Russia and Turkey may soon sign an agreement lifting bilateral visa requirements, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Wednesday.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio da Silva will visit Russia on May 13-14, the Kremlin said on Wednesday.

Ukraine has not as yet agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on the size of a loan to patch up its economy under a new partnership program, the country's finance minister said on Wednesday.

Leading members of the Kyrgyz interim government have been accused of accepting bribes to help the ousted leader and his family escape the country, the 24.kg news agency said on Wednesday.

Trade between Russia and Turkey may recover from last year's 40% decline in 2010, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Wednesday after talks with his Turkish counterpart.

Ukrainian prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation against former Ukrainian premier and opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko over an alleged misuse of state funds, the UNIAN news agency said.

The lower house of the Kazakh parliament unilaterally voted on Wednesday to grant President Nursultan Nazarbayev the title of "Leader of the Nation" and give him a wide range of privileges after the expiration of his presidential term.

The Mozyr oil refinery in Belarus has started refining a first shipment of oil imported from Venezuela, a spokesman for the refinery said.

Belarus has bought 80,000 metric tons of Santa Barbara brand oil from Venezuela to test the viability of its refining at domestic facilities for further sales and distribution on the European oil market.

"The [Mozyr] refinery has received half of the oil shipment from Venezuela and has started the refinery process," the official said on Tuesday.

Minsk and Caracas have agreed on the supplies of Venezuelan oil to Belarus in March. A tanker from Venezuela has arrived in the Ukrainian port of Odessa and the first shipment has been delivered by railroad through Ukraine to Belarus.

Some experts believe that importing Venezuelan oil to Belarus is economically unsound, but the Belarusian government insists that the project is quite cost-effective.

Belarus could import up to 4 million tons of oil from Venezuela if the tests confirm the viability of the project.

Belarus has little hydrocarbon resources and depends on fuel supplies from Russia. Early this year the two ex-Soviet neighbors were involved in a dispute over oil supplies, as Moscow demanded Minsk pay full import duties on crude it refines and transits to Europe, dropping considerable subsidies.

At present, Belarus imports over 20 mln tons of oil from Russia.

RIA Novosti