Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 8 October (BelTA) - The number of tourists from the United States to Belarus has increased by almost 50%, Belarus’ Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei said in an interview with the Belarus 1 TV channel, BelTA informs.

"After the Belarusian president signed the decree on the launch of a 30-day visa-waiver program for citizens of 80 countries, the flow of tourists has been growing constantly. Even the United States charge d'affaires cited the fact that the number of U.S. citizens who have visited Belarus has increased by almost 50% within a short time, literally a few months after the launch of the visa-waiver program. It says a lot,” the minister said.

Vladimir Makei also mentioned the sports theme. An exhibition of sporting achievements of Belarus has opened in the UN headquarters. It has been organized in the run-up to the 2nd European Games which will take place in Minsk next year. “Our goal is to draw the attention of the UN community to the sporting achievements of Belarus and invite everyone to attend the European Games next year. By the way, we will waive visas for all athletes and fans for the period of the games. All the guests are welcome,” Vladimir Makei said.