OSCEs Parlamentariske Forsamling 2016-17
OSCE Alm.del Bilag 14
Offentligt
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GENERAL INFORMATION
26
th
Annual Session
of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly
5 – 9 July 2017
Minsk, Republic of Belarus
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 OSCE, Alm.del - 2016-17 - Bilag 14: Invitation til Annual Session i Hviderusland den 4.- 9. juli 2017
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INFORMATION CONCERNING THE 26
th
ANNUAL SESSION
OF THE OSCE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY
VENUE OF THE SESSION
President Hotel
Kirova Str., 18,
Minsk 220030 - Belarus
Tel. +375 17 229 70 00
Fax. +375 17 229 70 06
All meetings except the Opening Plenary Session will be held at the premises of the President Hotel.
The Inaugural Opening Session will be held in the Administrative Complex “Pobediteley 14”, in Minsk.
For information regarding arrangements please contact the staff listed below.
Secretariat of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus:
Mr. Maksim Nesterenko, Head of the Department of International Cooperation
Tel.: +375 17 222 44 26
Mob: +375 44 570 30 50
E-mail:
[email protected]
Mr. Andrei Yakauleu, Principal Counsellor of the Department of International Cooperation
Tel.: +375 17 222 65 00
Mob: +375 29 613 81 52
E-mail:
[email protected]
International Secretariat of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly:
Ms. Odile Lelarge, Head of Conference Services
Tordenskjoldsgade 1, 1055 Copenhagen K, Denmark
Tel.: +45 33 37 80 40
Fax : +45 33 37 80 30
E-mail :
[email protected]
REGISTRATION
The registration form (Annex A) must be sent to
Ms. Odile Lelarge
at the International Secretariat of
the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (fax: +45 33 37 80 30; e-mail:
[email protected])
by Tuesday, 30 May
2017.
We kindly ask you to also send a copy of the registration form to the Secretariat of the House of
Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus to the attention of
Ms. Anna
Semenyuk
(Mob: +375 29 646 68 93, E-mail:
[email protected]).
The registration and information desks will be open in the lobby of the President Hotel on
Tuesday,
4 July 2017 from 14:00 to 20:00.
For the remainder of the Annual Session, registration will be open in
the lobby of the President Hotel every day from 8:00 until the end of official meetings. Please register
as soon as possible after your arrival in Minsk. Participants and accompanying persons will be able
to collect their identity badges and conference information and materials at the Registration and the
Information desk located in the lobby of the President Hotel. We encourage Secretaries of Delegation
to collect their badges on 4 July 2017, before the blocking of the security perimeter of the venue of
the event by the Belarusian State Security Service.
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HOTELS AND ACCOMMODATION
Online Hotel Reservations are available via the reservation links listed below. Please be sure to read
the cancellation policies of the hotels.
We recommend that you use the online Reservation links provided by the hotels to make your
reservations. See Annex B1 to B7.
Kindly indicate on the Registration Form where your delegation will be accommodated.
Reservations must be completed no later than the deadlines set by hotels.
Reservation requests submitted later than the deadlines set by hotels will be subject to availability at
the requested hotel without special prices.
Reservations will be treated on a first-come-first-serve basis. We strongly recommend that delegations
make their reservations without delay and before the mentioned cut-off date. After this date, room
availability cannot be guaranteed.
For further information on the services offered by each hotel, we recommend that you consult the
following websites:
Hotel
President Hotel
Reservation link
www.president-hotel.by/en
Promo code:
EURO26
Or reservation forms should be sent to E-
mail:
[email protected]
or by fax +375 17 229 70 06
www.hotelminsk.by/en/
Promo code :
OSCE PA
http://victoria2.hotel-victoria.by/
Promo code:
691708
www.cpminsk.com/en/
Reservation forms should be sent to E-
mail:
[email protected]
Link for booking
www.marriottminsk.com
Promo code :
1GE
http://minsk.doubletree.com
Promo code:
GOSCE
Deadline for reservation
30.05.2017
Hotel Minsk
Victoria Hotel
30.05.2017
30.05.2017
Crowne Plaza Hotel
30.05.2017
Renaissance Minsk Hotel
Minsk Marriott Hotel
Double Tree by Hilton
Minsk
30.05.2017
01.05.2017
30.05.2017
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
Participants are kindly requested to indicate their flight references as well as their dates and times
of arrival and departure in the registration form.
Minsk National Airport (MSQ) is the primary airport serving Minsk (http://airport.by/en). It is located
approximately 42 kilometres from the city centre. The journey to the hotels takes approximately
50 minutes. The journey by taxi should cost no more than 40 BYN (approximately 20 Euro).
The Parliament of Belarus will organize a transfer service from the airport to the conference hotels for
the participants. A transportation desk will be organized at the luggage area of the airport to help
participants with transfer needs. Participants are kindly requested to contact the transportation desk
upon their arrival.
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VISAS
To enter Belarus foreign citizens must have with them:
– passport, valid for at least three months after the intended date of departure;
– visa, except for citizens of countries who are allowed to enter Belarus without a visa;
– medical insurance policy with at least 10000 Euro coverage, valid in Belarus;
– financial means in foreign currency or Belarusian rubles in an amount not less than 46 Belarusian
rubles for one day of stay.
A visa is not required to enter the territory of Belarus for citizens of countries mentioned in this list:
http://mfa.gov.by/en/visa/visafreetravel/c4bbfb78b29bccdc.html
Delegates who require an entry visa should contact the closest Embassy or Consulate of Belarus for
detailed information on obtaining a visa for the Annual Session. The procedure for obtaining visas to
enter the Republic of Belarus is listed here:
http://mfa.gov.by/en/visa/.
Contact information on Belarusian missions abroad can be found on the website of the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus:
http://belarusfacts.by/belembassy/index_eng.html.
Contact Person for visa issues:
Ms. Anna Semenyuk, Counsellor of the Department of International Cooperation of the Secretariat of
the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus.
Phone: +375 17 222 62 59
Mob: +375 29 646 68 93
[email protected]
CUSTOMS
For customs regulations on items imported into Belarus, refer to the following link
www.belarus.by/en/travel/customs-regulations.
INSURANCE
Personal and medical insurance are the responsibility of the individual participant. The Parliament of
Belarus cannot be held liable for any loss of luggage, currency or personal effects, or any medical costs.
TRANSPORTATION DURING THE ANNUAL SESSION
Shuttle buses will be provided between the selected hotels and the President Hotel for each session
as well as for all social functions and for the accompanying persons’ programme. Transportation
schedules will be available at the information desks at the hotels.
INFORMATION AND HOSPITALITY DESK
The information and hospitality desk in the lobby of the President Hotel will be open on Tuesday, 4
July 2017 from 14:00 to 20:00, and from 5 to 9 July 2017 from 08:00 until the end of official meetings.
All information regarding transport schedules and the programme for accompanying persons will be
provided at the information and hospitality desk.
INFORMATION AND HOSPITALITY DESKS IN THE HOTELS
Information and hospitality desks will be opened at the conference hotels from 10:00 on Tuesday,
4 July 2017 until the end of the session, and provide participants with the following information:
transportation schedules, side events, cultural programmes, accompanying persons’ programme and
any additional information designed to help welcoming and informing of the participants.
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INTERPRETATION
During the session, simultaneous interpretation will be available in the six official OSCE languages
(English, French, German, Italian, Russian and Spanish).
SECURITY
All participants, including accompanying persons, observers, delegation staff and members of the
press, will be required to wear identity badges at all meetings and social functions as well as when
using coach transportation organised for this session.
There will be no admittance to any programme functions without an appropriate identity badge. In
case of loss of your personal badge, please report to the registration desk immediately.
For security reasons, participants should also be in possession of some other means of official
identification document and be prepared for identity checks.
MEDICAL FACILITIES
A first aid facility will be available for participants at the President Hotel throughout the session.
However, illness requiring medical treatment or hospitalisation is the responsibility of the individual.
Delegates taking medicine should bring enough to cover their needs and ensure that they have
adequate health insurance. Please do not forget to bring your health insurance card or documents. If
you were to face medical expenses, these documents would allow reimbursement upon your return
home. Please note that in case of a health emergency, outside working hours, the emergency line 112
is available for OSCE PA Annual Session Participants.
CATERING AT THE PRESIDENT HOTEL
Stolitsa Restaurant, located at the President Hotel, as well as food services areas located on the first
floor and on the -1 floor of the hotel, offer meals and refreshments, as well as light snacks, salads and
sandwiches. Within walking distance from the President-Hotel are Nezavisimosti Avenue and the
historic city center of Minsk with a variety of cafes and restaurants.
ACCOMPANYING PERSONS
A programme for accompanying persons will be arranged while delegates are engaged in conference
sessions. The accompanying persons’ programme will be available to orange badge holders and they
are asked to wear their badges during every part of the programme. Accompanying persons are
requested to sign up for excursions at the information desks at the hotels upon arrival in Minsk.
Additional information will be distributed later on.
ADDITIONAL CONFERENCE INFORMATION
The website of the Parliament (www.house.gov.by/en) and the webpage for the Annual Session,
www.house.gov.by/en/oscepa2017
will be updated with conference-related information in English
and in Russian.
EMBASSIES AND CONSULATES
A list of Foreign Embassies and Consulates in Minsk, including contact information, is available on the
website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus:
http://mfa.gov.by/upload/Dip-En-
01-17.pdf
Foreign Embassies and Consulates in Minsk will be informed of the Session. One evening will be
reserved for hospitality by the diplomatic missions. Additional information will be distributed later on.
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DRESS CODE
Formal attire is required for all official occasions. A dark suit or cocktail dress is requested for the
official receptions and the gala concert. Casual wear is suitable for the accompanying persons’
programme.
CLIMATE
July is the warmest month in Minsk with an average daily temperature of 20°C (68°F). Temperatures
may vary, however, from about 20 °C to 25 °C during the summertime in Belarus. During the time of
the conference, the sun rises at about 04:50 and sets at about 21:40.
TIME
Minsk standard time zone is GMT + 3 hours.
CURRENCY
The currency used in Belarus is the Belarusian rouble (BYN), which is the only currency acceptable for
payment. All major credit cards are accepted in hotels, cafes, restaurants, and supermarkets. Cash can
be obtained from ATMs or at the nearest bank. For exchange rates please visit the webpage of the
National Bank of the Republic of Belarus:
www.nbrb.by/engl/.
BANKING SERVICES
Most banks in Minsk are open from Monday to Friday between 09:00 and 18:00. Banking services are
available at the major conference hotels. The currency exchange office at the President Hotel is open
day and night (with technical breaks and a lunch break). Currency can be also exchanged at Minsk
National Airport.
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
The international code of Belarus is +375. Wireless internet and fax line will be available at the
President Hotel. Wireless internet is also available at the hotels.
ELECTRICITY
The voltage in Belarus is 220V and European style two-pin sockets are used.
SMOKING
Smoking is prohibited inside the President Hotel. Smoking is allowed at most restaurants and bars but
prohibited in public transportation.
TOURIST INFORMATION
The multilingual website
www.belarus.by/en/
contains tourist and practical information about
Belarus.
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