Tagged: Belarus

According to Petsinclude, the Government of Belarus is a unitary constitutional republic with the President as the head of state and the Prime Minister as the head of government. The President is elected by popular vote every five years and appoints the Prime Minister, who then forms a cabinet of ministers to carry out government policies and programs. The National Assembly consists of two houses: the House of Representatives, known as Narodnaya Sovet, and the Council of the Republic, known as Sovet Respubliki. The House of Representatives consists of 110 members elected through universal adult suffrage every five years while the Council of the Republic consists of 64 members appointed by the President. Both houses have legislative power over matters that affect all of Belarus such as taxation and public expenditure although only bills passed by both houses become law. The Constitution of Belarus guarantees fundamental rights such as freedom of speech, press, assembly and association as well as protecting religious freedom and equality before law regardless of gender or race. In addition to its unitary system there are also several local self-governing bodies in each region which have their own laws governing local matters such as education, health care, housing and transport. Belarus is a landlocked country located in Eastern Europe, bordered by Russia to the east, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the north. Belarus maintains strong diplomatic relations with its immediate neighbors as well as other countries around the world. In Eastern Europe, Belarus has close ties with Russia. The two countries have a treaty of friendship and cooperation that was signed in 1997. The two countries share a common language and culture as well as many economic ties such as energy resources, transportation networks, and industrial production. Belarus is often seen as an ally of Russia and has supported many of its policies in international organizations such as the UN Security Council. Belarus also maintains close diplomatic relations with Ukraine despite some political differences between them. Belarus also has strong diplomatic relations with its Western European neighbors including Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia. Despite some political differences between them, these countries have maintained friendly ties with each other since gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. In recent years there has been increased economic cooperation between them such as joint infrastructure projects and trade agreements. Belarus also enjoys good diplomatic relations with most other European nations including Germany, France, Italy, Spain etc., while it also maintains close ties to Turkey through increased trade deals since 2018. In North America Belarus enjoys strong diplomatic relations with Canada and Mexico while it has friendly relations with many nations in Asia including China, Japan South Korea etc., through increased trade deals since 2018. The country’s foreign policy seeks to strengthen economic ties with partner nations while promoting regional integration within Europe; participating actively in global efforts to combat climate change; protecting human rights; promoting democracy; engaging diplomatically on international issues; increasing investment opportunities etc. Overall, Belarussian foreign policy is focused on maintaining friendly relations with all nations while promoting regional cooperation within Europe and beyond. See relationshipsplus for Belarus defense and foreign policy.