After seven decades as a constituent republic of the USSR, Belarus attained its independence in 1991. It has retained closer political and economic ties to Russia than any of the other former Soviet republics. Belarus and Russia signed a treaty on a two-state union on 8 December 1999 envisioning greater political and economic integration but, to date, neither side has actively sought to implement the accord.

InsideWorld provides country background information for many countries and regions. Information covers topics like economy, government, demographics, geography and more.

Go to InsideWorld’s Country Information:
 

For more information about current affairs, business, economy, politics and more, use InsideWorld's free daily e-mail news service.

If you would like to receive news, but do not have an InsideWorld account yet, click below to setup your free account now and start receiving news right away.