Belarusian experts perceive this step purely technical, and they believe the authorities of Belarus should not expect any indulgence from Europe.

When commenting the results of the year 2007, the Belarusian authorities proudly stated that Belarus “experienced a breakthrough in international relations”. The independent experts, though, think that it is an overestimation: Belarus had no successes in foreign affairs that year.

Georgian Ambassador David Zalkiliani has arrived in Minsk. He is expected to submit his credentials to the Belarusian president in February, reports Interfax.

Inflation rate growth and energy price increase make Belarus face problems and stress the need of structural market reforms. Annual Transition report 2007 of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development says it.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has warned that Belarus utterly needs to carry out structural reforms amid what is called a deteriorating economic situation, BelaPAN reported.

The Belarusian government and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) have signed a memorandum of understanding on drugs control and crime prevention.

The media subcommittee of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE), at its meeting in Strasbourg on January 24, decided to organize an international conference on the situation regarding Belarus’ independent media.

Mikalay Lazavik, the secretary of Central Election Commission of Belarus, said “the activity of OSCE observation mission leaves a hard after-taste” and two OSCE observers are enough to observe elections in Belarus.

The first session of the Council of Europe’s East European School of Political Studies for Belarus was held in Vilnius between January 18 and 20.

Last year made it possible to reach a new level in Belarus-EU relations, Belarusian Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Popov said on Monday.