Time of Visible Aspirations

Time is running fast and nothing can stop it. The closer the Christmas holidays and New Year festivities, the better aware we are getting about the distance we have covered in these twelve months. It is time to sum up the results, both personal achievements and those of the whole country.

Welfare seems the key criterion of the progress the country made in 2005, political, economic, and social. This year the tendency towards a steady growth continued. Journalists were writing about the stability of the financial market, inflation that stayed within the set limits, stable and confident Belarusian ruble. This issue features the article “Gold Reserve”, which focuses on the appreciable growth in the National Bank’s gold and foreign currency reserves. This stock of gold and currency is one of the most effective instruments to manage the money-market of the country.

No great achievement is possible without investments nowadays, however hard the effort of workers. The enthusiasm of the Belarusians is supported by considerable investments that became even heavier in the second half of 2005. The Belarusian-Chinese relations set an excellent example of fruitful investment cooperation. President Alexander Lukashenko’s visit to China resulted in a historic political breakthrough and economic impact on the national economy. On the one hand, Belarusian products have been promoted on the Chinese market, and on the other hand, investments from China are sure to back the Belarusian economic development. The international significance of the visit should also be considered. Belarus has been invited to work in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which opens new opportunities for international cooperation. This country’s work in the scope of such an authoritative organization is an important indicator of Belarus’ potential in the decision-making regarding the world order. To seize this opportunity means to use the huge potential of this country.

This year has been quite remarkable for the cultural life of Belarus. Ksenia Sitnik won Eurovision-2005 song contest among children and turned the traditional contest into a matter of national pride. This victory demonstrated the genuine attention and respect for real talents and the country that brings up such talents, the spirit of the whole nation, especially, of the young.
One year as the whole life. Time is compressed into 365 days, each of which is filled with numerous happenings. This is the time that we are to live in, the time that aims for the future, for 2006.

Viktor Kharkov
Editor of “Беларусь.Belarus”