Now read the text and compare if you have managed to get the general idea.

BELARUS IN THE WORLD

Lead-in.

Discuss as a group and decipher the abbreviations below; decide which of the organisations Belarus is a member of.

NATO, WHO, UNO, IMF, EU, WTO, UNESCO, INTERPOL, UNDP

2. Answer the questions:

1) When did Belarus become a sovereign country?

2) Which countries does Belarus cooperate with most of all?

3) What famous international music and sports contests and competitions has Belarus:

ü hosted recently?

ü succeeded in?

Pre-reading tasks

Before reading the text make sentences with the following word combinations trying to foresee the information provided in the text. You are welcome to suggest several variants.

ü geographical position;

ü had strong ties with;

ü the Commonwealth of Independent States;

ü trade relations;

ü the United Nations Organization;

ü the ideas of peace among nations;

ü broadening its ties with other countries;

ü Max Mirnyi

Model: a sovereign state: - 1) Belarus became a sovereign state not so long ago.

2) The Republic of Belarus is a sovereign independent state.

Now read the text and compare if you have managed to get the general idea.

Belarus became a sovereign state just about 20 years ago. To become successful and prosperous in the modern world where international contacts and trade are so important Belarus needs strong ties with other countries.

The geographical position of Belarus can be extremely helpful here. The country is situated just between western and eastern Europe and plays a specific role of a bridge between the European Union and the Russian Federation. Historically we had quite strong ties with Russia, for Belarus used to be a part of the Russian Empire and later a constituent republic of the Soviet Union. And these ties remain strong. Belarus cooperates with Russia in practically all spheres of life such as politics, science, industry, trade and culture. Since it became independent Belarus has always strained to make the relations between the two countries even closer. After the collapse of the USSR Belarus together with Russia directly participated in the creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (the CIS). Creation of this political structure led further to the creation of other alliances and treaties with Russia and other former countries of the USSR. Such close cooperation has positive results for Belarus and Russia remains the biggest trade partner of our country.

Another important thing to mention is that Belarus is an important market for the world's economies. Foreign investments to Belarusian economy are of great importance to us. Thanks to them we can organize new industries which give more jobs to people. Belarus has trade relations with many countries in Europe, Asia and Latin America.

As a sovereign country, Belarus enjoys full rights and is active in the world arena. From the moment of setting up the United Nations Organization (UNO) Belarus as one of its constituent member-states takes an active part in the work of this association, its organs and institutions. Belarus regularly sends its delegations to the sessions of the UNO General Assembly, has its permanent delegation and its own staff in it. Belarus is a member of some international specialized organizations, commissions, funds and other bodies.

On the initiative of Belarus international organizations have adopted a number of important decisions, particularly on the punishment of war criminals, on education of young people based on the ideas of peace and friendship among nations. Belarus has signed many treaties, agreements, protocols and conventions on cooperation with other countries in the field of education, culture, health care, environment protection, etc. Many times Belarus has been the place of international meetings, such as UNO seminars.

Belarus keeps strengthening and broadening its ties with other countries. Its public organizations have established direct contacts and exchange delegations with trade unions, youth, women's and sports organizations of these countries. Fruitful are the activities of the Belarusian Society for Friendship and Cultural Relations with foreign countries.

As a member of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Belarus takes part in implementing a number of its programmes. “Prevention and Treatment of HIV/AIDS in the Republic of Belarus” is just one of them. In December 2002 the famous tennis player Max Mirnyi was appointed UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador by UNAIDS and the United Nations Theme Group on HIV/ AIDS. The main tasks of UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador is to promote a healthy lifestyle, provide youth with possibilities and alternatives to risk behaviour that causes the spread of HIV/AIDS, mobilize resources and public efforts to fight HIV/AIDS epidemic as one of the priorities of the United Nations in Belarus.

To cut the long story short, Maxim Mirnyi is just one on the long list of Belarusians (including sportsmen, scientists, musicians, artists) who have done much to glorify the country in the world arena, no less than Belarusian politicians and public figures have.

3.3. Provide the English equivalents of the following: