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 Belarus |  Israel |
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Belarus and Israel established diplomatic relations in 1992. In 1947, Belarus (then known as the Byelorussian SSR) voted in favor for the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine. Belarus operates an embassy in Tel Aviv, while Israel operates an embassy in Minsk. Around 130,000 Belarusian citizens immigrated to Israel during the 1990s under the Law of Return.
Jews have been living in Belarus for more than six centuries and are an integral part of the ethnic structure of the Belarusian society. The first and the third President of the State of Israel, Chaim Weizmann and Zalman Shazar, Prime Ministers Menachem Begin, Yitzhak Shamir, Shimon Peres, who served as prime minister and president, one of the pioneers of the revival of the Hebrew language Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, the artist Marc Chagall and many other famous Jewish figures, were born in what is today Belarus. On the territory of the BSSR during the Second World War, about 800,000 Jews were killed. [1] [2] At the moment, 676 Belarusians have been recognized as - Righteous Among the Nations, who hid Jews during the war. [3]
Nowadays about 130,000 immigrants from Belarus live in Israel. The number of Jews living in Belarus is considered to be around 30–50,000. However, the number of Belarusians with Jewish descent is assumed to be higher. [4]
During the 1990s, around 130,000 Belarusian citizens made aliyah to Israel. [5]
In November 2022, Belarus was one of 52 countries that abstained on a United Nations General Assembly resolution requesting an International Court of Justice opinion on Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories. [6] [7]
Following the 2023 Israel-Hamas war, the Belarusian government called for restraint and dialogue by both parties. [8] President Alexander Lukashenko criticized claims that Russia and Belarus had benefited from the situation through attention shifting away from the Russo-Ukrainian War, instead suggesting that the United States was the beneficiary of the conflict, and stated that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been the "target of attacks for months and years" in domestic Israeli politics. He warned against further escalation, describing it as a "dangerous situation". [9] Lukashenko also asked for further evidence of Iranian involvement in the Hamas attack against Israel, suggesting instead that weapons provided by the U.S. to Ukraine were being used by Hamas. [10]
In November 2023, the Belarusian foreign ministry expressed its desire to restore direct flights to Israel, noting good relations between the two countries based on "closely intertwined human destinies and cultures". [11]
In September 2014, an agreement was signed on visa-free entry. [12] The agreement will facilitate travel Israelis who wish to visit their relatives and friends in Belarus, as well as tourism between the countries. [12]
A number of Israeli startups have established operations in Belarus. An example was the Tel Aviv startup Viber, which was outsourced largely to Belarus before its $900 million sale to Japan's Rakuten. [13]
Israel operates an Israeli cultural centre in Minsk. [14] High-school exchange programmes have been established between Israel and Belarus. [15]
The Days of Israeli Culture festival has been held in Belarus, and The Days of Belarusian Culture in Israel. [16] A photo exhibition in Tel Aviv, "Belarus and Israel: 25 Years of Friendship and Partnership", was held to celebrate the 25th anniversary of relations. [17]
Israeli tourists are the eighth largest tourist nationality visiting Belarus. Israeli citizens are interested in Belarus's tourist attractions, recreation facilities, places of worship, monuments dating back to the Second World War, and also places related to more than six centuries of Belarusians and Jews living together. [18]
Joint industrial projects include the creation of the Belarusian-Israeli agro-industrial park, to be completed by 2020. A number of joint projects in the field of agriculture are successfully implemented with the participation of Israeli capital and technology in Belarus in recent years. [19]
The joint Belarusian-Israeli Committee for Trade and Economic Cooperation is headed by Alexander Popkov and Sofa Landver. [20]
In May 2018, Belarus' State Science and Technology Committee and Israel's Ministry of Science, Technology and Space concluded an agreement on cooperation in science and technology. The parties will set up a joint working group on cooperation in science and technology. [21]
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In April 2000, Israel and Belarus signed an agreement on avoidance of double taxation and an agreement on the promotion and mutual protection of investments. In October 2000, an agreement on trade and economic cooperation between the two countries was signed.
The following intergovernmental agreements have been signed between Israel and Belarus:
In July 2002 and December 2006 in Minsk, two rounds of Belarusian-Israeli consultations were held between the Foreign Ministry at the level of deputy foreign ministers.
| Guest | Host | Place of visit | Date of visit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Prime Minister Vyacheslav Kebich |  Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin | Tel Aviv | 1992 | |
 President Alexander Lukashenko | President Ezer Weizman | Tel Aviv | January 5–7, 2000 | He attended ceremonies in honor of the 2000th anniversary of Christianity. [22] [23] [24] |
| Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman | Minsk | 2009 | [25] | |
| Prime Minister Mikhail Myasnikovich | Tel Aviv | June 7–9, 2011 | [26] |
Agreements on cooperation between the cities of Vitebsk and Rishon Lezion (March 2008), as well as between the cities of Hlybokaye and Kiryat Bialik (May 2011) have been signed.
On February 21, 2011, in Israel, the mayor of Grodno, Boris Kozelkov, and the mayor of Ashkelon, Benny Vaknin, signed an agreement on the establishment of sister-city ties between Grodno and Ashkelon. [27]
On March 28, 2012, in Israel, the mayor of Brest, Alexander Polyshenkov, and the mayor of Ashdod, Yehiel Lasri, signed an agreement on establishing twin-city relations between Brest and Ashdod.
The Byelorussian SSR was one of only two Soviet republics to be separate members of the United Nations. Both republics and the Soviet Union joined the UN when the organization was founded in 1945.
Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko is a Belarusian politician who has been the first and to date, only president of Belarus since the office's establishment in 1994, making him the current longest-serving head of state in Europe.
Mutual relations between the Republic of Belarus and the European Union (EU) were initially established after the European Economic Community recognised Belarusian independence in 1991.
Belarus and Russia share a land border and constitute the supranational Union State. Several treaties have been concluded between the two nations bilaterally. Russia is Belarus' largest and most important economic and political partner. Both are members of various international organizations, including the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Eurasian Economic Union, the Collective Security Treaty Organization, and the United Nations.
Belarus and Ukraine both are full members of the Baku Initiative and Central European Initiative. In 2020, during the Belarusian protests against president Lukashenko, the relationship between Ukraine and Belarus began to deteriorate, after the Ukrainian government criticized Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko. In the waning days of 2021, the relationship between both countries rapidly deteriorated, culminating in a full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022. Belarus has allowed the stationing of Russian troops and equipment in its territory and its use as a springboard for offensives into northern Ukraine but has denied the presence of Belarusian troops in Ukraine. Even though part of the Russian invasion was launched from Belarus, Ukraine did not break off diplomatic relations with Belarus, but remain frozen. In July 2024, Lukashenko described Ukraine as an enemy.
Currently, Belarus has an embassy in Riga, while Latvia has an embassy in Minsk. The countries share 161 km as it relates to their common border.
Belarus and Lithuania established diplomatic relations on 24 October 1991, shortly after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The two countries share 680 kilometres (420 mi) of common border.
Relations between Azerbaijan and Belarus are at very high level that Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko describes Azerbaijan as a "saver" of independence and sovereignty of Belarus and adds that "there's not anything close" in Azerbaijani-Belarusian relations. Both countries were part of the Russian Empire until 1918 and before 1991, they were part of the Soviet Union. Azerbaijan has an embassy in Minsk and Belarus has an embassy in Baku. Both countries are full members of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Azerbaijan is a full member of the Council of Europe, Belarus is a candidate. Both Azerbaijan and Belarus are full members of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). There are more than 6,000 Azerbaijanis living in Belarus.
The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic recognized de facto the Islamic Republic of Iran in February 1979, and Belarus and Iran established de jure diplomatic relations in 1992. Belarus has an embassy in Tehran. Iran has an embassy in Minsk.
Belarus has an embassy in Ashgabat. Turkmenistan has an embassy in Minsk. Both countries are full members of the UN, and the OSCE. Belarus is a full member and Turkmenistan is associated with the CIS. Currently, the ambassador of Turkmenistan to Belarus is Murad Yazberdyev. The Belarusian Ambassador to Turkmenistan is Oleg Tabanyuhov.
Diplomatic relations between Belarus and Uzbekistan were established on 21 January 1993, with the Belarusian Embassy in Tashkent being opened in February 1994. Uzbekistan also has an embassy in Minsk.
Galina Rodionovna Lukashenko, née Zhelnerovich is the First Lady of Belarus since 1994.
Belarus Space Agency, officially known as National Agency for Space Research is a governmental body that coordinates all Belarus space research programs with scientific and commercial goals. It was established in 2009. It is closely associated with the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, which was responsible for Belarusian space travel until the foundation of the Belarus Space Agency.
The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic recognized Bangladesh's independence on 24 January 1972. Official diplomatic relations between Bangladesh and Belarus were established in 1992. Neither country has a resident ambassador.
The Security Council of Belarus is an interdepartmental body with a mandate to ensure the security of the Republic of Belarus. It considers internal and external affairs of the state with regard to the interest of maintaining security and defense. The Council was established upon the adoption of Resolution +1249 on 15 November 1991. The current Secretary of the Council is Alexander Volfovich.
A constitutional referendum was held in Belarus on 27 February 2022. The referendum was ordered by President Alexander Lukashenko in January 2022. According to political analysts, changes to the Belarusian constitution were intended to solidify the power of Lukashenko's regime after the mass protests in 2020 and 2021, which challenged his rule and was brutally suppressed by police. More than 35,000 people were arrested, 1,070 of whom are acknowledged political prisoners. The changes to the Constitution allow Lukashenko to remain in office until 2035 and empower the All-Belarusian People's Assembly, an extra-parliamentary body dominated by government supporters. The changes also renounced Belarus's nuclear-free zone status, allowing Belarus to host nuclear weapons for the first time since the fall of the Soviet Union; the lead-up to the referendum occurred as Russia amassed its troops in both Russia and Belarus in the prelude to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the election itself was held several days after Russia began its military offensive into Ukraine.
Belarus–NATO relations refers to relations between the Republic of Belarus and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Belarus–Palestine relations are the bilateral relations between Belarus and State of Palestine. The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic recognized Palestinian statehood on 19 November 1988. The State of Palestine has an embassy in Minsk, which opened in 2003.
Relations between Belarus and Venezuela were formally established on February 4, 1997. Both countries recognized each other five years earlier on January 11, 1992.
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