, even forbidden to stop along the part of the mo- creep into my open-toed shoes. 31.08.2016 P. 4 NEWS & EVENTS IN BELARUS

TOURISTS FROM 28 COUNTRIES VISIT BELOVEZHSKAYA PUSHCHA VISA FREE

Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park has already been visit- skaya Pushcha attracts tourists from Poland and Germany. Citizens of ed visa-free by tour- France, Lithuania, and Latvia also come there to see the beauty of the ists from 28 coun- park. Among the park visitors are also representatives of exotic countries tries, BelTA learnt such as Indonesia, Morocco and the Philippines. Foreign tourists can stay from head of the on the territory of Belovezhskaya Pushcha for the period of up to three

GREEN BELARUS tourist department of days. Prior request is needed to cross the border. Tourists may cross the the national park border on foot or by bike. ―The majority opt for bicycle routes. Oksana Bogaleisha. Foreigners choose a visiting program independently and pay for it via Visa-free entry to the Internet. They mainly order a set of services which include an excur-

, 2016 Belovezhskaya Pushcha sion around the park, museums of nature and ethnography, open-air for foreigners was intro- cages with animals and Father Frost's Residence,‖ Oksana Bogaleisha duced in June 2015. said. In January-July 2016 the national park was visited by more than Over the time more 210,000 people. than 4,000 foreign tour-

AUGUST BELTA,

ists paid a visit to the national park via the border checkpoint Pererov-Bialowieza. Belovezh- 12.08.2016

№ 8 (35), Visa-free travels to three more nature reserves in Belarus under consideration The Natural Resources and Environmen- reserves Kotra – Chapkelyai, Richi – Silene tal Protection Ministry suggests intro- and Braslav Lakes – Augsdaugava.‖ ducing visa-free travels for tourists will- ing to visit another three transboundary Andrei Kovkhuto also reminded about the nature reserves. Belarusian Natural creation of the new transboundary route Resources and Environmental Protection Along the Secret Locations of the Lake District Minister Andrei Kovkhuto made the that will go through territories in Belarus and statement during the joint session of Russia. The route is supposed to include sev- the boards of the Natural Resources and eral national parks at once such as Braslav Environmental Protection Ministry and Lakes, Narochansky, Smolensk Lake District, the Sports and Tourism Ministry on 25 Sebezhsky, and the Berezinsky Biosphere August, BelTA has learned. The session Reserve. If all of them are included, the route was focused on developing ecological will be 500km long for tourists. tourism in Belarus. As of 1 July 2016 Belarus had 1,275 protected The official said: ―Developing transboundary ecological tourism is im- territories, including the Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve, four national portant as well. Such ecological routes in the national park Belovezhskaya parks (Belovezhskaya Pushcha, Braslav Lakes, Pripyatsky, and Narochan- Pushcha have been available for quite some time now. Tourists, who trav- sky), 98 reserved forests of national importance, 275 reserved forests of el in the Belarusian part of this forest, can visit the Polish part, too, pro- municipal importance, 329 natural landmarks of national importance, and vided they have Schengen visas. Apart from that, tourists can visit Be- 568 natural landmarks of municipal importance. lovezhskaya Pushcha without visas for up to 72 hours since 2015. Taking into account this positive experience, it would be a good idea to consider BELTA, waiving visas for tourists, who intend to visit the transboundary nature 25.08.2016 GOOD DEEDS UNITE CARING PEOPLE Minsk Times The girls are laughing and needs an individual approach, so handling two reporter visits shel- stroking the faces of those dogs with absolutely opposite characters is quite ter for homeless pressing their faces to the a challenge. dogs and shares fence. Yet, I‘m not complaining. As we walk, I begin impressions We enter the building, to understand what makes the volunteers return. It’s 6pm. We inside of which are various Standing here, by a small pond, with a couple of pass yellow fields posters giving detailed adorable animals, I‘m thinking that kind deeds and woodland in the instructions. Even the unite people. It‘s such a special feeling. Here, car. There are five most inexperienced, like you‘re showing love for animals in a special way. of us: two guys and myself, can become useful Later, we let the dogs run in the inner court- three girls. Vika, my helpers if they follow the yard, to let off more steam before going to sleep. guide, left work guidelines. There‘s protec- I chat with Vika and learn more about the shel- some half an hour tive footwear to put on and ter‘s inhabitants. There are so many sad and ago and won’t be torches for the dark, as terrifying stories; some dogs were thrown out, home until mid- well as dozens of leashes some were beaten, and the masters of some night. hanging from hooks. attempted to get rid of their pets in radical ways. Volunteering is Two of the girls head for It‘s a hot summer evening, yet I‘m feeling chills rarely easy, provoking the kitchen, to prepare all over my skin. the question as to why people do it. What satis- medicines for sick ani- When it‘s dark, we sit at faction do they really gain? Those who volunteer mals, clean cages, pre- the table with a cup of at the Hope Dog‘s Home tend to post a great deal pare foods and wash the tea. It‘s unusually quiet on social networks, to raise awareness of what dogs‘ dishes. We‘re going outside; no barking can they do and why. to be busy, and won‘t see be heard. All are resting, Nastya tells me, ―When I first came here, I each other again until on warm dry bedding, saw how happy the animals became to see peo- towards the end of the after a generous portion ple; I realised that they waited for us, not only shift. Meanwhile, Vika of fresh air and food. We because we feed them and walk them, but be- gives me a couple of discuss the events of the cause they want love. Every visit is a small feast. leashes and I head to the day, dress to leave, and After that, I can‘t help but go regularly.‖ cages. take our seats in the car. Anya adds, ―Perhaps, some wonder why we Each dog reacts in its Once the engine starts, a spend our free time on a shift at the shelter in- own way, some being multi-voiced choir breaks stead of going with friends to a café. It‘s lovely to delighted to see a new the silence. ―They‘re relax and have fun but, sometimes, you want to person yet to be licked, asking us to stay,‖ our do something which matters beyond yourself. others cautious, some driver explains. Volunteering gives the opportunity to do so.‖ indifferent. Vika enters the enclosure with the But we have to go, as It‘s a 50km drive but doesn‘t take long at a leashes while I hold the most of us are busy speed of 100 km/h on the motorway. In half an door to prevent the dogs tomorrow. However, we hour, we reach our destination: an isolated farm- from escaping. Then, I know that the animals stead surrounded by a green, ribbed fence, from take the leashes and go out to walk the dogs. It‘s will be all right, because there are always people which we hear loud, excited barking. Vika opens the best way to get to know them. Bari is naugh- to look after them. the gate and enters first. I follow the girls. Behind ty and stubborn, while Silva is full of energy, and The Minsk Times, the fence is a building and several enclosures of Chernushka is dignified and unhurried. Each 24.08.2016 dogs, jumping, roaring and staring at the arrivals. P. 5 NEWS & EVENTS IN BELARUS http://novostienergetiki.ru/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/solnechnaya-elektrostanciya-v-Yakutii.jpg BELARUS TO HOST BIRDING VOICES ARE HEARD WITHIN CHAMPIONSHIP BIRDRACE 2016 THE RUSHES Number of aquatic war- record-keeping ever. We once Belarus will play host to the chance of spotting the dunlin, curlew blers counted on Dikoe marsh- recorded 1,500 males, but now birdwatching championship sandpiper, little stint, ruddy turn- es, in Belovezhskaya Pushcha have fewer than 200. It‘s impossi- Birdrace 2016 on 3 September, stone, red knot, bar-tailed godwit, Only males can be count- ble to say that the number has BelTA learned from the public sanderling, and other species,‖ rep- fallen, as the population has been association APB BirdLife Belarus. resentatives of APB BirdLife Belarus ed, since females do not sing, GREEN BELARUS stable for the last ten years. Tru- said. or make themselves otherwise “We invite everyone inter- visible. In all, 170 male aquat- ly, we‘ve improved our counting ested in birds to take part in the Last year, the winner team spot- ic warblers were counted, methods, giving us more exact 13th open birdwatching champi- ted as many as 112 bird species. ―In known to sing from May until figures.‖ onship Birdrace 2016. The com- 2014, the best result was 120 spe-

, 2016 August, while the females Dikoe marshes cover more petition will be traditionally held cies, which is the current record for nurture their young. than 23,000 hectares; however, on the first Saturday of Septem- Belarus,‖ the specialists noted. National Park ornithologist monitoring has shown that only ber. The task of each four- APB BirdLife Belarus is the big- around a thousand are suitable member team is to spot as many Anton Kuzmitsky tells us that gest non-governmental environmen- aquatic warblers were last count- for aquatic warblers‘ nesting. This bird species as possible within tal organization in Belarus and the AUGUST season, counting of the rare bird 12 hours from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. ed on Dikoe marshes in the late national partner of the world's larg- 1990s, then in 2007, and in 2013. also took place on Servech We invite bird enthusiasts from est nature conservation partnership marshes, in the Vitebsk Region, around the world to participate He comments, ―It‘s remarkable BirdLifeInternational. It has 3,500 that all other birds sing in the where specialists counted 57 in the tournament held once a members and associates, some 120 singing males. In 2017, other year,” the organizers said. morning and are silent in the № 8 (35), school clubs and 14 offices across evening, while the aquatic war- territories of nesting aquatic war- They explained that September Belarus. The public association aims bler, on the contrary, sings in the blers will join the programme. is a period of active bird migration to protect biodiversity and engage evening. An hour before sunset, Incredibly, about half of the world over the territory of Belarus. the public in nature conservation we sent a group of volunteers to population of this bird lives on ―Therefore, it is possible to see both activities. Belarusian marshes. count males. The group then

our birds that have not left for the verified the data. This summer, tropics yet and northern bird species BELTA, The Minsk Times, 29.08.2016 we achieved the most complete 24.08.2016 transiting over Belarus. There is a STRONG MOTIVATION TO CHANGE CITY LIFE FOR KITCHEN GARDEN

About 24m people live in remote turn to their former level. Shanghai — the most densely popu- While some people are keen to remain in lated city in the world. Urbanisation cities, others are moving to rural homes, is happening everywhere — in some down-sizing and leaving the ‗rat race‘, places quicker than others — and reducing their pace of life. Photographer our country is no exception. Alexey Piskun is one such, having moved Some cities are growing faster, to a village, from Minsk, at the age of and others slower, but urbanisation 30. He tells us, ―Friends say that life is an unstoppable force. The Nation- begins in Minsk. For me, it began in the al Statistical Committee of the Re- village.‖ Alexey‘s girlfriend, Yulia Bon- public of Belarus notes that internal dar, was easy to persuade to fall in with migration from villages to cities has the plan. They looked at various unsuit- been a long-term trend. Its Depart- able houses in several villages before ment of Demographic Statistics spotting one in Losk, in the Volozhin counted 7,325,000 urbanites and District, which caught their eye. In fact, 2,156,000 villagers in 2015: 77 per- it was only when they made enquiries cent and 23 percent of the popula- that they found its owners were amica- tion respectively. In comparison ble to the idea of selling, and it became with the previous year, the number theirs. of villagers fell by 37,500, while Yulia and Alexey have made their home urban living gained 50,000 resi- comfortable and are planning an agro- dents. estate. They assert that there‘s always Naturally, towns offer more facili- lots to do, but are superstitious regard- ties: schools, polyclinics and shopping ing giving too much away. There are centres. However, rapid urbanisation also generates problems, placing a always employment opportunities in cities, but there‘s no need to be idle strain on services. Natalia Porechina, with water-resources management in the countryside. Alexey notes, ―We‘re fond of ethnography, so we want at the Centre for Ecological Solutions, tells us, ―The larger the city, the to give our estate Belarusian motifs and themes. We expect to have our greater volume of natural resources it consumes; 60 to 80 percent of all first visitors in a month‘s time.‖ world energy is consumed by cities, which are centres for manufacturing Yulia, having taught singing in Minsk, plans to offer lessons in her as well as residence. This brings increased concentration of water and air new rural home. As the village is just 85km pollution, affecting public health, so we need to from Minsk, she‘s sure that Minsk residents will pay attention to ecological environmental ef- readily take trips to Losk. The new ‗Volozhin fects.‖ Gostinets‘ cycle route is soon to run by, so cy- She believes that those living in districts clists will, no doubt, stop to sleep, enjoy a meal, with high transport-industrial pressure and few or repair their bicycle. Yulia and Alexey are buffer zones between industrial and housing looking forward to welcoming people. areas are most ‗at risk‘. Ms. Porechina recom- Many others are following the same path as the mends considering proximity to industry and young couple, seeking fresh air and a return to busy roads when buying an apartment, advising nature. Rural living isn‘t as basic as it once was that suburbs tend to be cleaner than the centre of course. Vitebsk resident Raisa Knurova is of the city. Of course, commuting to your place renting a house in a pretty village for the sum- of work is tiresome. The rhythm of life can be mer. She tells us, ―It takes me an additional maddening, with busy traffic, crowds of faces, hour to travel to work, but I can eat my own advertising and high noise levels. greens from the garden. My vegetables are To feel more ‗at one‘ with nature and pre- always fresh and are organically grown. I‘m serve your health, it‘s good to travel out of the getting to know my neighbours and, unless I city each summer. Annually, there has been a have a change of heart, plan to move here trend for the purchase of rural ‗get-a-ways‘, permanently.‖ although fewer this year. The National Cadas- House prices are modest. In the Vitebsk Re- tral Agency states that very few new houses gion‘s Detkovtsy village, in the Braslav District, purchases were made in the Minsk Region of a single-storey wooden house of 45 square late, with buyers tending to choose unfinished metres, with a plot of 2,500 square metres, projects or those needing renovation (up by 37 costs $7,000. It‘s hard work to grow your own percent). In May, demand for such properties vegetables, but very rewarding, as psychologist exceeded that of newly constructed homes Anzhelika Stankevich underlines. She advises, almost 20-fold. Experts believe that falling ―Consider everything: if you make a decision in prices for building materials and services may the heat of the moment, or from curiosity, you be at the heart of the trend; also, people have may quickly regret it. Townspeople used to realised that it‘s cheaper to work on an unfinished or shabby house than noise and attention may feel melancholy and lonely at first, so shouldn‘t to buy something new. choose the most remote villages. Rather, select one where relatives or The greatest number of purchases in May was in this segment. In the friends live, for support. Decide in advance how you‘ll earn your living. village of Valerianovo, near Borovlyany, a two-storey unfinished building Farming and creativity requiring solitude can be strong motivations for with a footprint of 368sq.m recently sold for Br4.6 billion. Meanwhile, a rural living.‖

173.5sq.m new home, with land of 8,500 square metres, was purchased The Minsk Times, for Br3.5 billion in the village Gaishche, near Khatezhino. Experts believe 31.08.2016 that prices will gain more equilibrium when building material prices re- P. 6 NEWS & EVENTS IN BELARUS MOBILE CARRIER LAUNCHES BELARUS' LARGEST SOLAR POWER PLANT The Belarusian mobile carrier velcom allow Belarus to save at least 7,000m3 of natural Over 730km of cables are used to connect all has launched the country's largest solar gas. the equipment inside the solar power plant. power plant in the town of Bragin, the com- The solar power plant has been commis- Velcom has also built a 4.5km high-voltage pow- pany's press service told BelTA. sioned ahead of schedule. The project was im- er line with 22 electric poles and a transformer The solar power plant occupies a terri- plemented four months ahead of the time speci- to connect the facility with the Bragin electrical

GREEN BELARUS tory as large as 60 football fields. Its out- fied by the investment agreement in order to substation. Modern materials and equipment put would be sufficient to power all the catch as many sunny summer days as possible. made by foreign and Belarusian manufacturers street lights in Minsk at night. The power have been used to build the solar power plant Velcom's solar power plant is now the largest and the connecting power line. plant has been built not far from Bragin and one in the country in terms of the size and out- represents an example of the alternative The solar power plant is expected to bring , 2016 put capacity. The power plant occupies over development of Chernobyl-affected territo- 41ha and can produce 18.48MW. The facility life to the territories affected by the Chernobyl ries. relies on 85,000 solar panels that convert solar disaster and become an example of how polluted As much as €24 million has been invested in radiation into direct-current electricity. This lands can be used for a profit and benefit the the project. The solar power plant will beef up electricity is fed to 617 inverters to become local economy. Local contractors will be invited to provide maintenance services.

AUGUST the country's energy security by reducing its alternating current. A number of power trans-

dependence on hydrocarbon raw materials. Eve- formers increase voltage up to 110kV in order to BELTA, ry hour of the solar power plant operation will feed electricity into the national power grid. 19.08.2016

№ 8 (35), ECO-FRIENDLY TRANSPORT PLAN

Vehicles on the road annually increasing in number, with over 4 ing to Olga Prudnikova, who heads the Production and Technical Board at million now keeping urban streets and highways busy, and leaving Belenergo State Production Association, an extensive network of stations is more than 90kg of harmful emissions per capita planned, for use by private and public transport. Actually, in recent years, the number of harmful emissions from this Some may be sceptical, but think how we once felt on the introduction source of pollution is falling. According to Sergey Novoselov, who heads the of mobile phones. Within five years, we may feel the same about electric Labour Safety and Eco-logy Department of the Belarusian Research Insti- transport. China, the EU, and the USA are already investing in this sphere, tute of Transport Transtekhnika (BelNIIT), promoting sales via preferential purchase between 2010 and 2014, emissions fell by 6.5 terms, for example, free parking and free percent (by 881,000 tonnes), despite the recharging. Such vehicles are also given their number of vehicles having risen. This has own lane, and are exempt from ecological tax. become possible, since engines are now more These all sound very attractive. What can be eco-friendly, comments Mr. Novoselov, with offered in our country? So far, the only move domestic enterprises manufacturing buses Belarus has made to make electro-transport operating to at least EURO-4 standards. ―The attractive is the possibility of duty-free import. same refers to fuel. Domestic producers now There is also huge scope to develop urban produce competitive goods which enjoy popu- cycling in our country, with 1.5 million people larity abroad. It‘s very important that they reporting using a cycle. The number has emit less sulphur and are easily finding a mar- grown since even five years ago but, as Mr. ket abroad too,‖ he said. Novoselov admits, cycling is considered to be Nevertheless, there is some way to go a pastime for teenagers, rather than a viable before alternative fuels (such as na-tural gas and electricity) dominate. method of transport for working adults. This year, the Minsk bus fleet has received ten gas-fuelled buses, with Major cities do need to take action to avoid pollution from transport emissions (according to experts) half that of petrol vehicles. Which figures emissions, and to take measures to limit noise (traffic noise comprises 60- do they refer to? For every thousand litres of liquid oil motor fuel, between 80 percent of all urban noise at present). Innovative transport can improve 180kg and 300kg of carbonic oxide is released, alongside 20kg-40kg of the situation but what can be done with constantly growing number of hydrocarbons, and 25kg-45kg of nitrogen oxide. cars? Nevertheless, it may be still some time before we notice a difference in A way-out of the situation may be the limiting of the number of cars air quality of ci-ties. with access to central city locations, as in London for instance (where a Electro-buses are still at pre-production stage, with some privately congestion charge deters unnecessary road usage). owned models operational, alongside several arriving into the country via The so-called ‗modal shift‘ involves transferring passenger traffic from an international technical assistance project — ‗Supporting the Transition to personal to public transport, via motorists leaving their cars at designated a Green Economy in the Republic of Belarus‘. Meanwhile, Belkommun- parking sites. Moscow is already seeing success with this approach. mash‘s two Е433 buses will appear in Minsk in late 2016, with eighteen Are we ready to rely more on buses and trams? It‘s still a big question. more by 2018. However, Mr. Novoselov says, ―Buses use five times less energy per pas- Electro-transport is being hailed as the wave of the future, with Lithua- senger than a personal car; trams and the metro use ten times less. Devel- nia having received 30 million Euros from the EU to develop its electric opment of public and green transport (via bicycle infrastructure) will solve fleet. Estonia, which has already completed such kind of programme, now problems of cleanliness of air and traffic jams.‖ He argues that we don‘t has a thousand electric cars and a hundred charging stations. need new highways, we need alternative solutions. Of course, once Belarus‘ nuclear power station launches, there will be Belarus-Magazine, little difficulty in finding electrical capacity for recharging stations. Accord- 15.08.2016 IAEA MISSION TO ASSESS REGULATORY INFRASTRUCTURE IN BELARUS ON 2-14 OCTOBER

A mission of the International Atomic Nuclear Research Institute Sosny of the National safety regulations are detected was also dis- Energy Agency (IAEA) will work in Belarus Academy of Sciences of Belarus. This is why Go- cussed. on 2-14 October for the sake of reviewing satomnadzor will invite foreign experts from the ―The organizations and officials, whose work the regulatory infrastructure (Integrated regulatory bodies of Armenia and Russia to evalu- we oversee, have to understand that any viola- Regulatory Review Service). The IAEA mis- ate the institute's compliance with licensing re- tions will entail decisive enforcement action in sion will analyze the compliance of the Bela- quirements and conditions. accordance with the law,‖ stated Belarusian First rusian system designed to regulate nuclear Gosatomnadzor will also have to prepare for Emergencies Minister Vasily Stepanenko. and radiation safety with the agency's rec- exercising oversight functions during the commis- ommendations, BelTA learned from repre- Participants of the Ministry's board session sioning phase of the Belarusian nuclear power discussed and adopted Gosatomnadzor's strategic sentatives of the Communications and Public plant. Information Office of the Nuclear and Radia- plan for 2016-2020, the strategy for enhancing tion Safety Department (Gosatomnadzor) of The creation of an integrated Gosatomnadzor oversight functions, managing knowledge and the Belarusian Emergencies Ministry after management system in compliance with IAEA analyzing probabilities from the safety point of the latest session of the Ministry's board. safety norms will remain high on the agenda. view. These documents stem from the experience According to the source, participants of the accumulated by creating the nuclear and radiation Gosatomnadzor head Olga Lugovskaya out- safety regulatory infrastructure in Belarus, rec- lined the Department's near-term priorities. session of the Ministry's board discussed coordi- nation of oversight efforts at the construction site ommendations of foreign and international ex- Among other things the Department will focus on perts, the IAEA's current requirements for nuclear preparing for licensing the operation of the first of the Belarusian nuclear power plant. Oversight will be considerably beefed up. At present nine and radiation safety regulatory agencies. power-generating unit of the Belarusian nuclear power plant, including an evaluation of its safety government agencies, including Gosatomnadzor, perform these functions. The application of legis- BELTA, parameters. The evaluation will be carried out by 5.08.2016 the licensed agency — the United Energy and lation when violations of nuclear and radiation NEWS & EVENTS IN BELARUS

Moving to the fifth level

Union State continues work on overcoming three institutions are hosting patients: the Nikifo- consequences of Chernobyl accident rov Russian Centre of Emergency and Radiation Overcoming the consequences of the Cher- Medicine of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of nobyl accident is a mutual problem and concern of Russia in St. Petersburg; the Medical Radiological the Union State. Belarus and Russia have been sol- Scientific Centre named after A.F. Tsyba (a branch SUPPLEMENT “NEWS & ving this challenging task together for 20 years. of the Federal Medical Research Centre named after P.A. Hertsen of the Ministry of Health of Rus- At RSPC for Radiation Medicine and Human EVENTS IN BELARUS” sia in Obninsk); and the Republican Scientific and Ecology in Gomel, doctors use the most modern Practical Centre for Radiation Medicine and Human equipment TO THE DIGEST Ecology in Gomel. This year, the fourth ‗Chernobyl‘ programme The new programme focuses on further is completed, with the fifth soon to launch, cover- “GREEN BELARUS”. develop- ing the http://ecoinfo.bas-net.by/ecology-belarus/ ment of a ecology_news_in_Belarus.html period up s i n g l e to 2021. C h e r n o - Its draft The supplement was established byl regis- c o n c e p t ter, de- in 2013 as an informational and was con- veloping sidered at educational resource that can be methods a session freely accessed by all users inter- a n d of the c r i t e r i a ested in ecology and environmen- Co m m it - for iden- tee of the tal problems. t i f y i n g P a r l i a - r i s k m e n t a r y It is a digest of the most im- g r o u p s , Assembly and for portant news and events. of the i m p l e - Union of men t in g B e l a r u s the latest and Rus- s p e c i a l - sia re- Published once a month. ized and g a r d i n g h i g h - e c o l o g y , technolo- n a t u r a l gy medi- res ou rc e cal aid. m a - SUPPLEMENT "NEWS & EVENTS IN BELARUS" Methodo- nagement l o g i c a l TO THE DIGEST “GREEN BELARUS” and rectification of the consequences of the acci- approaches to treatment and rehabilitation should dent. Held on June 28th, at Zhodino‘s RUE be the same. It‘s time to create a single list of ‗Research and Practical Centre of the National diseases which have emerged because of radiation Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Belarus for ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION from the accident. The Belarusian list has 18 ail- Arable Farming‘, it was attended by the Deputy ments, while the Russian has 150. CENTER "ECO-INFO" State Secretary of the Union State, Ivan Bambiza. Parliamentarians have approved the idea of CENTRAL SCIENTIFIC LIBRARY NAS BELARUS Drawing conclusions regarding this year‘s creating a single code of foodstuffs, paying special achievements, it was noted that not all organiza- HTTP://ECOINFO.BAS–NET.BY attention to food for children. The new programme tions have taken a responsible approach towards includes measures to produce foods able to im- carrying out of the planned tasks. Rospotrebnad- prove the health of those living with the conse- № 8 (35), zor, Minselkhoz and the Federal Medical-Biological quences of exposure to Chernobyl radiation. Nutri- Agency of Russia have already fully used funds AUGUST, 2016 tional quality depends on soil fertility and the level allocated for the first half-year, while the Ministry of applied technologies, so scientists have devel- of Emergency Situations of Russia has used 79.4% oped 70 fertilisers, taking into account various of its allocated budget. The Ministry of Emergency needs. We need to accelerate their introduction, to REPRINT WITH REFERENCE TO GB Situations of Belarus has used 72.7%. Meanwhile, minimise the presence of radionuclides in food. the Ministry of Health of Russia and Rosleskhoz are yet to implement any plans. The new programme also stipulates devel- LEAVES IN ENGLISH opment of fo-restry, to provide effective protection Mr. Bambiza has asked that the situation be from forest fire, and increase the level of radiation brought into hand, with chiefs hindering the pro- protection for forestry workers, and the public, cess admonished. He states that regulations must INTERNET-BULLETIN while using contaminated forest territories more be ‗accurately carried out‘. HTTP://ECOINFO.BAS-NET.BY/ECOLOGY- effectively. Automated, remote controlled vehicles The main message of the new programme are one way forward. BELARUS/ECOLOGY_NEWS_IN_BELARUS.HTML was read by the Chairman of the Committee of the Mr. Bambiza urges a responsible approach, Parliamentary Assembly, Ale-xander Popkov, stat- saying, ―We don‘t need the programme for its own ing that public health is of paramount importance. The room contains materials prepared by sake. We shall move forward.‖ The draft concept of This year alone, 809 Russians and Belarusians the new programme will be ready by September the news agency correspondents BELTA, exposed to radiation as a consequence of the Cher- 1st of this year.

Belarus-Magazine , The Minsk Times. nobyl NPP accident will receive medical aid, funded from the Union State budget. Belarus-Magazine, 9.08.2016 WORKED ON THE PRODUCTION OF: In accordance with the Union programme, IMPORTANT NOT TO BE LATE WITH DISCOVERIES TARASEVICH A.A. Belarusian Energy and Ecology Forum LAPITSKAYA G.I. DESIGN AND LAYOUT: GORODKO Y.M. to take place in Minsk on 11-14 October

The 21st Belarusian Energy and Ecolo- organization of bilateral energy forums. The Bela- gy Forum will take place in Minsk on 11-14 rusian-German Energy Forum will be a one-day October, BelTA learned from Zhanna event timed to the international expo Energy Expo Zenkevich, Press Secretary of the Belarusian 2016. Energy Ministry. The energy and ecology forum is supposed "Eco-Info" CSL NASB The Belarusian Energy and Ecology to highlight modern achievements of science and Address for correspondence: Forum will include the 21st international technology in the area of power engineering, Surganova, 15, of. 501 specialized expo Energy. Ecology. Energy energy saving, environmental protection, and the 220072 Minsk, Belarus Saving. Electro, the 11th specialized expo use of renewable energy sources. Every year the

e-mail: [email protected] Water and Air Technologies, the 12th spe- forum is hailed as a unique venue for a meeting of Website: http://ecoinfo.bas-net.by/ cialized lighting equipment expo ExpoSvet, energy industry specialists, ecologists and other Twitter: https://twitter.com/Green_Belarus the 2nd international specialized expo and specialists from Belarus, CIS and non-CIS states. Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CSL.by conference Expogorod, and the 21st Belarus- The forum contributes to the expansion of cooper- Tel.: +375 (17) 284 14 96 ian Energy and Ecology Congress. ation, exchange of cutting-edge scientific accom- Apart from that, the fifth Belarusian- plishments and innovative projects.

German Energy Forum will take place in Minsk on BELTA, 11 October to continue the tradition of successful 17.08.2016