High-tech outsourcing is one of the most dominant trend in today’s economy, but few would associate it with Belarus, better known for its heavy machinery exports than IT experts. read more

Last week Mikalai Statkievich, a former presidential candidate, stated from prison that the Belarusian opposition needs to choose a single candidate for the presidential election from a pool of people with serious politically-motivated convictions. His comments come a year before the presidential read more

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko says he will work on an urgent cease-fire plan aimed at defusing the separatist conflict in the country's east following talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. read more

On 26 August, Minsk was the centre of attention for the international community, attracting hundreds of international reporters to capital city. The Belarusian authorities hosted a meeting between the Eurasian "troika", the Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko and three EU commissioners. read more

Earlier this month, Aliaksandr Lukashenka noted that, during his presidency, the Belarusian prison population has halved. He stressed that despite its dictatorship label, Belarus does not “throw everyone in prison.” read more

On 11-12 August the Belarusian authorities announced three upcoming legislative initiatives – all intended to complicate the life of state officials. read more

Some observers anticipate a big change in the European Union's policy regarding Belarus following the forthcoming talks on the Ukraine crisis scheduled to take place in Minsk on August 26, while others are skeptical. The importance of the Customs Union-Ukraine-EU summit should not be overestimated. read more

Russia’s embargo on food supplies from several countries will boost exports of dairy and meat products from Belarus. read more

Earlier this month, Russia introduced a full embargo on imports of meat, fish, dairy, fruit and vegetables from the European Union (EU), United States, Australia, Canada and Norway. read more

Without any loud political rhetoric to bolster the Belarusian army, it has nonetheless gradually developed from an appendage cut off of the huge Soviet military into an army more adapted to the needs and capacities of a 9.5-million nation. read more

The Belarusian authorities are taking a pro-active role in resolving the crisis in eastern Ukraine in order to limit ‘western’ participation in the negotiation process and to increase the Customs Union ‘Troika’s’ role. read more

Last year the Ostrogorski Centre launched its Belarus Profile web site. Since then the database of the most influential Belarusians has become an increasingly popular source of biographical information. read more