Israeli deputies came to Minsk for pensions
The Israeli Ambassador Mr. Ben Arie stressed that 10 thousand people were waiting for Belarusian pensions in the Jewish state. The European Radio for Belarus found out that Israeli parliamentarians came to Belarus for pensions. The head of the Interparliamentary Friendship League “Belarus-Israel” Maryna Salodkina talked a lot about investments and future cooperation.
At the same time, the head of the delegation noted that the main reason for the visit was the agreement about pensions needed to be paid out to repatriated Belarusians who are now residents of Israel.
We phoned the Israeli Ambassador to Belarus to find out how many Belarusian pensioners settled in Israel. Mr. Zev Ben Arie noted that the main aspect of the issue was not financial but the moral one:
“We have prepared a project of the agreement and sent it to the Ministry of Foreign Affaires. One of the main purposes of it was to explain the necessity of such a law. We are not talking about the financial aspect because Belarusian pensions are not that big. It’s a moral issue. Ms. Salodkina says there are about 10 thousand Belarusian pensioners living in Israel”.
Israel refers to a similar agreement with Russia. The country has been paying pensions to its repatriated citizens since 1992:
“It was Russia’s initiative to pay out pensions to those who left the country after 1992. The pensions are either sent to Israel or paid to fiduciaries in Moscow. It is done on the basis of individual appeals”.
People who left the country are still considered to be Belarusian citizens. Now they are residents of Israel. Mr. Ben Arie explained that no one can get a pension in Israel without having worked in the country:
“There are two definitions: pension and social insurance. Pension is the money people get from their Israeli employers. Social insurance is paid by the state to all who reached the pension age. Thus, a person who never worked in Israel cannot receive any pension”.
The Belarusian Ministry of Labour informed ERB that Belarus has similar treaties with Ukraine and Russia. They are also being worked out with some other countries:
“The House of Representatives is considering the Law on pension provision. Belarus has a similar treaty with Ukraine. Treaties with Azerbaijan and Latvia are being worked out”.
An average Belarusian pension is about 250 thousand BRB. It turns out that the 10 thousand Belarusian pensioners living in Israel will cost the state more than 14 million dollars per year even without taking into account the debt of the previous years…
At the same time, the head of the delegation noted that the main reason for the visit was the agreement about pensions needed to be paid out to repatriated Belarusians who are now residents of Israel.
We phoned the Israeli Ambassador to Belarus to find out how many Belarusian pensioners settled in Israel. Mr. Zev Ben Arie noted that the main aspect of the issue was not financial but the moral one:
“We have prepared a project of the agreement and sent it to the Ministry of Foreign Affaires. One of the main purposes of it was to explain the necessity of such a law. We are not talking about the financial aspect because Belarusian pensions are not that big. It’s a moral issue. Ms. Salodkina says there are about 10 thousand Belarusian pensioners living in Israel”.
Israel refers to a similar agreement with Russia. The country has been paying pensions to its repatriated citizens since 1992:
“It was Russia’s initiative to pay out pensions to those who left the country after 1992. The pensions are either sent to Israel or paid to fiduciaries in Moscow. It is done on the basis of individual appeals”.
People who left the country are still considered to be Belarusian citizens. Now they are residents of Israel. Mr. Ben Arie explained that no one can get a pension in Israel without having worked in the country:
“There are two definitions: pension and social insurance. Pension is the money people get from their Israeli employers. Social insurance is paid by the state to all who reached the pension age. Thus, a person who never worked in Israel cannot receive any pension”.
The Belarusian Ministry of Labour informed ERB that Belarus has similar treaties with Ukraine and Russia. They are also being worked out with some other countries:
“The House of Representatives is considering the Law on pension provision. Belarus has a similar treaty with Ukraine. Treaties with Azerbaijan and Latvia are being worked out”.
An average Belarusian pension is about 250 thousand BRB. It turns out that the 10 thousand Belarusian pensioners living in Israel will cost the state more than 14 million dollars per year even without taking into account the debt of the previous years…
