Lukashenko: Serbia should not rely on EU

Lukashenko could be far from being a model of democracy, but I can't find anything here what I would not agree with 100%.

Also keep in mind, his foreign policy towards Serbia is more consistent than of Russia. At least, Serbs can visit Belarus without any visa since many years and they are very much respected there.

Otherwise, of course, there are many foreigners from USA and EU who would like to help - but not many with government connections and most of them barely better off than Serbs.

So... thumbs up for Lukashenko on his stance.

Comment number 2. Is there an English language translation for this comment?

1% unemployment?? Who's he kidding? No country in the world that I know of has such low unemployment levels.

But.... Kopoanik. He's 100%right about improving the transport infrastructure. It has such potential, but like 99 things out of 100 in Serbia, it never get's implemented either becuase of ignorance, bureaocracy or corruption.

SERBIA, WHEN ARE YOU GONNA WAKE UP. Such economic potential that is wasted!!!!

Yes, somehow everybody knows this. Belarus, as Serbia, has Russias support and it prospers.

Yes, IMF and the €Urocrats barks from their self-imposed NWO neoliberal straight jackets on how Serbia should strangle itself to death, and Tadic & Co obey.

Serbs keeps dreaming of fast money from Brussels that never will be. More likely fast bombs as in 1999, should Serbia free itself from IMF and follow Belarus and the rest of the non-nwo-worlds path...

Great man, really. The US and EU dreams of bombing him. His system is worse than serbia's under milosevic as it is successful. Less interference I must add, but nonetheless the result is success.

I wonder about the lack of information, demonstrated here by some posters - in particular concerning the 'fantastic' unemployment rate in Belarus.

1) 1,8 million people (which were born in Belarus) are actually living abroad.

2)19% of the (employed) population (4499,8 million) inside Belarus is working in agriculture enterprises, which are property of the state. Aside products, more than 60% of these so-called kolchos enterprises produce massive fincancial losses. On the other side, agriculture is the main sectors, where the Lukashenko regime hides the massive unemployment in rural regions. The real rate of unemploymet in these regions is estimated to be nearly 20 percent. The economic struggles of Russia (the main destination for agriculture exports) causes great concern, especially in rural regions in Belarus. There are hundreds of so-called 'dying villages' without any perspectives for employment for younger people.

2) 95% of the industrial sector in Belarus are owned and controlled by the state. Nobody knows, how much unemployment is hidden in the administration of this sector. The current situation in the Belarusian industrial sector is dramatical, as exports to Russia dropped down in 2008. The general trading balance decreased by 36,9 percent in 2008, the deficit with Russia exploded in the same year by 55 percent.

3) Administrative sector, ideological departments, health care, education, KGB, police, KGB: nobody knows, how much unemployment in Belarus is hidden in this state controlled sector.

All figures are taken from the official statistics site of the Belarusian government http://belstat.gov.by

Where is Belarus?

All figures are taken from the official statistics site of the Belarusian government [link]
(rolerkoster, 7 March 2009 00:45)

Yep, but I don't see anything alarming since mid 2000-s. The break-up of Soviet Union was a disaster for Belarus and it took them 15 years to consolidate. Add some ecological disaster (Chernobyl) as icing on the cake.

Anyone who does visit Belarus can testify, great income differences, rampant corruption, crime, poverty does not exist to the extent it does in Ukraina. I wrote many times, I was told that travel through Ukraina even on transit to Russia having expensive computer equipment is not advised: customs (in Ukrainian they are called "Mitnik" - supposedly rather funny in Serbian, not sure) will ask for baksheesh. No problems with Belarus or Russian customs and better laptops. The (Belgrade)-Budapest-Minsk-Moscow train ticket is roughly 50 Euro more than (Belgrade)-Budapest-Kiev-Moscow ticket, but people say, for peace of mind and to avoid Ukrainian "Mitnica", go via Belarus.

That says much, I think.

BTW: going by car just after the border there is a police stop. No matter what, they will ask 500 Forint for no reason. Than the torture with Ukrainian police continues as long as they see a foreign car.

Yes, somehow everybody knows this. Belarus, as Serbia, has Russias support and it prospers.

Yes, IMF and the €Urocrats barks from their self-imposed NWO neoliberal straight jackets on how Serbia should strangle itself to death, and Tadic & Co obey.

Serbs keeps dreaming of fast money from Brussels that never will be. More likely fast bombs as in 1999, should Serbia free itself from IMF and follow Belarus and the rest of the non-nwo-worlds path...

Where is Belarus?

Lukashenko could be far from being a model of democracy, but I can't find anything here what I would not agree with 100%.

Also keep in mind, his foreign policy towards Serbia is more consistent than of Russia. At least, Serbs can visit Belarus without any visa since many years and they are very much respected there.

Otherwise, of course, there are many foreigners from USA and EU who would like to help - but not many with government connections and most of them barely better off than Serbs.

So... thumbs up for Lukashenko on his stance.

Great man, really. The US and EU dreams of bombing him. His system is worse than serbia's under milosevic as it is successful. Less interference I must add, but nonetheless the result is success.

Comment number 2. Is there an English language translation for this comment?

1% unemployment?? Who's he kidding? No country in the world that I know of has such low unemployment levels.

But.... Kopoanik. He's 100%right about improving the transport infrastructure. It has such potential, but like 99 things out of 100 in Serbia, it never get's implemented either becuase of ignorance, bureaocracy or corruption.

SERBIA, WHEN ARE YOU GONNA WAKE UP. Such economic potential that is wasted!!!!

I wonder about the lack of information, demonstrated here by some posters - in particular concerning the 'fantastic' unemployment rate in Belarus.

1) 1,8 million people (which were born in Belarus) are actually living abroad.

2)19% of the (employed) population (4499,8 million) inside Belarus is working in agriculture enterprises, which are property of the state. Aside products, more than 60% of these so-called kolchos enterprises produce massive fincancial losses. On the other side, agriculture is the main sectors, where the Lukashenko regime hides the massive unemployment in rural regions. The real rate of unemploymet in these regions is estimated to be nearly 20 percent. The economic struggles of Russia (the main destination for agriculture exports) causes great concern, especially in rural regions in Belarus. There are hundreds of so-called 'dying villages' without any perspectives for employment for younger people.

2) 95% of the industrial sector in Belarus are owned and controlled by the state. Nobody knows, how much unemployment is hidden in the administration of this sector. The current situation in the Belarusian industrial sector is dramatical, as exports to Russia dropped down in 2008. The general trading balance decreased by 36,9 percent in 2008, the deficit with Russia exploded in the same year by 55 percent.

3) Administrative sector, ideological departments, health care, education, KGB, police, KGB: nobody knows, how much unemployment in Belarus is hidden in this state controlled sector.

All figures are taken from the official statistics site of the Belarusian government http://belstat.gov.by

All figures are taken from the official statistics site of the Belarusian government [link]
(rolerkoster, 7 March 2009 00:45)

Yep, but I don't see anything alarming since mid 2000-s. The break-up of Soviet Union was a disaster for Belarus and it took them 15 years to consolidate. Add some ecological disaster (Chernobyl) as icing on the cake.

Anyone who does visit Belarus can testify, great income differences, rampant corruption, crime, poverty does not exist to the extent it does in Ukraina. I wrote many times, I was told that travel through Ukraina even on transit to Russia having expensive computer equipment is not advised: customs (in Ukrainian they are called "Mitnik" - supposedly rather funny in Serbian, not sure) will ask for baksheesh. No problems with Belarus or Russian customs and better laptops. The (Belgrade)-Budapest-Minsk-Moscow train ticket is roughly 50 Euro more than (Belgrade)-Budapest-Kiev-Moscow ticket, but people say, for peace of mind and to avoid Ukrainian "Mitnica", go via Belarus.

That says much, I think.

BTW: going by car just after the border there is a police stop. No matter what, they will ask 500 Forint for no reason. Than the torture with Ukrainian police continues as long as they see a foreign car.