Miory Regional Executive Committee
Time for concrete actions. Speech by President Alexander Lukashenko at the second session of the seventh All-Belarusian People's Assembly when addressing the Belarusian people and the National Assembly
Dear compatriots! Dear delegates of the All-Belarusian People's Assembly! Invited guests!
Since the economy is the foundation of our lives, I will warn you right away that it will be boring and uninteresting to some. Therefore, I will try to make my address as short as possible.
The current 25th year is coming to an end. The final year of our five-year plan. Significant for us, considering that we developed and adopted the country's socio-economic development program, the current program, during a period of unprecedentedly aggressive global agenda. During a period of political and economic redistribution of the world, which has not yet ended. It is gaining momentum.
Recall the series of events we had to go through in a very short period. The COVID lockdown – the pandemic. Globally, the most important economic processes – supply chains, production chains, established logistics, transport flows – all of them were put on a prolonged pause. The European Union closing its airspace for Belavia. Well, you've heard the details, you know, for which sanctions were imposed against us. But after we disclosed these details, no one apologized. The West's imposition of new illegal sanctions against Belarus, disconnection from SWIFT, blocking access to seaports, trade embargoes, and border closures. All together – not the best background for ambitious tasks. We agreed then: no excuses about sanctions. There was no time to dwell on these issues, we had to fight for every export ruble. In 2020, we set a target to increase exports to 50 billion dollars. As a result, we not only reached this figure but also continued to maintain trade relations with almost 190 countries worldwide. The West failed to consider one thing: the world is huge. No one will dance to the tune of neo-colonialism anymore.
The Global South and Asia have become a new reality. Today, our agricultural machinery and trucks, dairy and meat products, tires, and components are exported to the Middle East and Africa, China, and Latin America – the list of goods is impressive.
We have shattered the myth created by the West about our country's closure and isolation, which is confirmed by any global rankings.
Belarus has entered the top 50 most visited countries by tourists, ranking 48th out of 220 countries. This year alone, over 250,000 enlightened Europeans have visited visa-free, personally convinced of the safety, comfort, and beauty of our Belarus.
This was achieved with more than half of the border crossing points closed. We have preserved and multiplied a strong real sector of the economy, without losing or wasting anything from the Soviet legacy. In the global industrial competitiveness ranking, we hold the 56th position among one hundred and fifty countries. Although there is still serious work to be done on labor productivity.
In such challenging times, domestic enterprises continued to actively invest in technological development and modernization. This is a foundation for the future. In the current five-year period, we have completed the implementation of almost a thousand production projects. While housing, roads, and social and sports infrastructure facilities were also built in the required volumes. The "One District - One Project" initiative has proven successful, creating over 6,000 new jobs in small towns and settlements. This program will be continued. It will become one of the key programs in our country.
Over these years, real wages have grown by 40 percent, reaching an average of 2700 rubles. Throughout the entire five-year period, pensions were increased twice a year. Anticipating the critics' remarks about macroeconomic imbalances, I will say: we have a stable, normal economy.
The debt burden is decreasing, gold and foreign exchange reserves are at an all-time high, and confidence in the national currency has deservedly grown. Considering the initial conditions mentioned at the beginning, the results for people's everyday lives are generally acceptable. Stable employment, a decent level of income, and, most importantly, security have been ensured.
During the Assembly, we will determine the main directions of the country's development for the next five years. Before we get acquainted with the draft developed by the Government, I would like to recall the basic, fundamental guidelines that this document, our programs, must comply with. They stem from life and are very relevant.
The foundation of foundations, as I have already said, is the economy. It is the main weapon in the modern world. We need a basis for implementing the program for the next five-year plan, which includes ambitious plans and targets. If we want to stably reach 100 billion dollars of annual gross domestic product and an average monthly salary of one thousand dollars, enterprises and the financial system must work sustainably.
There are three poles of power in the world: China, Russia, and the United States of America. In fact, the European Union is considered the fourth pillar. But given their internal discord and hysterical demands, the pole may collapse. India is becoming the center of new attraction with its highest economic growth rates. Therefore, there is nothing wrong with the fact that, having brilliant strategic relations with Russia and China, we have begun to build a constructive dialogue with the leadership of the United States of America. I recall that this is one of the most powerful main centers of power. Yes, the dialogue is sometimes tough, persistent. Yes, every little thing matters. But these are negotiations of the strong with the strong.
The respect and authority of our country are not in doubt, and we firmly stand by our positions. BeBelarus is our home. We alone determine our economic system.
It has long been socially oriented, and the Americans themselves, being big market capitalists, never once during all the negotiations demanded that I break this model or abandon it. They are not blind: they see what kind of country we have – roads, clean cities, normal cars. We are truly implementing our Belarusian path together. We set all tasks based on our own interests and experience, but understanding that only a sovereign state can guarantee their fulfillment.
And what do our fugitives offer at the behest of their masters? This document was recently released, so, forgive me, I will allow myself to say a few words about it. Just a month ago, "Sviadomyja" offices in Lithuania and Warsaw presented another high-profile plan, and I quote, "Revival of the Belarusian Economy." It has four main points or sections. First. Connection to the European energy system. They will come to power and connect to the European energy system. Can you imagine a simultaneous increase in electricity tariffs by at least 4-5 times with the imposition of sanctions on Russian gas and oil? Second. Broad privatization and sale of state property. No comments needed. Apparently, this is why they have been kept for years on grants and under the manual control of Western special services. Who would feed them for free? With the promise that everything will be given away. Third. Financial independence through loans from international organizations. Contradiction and stupidity in one sentence. When these organizations worked in Belarus, they were not known for their great altruism. If it's a cheap loan, buy specific Western equipment, which today is more expensive than both Chinese and Indian. If you don't want to, don't take it, there will be no loans. And fourth. One word: digitalization. Fashionable. Without any explanation. Apparently, it's just a fashionable buzzword that needs to be included in any plan. In essence, this is the surrender of Belarus's sovereignty and the collapse of its economy under external management. Nothing has changed over many years: it's still the same fight for certain chairs, positions, and financial handouts.
Therefore, gritting our teeth, we have always fought for the preservation of our production facilities and the industrial basis for the republic's development. For 15 years, we have been engaged in import substitution, which is turning into import independence.
The task has never been to produce absolutely everything in Belarus. But where we have local raw materials, scientific groundwork, and schools, we will literally fight for our interests in the most complex and not always fair competition. Absolutely unfair competition. Especially since we now have our own nuclear power plant. This has allowed us to strengthen our energy independence.
All this is the result of great many years of work by all Belarusians, from rural workers to scientists. Our work.
At the same time, there are enough unresolved economic tasks.
FIRST. TECHNOLOGICAL SOVEREIGNTY. I consciously give it priority, as the experience of so-called cooperation with the West has greatly tempered us. Under various pretexts, we were purposefully and systematically put in a situation of dependence on Western equipment and even small components. We saw how important it is to have our own developments in critical sectors of the economy. Now we are simply obliged to return production in a new quality or create our own from scratch in microelectronics, robotics, pharmaceuticals, unmanned systems, and so on. Yes, perhaps it is difficult today, very expensive, but tomorrow it will pay off many times over. It is simply impossible without it. We have no time to waste. It is especially important in the real sector to increase the speed of implementation of promising developments. The country needs projects based on the developments and discoveries of domestic scientific and production schools.
The role of followers is especially unacceptable in the development of micro- and radioelectronics.
- Lukashenko explained why he consciously prioritizes technological sovereignty
- Lukashenko compared the plan of fugitives for the economy of Belarus with the surrender of sovereignty
Our minimum task is to provide our industry and military-industrial complex with domestic microelectronic components. And this is our area. We have been working here for a long time.
Another specific task is to annually release new models of numerically controlled machine tools to fully meet the needs of our enterprises and enter global markets. We are a machine-building country. Without modern machine tools, what kind of machine building can we have?
Again, this is our area since Soviet times – machine tool building. Therefore, industry ministers, heads of enterprises, together with scientists, must agree on the program and plans for the new five-year period. By 2030, it is necessary to increase the density of robotization to 100 units per 10,000 industrial workers. Up to 100 units, well, the world has 150. Moreover, the state provides assistance, from benefits to already prepared production sites. We have created one of these unique sites on the territory of "Motovelo" – the Minsk City Technopark. Any entrepreneur can come here with their business idea and open an innovative production. We will expand this format in all regions of the country. The process has begun.
- Lukashenko: We will expand the technopark format in all regions of the country
SECOND. LOCALIZATION AND COOPERATION. As I've already said, it's impossible and unnecessary to produce absolutely everything. But it's critically important to rationally use the potential of cooperation with all of Belarus's partners, to combine production competencies, and to solve problems related to key technologies.
We have successful experience in implementing import substitution projects with the Russian Federation – from microelectronics and aircraft manufacturing to the localization of automotive components and assemblies. We have quite a few joint initiatives in partnership with the People's Republic of China. For example, a number of projects in the pulp and paper industry. This is a very promising area where the interest of other international players is growing.
We can and must satisfy it. In our forested Belarus, there is an abundance of raw materials – wood – for such projects. Therefore, all forestry enterprises must be equipped with domestic multifunctional logging equipment and supply at least 25 million cubic meters of round timber for processing annually. At the same time, let's note: why is there timber lying around all our forest edges, while the country imports tens of millions worth of furniture and paper packaging, and cannot massively build inexpensive sanatoriums for calves. We can't produce decent toilet paper. The disgraceful attitude of the relevant officials towards this industry, into which, by the way, 2.5 billion dollars have been invested over the past modernization, including the pulp and paper mill. Not a penny has been returned yet. Or do you think someone will write it off for you? Get those thoughts out of your head. You've been feeding the whole nation with tall tales about the finishing sack kraft paper in Svetlogorsk for five years now. Several governments have failed to show a real effect on our triad of raw materials – wood, flax, and leather raw materials. Either you are indifferent people, or you have no ambitions at all. Without ambitions, you won't get anywhere…
Next. Machine building occupies a special place in industry. Thousands of units of equipment roll off our assembly lines annually. But we still do not have our own gasoline engine, and we have not mastered the entire range of diesel engines. This means that a concrete plan of measures is needed to solve these problems. Today, it is important not to miss the global trend in the development of electric transport. It is necessary to increase the production of such equipment at the new MAZ plant and double the capacity of Belkommunmash. It is time for BELGEE to raise the bar and ensure the production of domestic electric vehicles and hybrids, at least 10,000 per year. Further, it is required to scale up the practice of launching assembly plants abroad. An agreement on the localization of Belarusian tractors and trucks in Vietnam is being implemented. A joint venture for BELAZ equipment has been created in Iran. But we will not completely move our factories out of the country, of course. There are many such proposals for joint assembly, especially in Africa. Complete up-to-date lists of industrial cooperation projects by country and their prompt implementation in practice are needed.
In the next five-year period, at least 25 major investment projects in the industrial sector should be implemented.
We have promising ideas and developments in the creation of a Belarusian train in Fanipol, a domestic aircraft in Baranovichi, a round baler, a milking robot, and the restoration of shipbuilding competencies at the Pinsk plant. So far, the proposal for the petrochemical complex is weak; there are no breakthrough projects after the modernization of the oil refinery. I see that you are gradually ruining chemical fiber ("Mogilevkhimvolokno". - Ed.). All these productions are extremely important for the future of Belarus. It is necessary to actually control all the mentioned construction sites in manual mode. Resources will always be found for standing projects in the country. By the way, we have a record supply of gold and foreign exchange reserves. Is there really a need to have such an volume as dictated by Western systems? I believe that the strategy for managing international reserve assets should be restructured. Money must work. And the income received by the National Bank from managing reserves should be invested in the real sector of the economy, modernization of production, localization of main imported components, and profitable export contracts.
In my recent long business trip, we talked a lot with specialists who have the most foreign currency, money, and a lot about money in the future. They convinced me of one thing, and I agree with them, I've been thinking about it for a long time, that these huge, trillion-dollar foreign currency reserves around the world, from China, the Emirates, and so on, could be useless tomorrow. Especially with the policy pursued by the former administration of the United States of America, and the current one has not moved away from it. Which could seize and at any moment can lay a paw on any gold and foreign exchange reserves and make them illegal. Simply steal them.
THIRD. DEVELOPMENT OF THE NATIONAL HIGH-TECH INDUSTRY, IT INDUSTRY. The experience of sanctions, when software product service was instantly stopped, and the technological chains of enterprises were threatened, became another lesson for us. We talked about this a little, there was a simple step from my side… They banned talking about sanctions. But they haven't gone anywhere. Here is one of the directions. We will definitely eliminate this vulnerability.
Critical industries must be provided with import-independent software products by at least 90 percent. Everything is there for this. The legal framework, infrastructure, IT specialist training school, High-Tech Park.
The government and the High-Tech Park need to more actively form development centers in Belarus, orienting IT teams primarily towards national projects, rather than carrying ammunition for large companies in the United States or other countries.
Next. Digitalization in everyday life. We are developing e-government technologies, creating digital platforms and services. But is the effect visible to the population? Do people understand what opportunities are opening up for their convenience? I think not always and not everyone. Why was a single portal of electronic services created if, apart from Minsk and regional centers, people cannot remotely register, for example, with a doctor, and are forced to come to the clinic from 6 am and wait in line?
- "We will simplify where it is rational." Lukashenko on approaches to digitalization of everyday life
We have plenty of hotlines, portals, websites, from obrashchenie.bel to chatbots, but what's the point? People still go from one organization to another.
Work out the possibility of creating a unified service that can promptly and competently respond to inquiries. It should become a universal feedback center with the public, where one can apply by phone, via the internet, and in person.
There is similar experience in Russia and China. I want to emphasize: the goal is not digitalization for the sake of digitalization fashion. If administering a service is more expensive than its actual demand, then spending money is pointless. We will simplify where it is rational.
Another pressing issue is reliable and fast mobile communication. There are issues with it throughout the country. Family expenses for the internet are already comparable to other utility payments. I am leading to the fact that with their considerable incomes, mobile operators must ensure equally stable communication in any settlement. Excuses are no longer accepted. The government must solve this problem literally within the next year. All regulatory acts that you requested have been signed by me.
FOURTH. ENERGY INDEPENDENCE. Energy is a guarantor of economic development. This is a matter of the state's self-sufficiency. Belarus's advantage in this aspect is obvious.
The constructed NPP has seriously strengthened our energy independence, but by the thirtieth year, this level must be raised even higher. The station's capacity has allowed for the modernization of the relevant infrastructure and stimulated the development of electric transport. During this time, we have commissioned two million square meters of new electrified housing.
Modern Belarusian electric buses run not only in Minsk and regional centers, but also in pilot projects in experimental areas – Zhodino, Shklov, Novopolotsk. The government and governors need to expand this experience everywhere. Launch comfortable, reliable electric buses to satellite cities without killing off the minibuses. I want to be heard by those who "tiktok" in these TikToks. I have never been against a person's, a citizen's free choice of how to travel: by minibus or by bus. But when people stand in line and citizens turn to me, I could not fail to pay attention to this. We immediately produced a lot of buses, running on gas engine fuel, internal combustion engines, and electric buses, and launched them on the routes. Choose.
Another extremely relevant issue is the reliability of energy facilities. The Ministry of Energy should, without delay, engage in the construction of lines of all voltage classes, as well as substations with a reasonable power reserve. Because there will be a generating station – a nuclear power plant. But we will not be able to deliver this product to the population. The wires are old, in common parlance. The substations are useless. They cannot handle the power required in a particular district or village. Therefore, we are now working extensively to expand energy capabilities. But I want you to keep in mind that the modernization being carried out will strictly adhere to the established tariff growth for the population and enterprises. People are used to this. Previously, it was five dollars a year, now it is half of the basic amount, 21 rubles. There will be no leaps here. And I want to warn the Government: do not even open the door to those energy specialists who come to you and say – we cannot manage, the cost is higher than the price. Well, then work to make the cost lower. The course is set, and we will act in this direction.
FIFTH. SUSTAINABLE, PROFITABLE PRODUCTION P
At the same time, there are still many shortcomings in agriculture. The reason is the widespread lack of technological and production discipline, falsification of data, and theft. It's sad. This leads to a whole chain of problems.
Poor quality feed, animal care, diseases and deaths, mismanagement of expensive agricultural machinery, and so on. All this must be eradicated from our practice. Not within a five-year plan, but literally within the next year.
Today, in the first half of the day, I had a serious conversation with the Prime Minister. I understand, he was a governor yesterday, he knows the problem well. And when I point out negatives to him, he tells me: well, we are doing well here. But some districts, including in the Minsk region where he worked, well, it's only 4 districts that have been struggling year after year. To which I said: well. Out of 21 districts, I think – four. Well, you can bring order to four districts. They have become ossified, and behind the general figures, we don't see specific problems.
The results of the Vitebsk meeting will be visible in all regions without exception. I'll tell you more: I had the desire to publish a hundred pages for all delegates of the All-Belarusian People's Congress, a volume with shortcomings in agriculture from the meeting in the Vitebsk region. But when the draft was put on my desk, I almost went crazy. I thought, if I even send this to the delegates of the All-Belarusian People's Congress as a secret letter now, we will definitely fail this meeting. Therefore, to responsible persons, this hundred-pageThe report is focused. We will think about what to do next if this continues across the country. This is unacceptable. The wild death of young animals, cows that feed us, and so on. When we cannot feed livestock... And if someone cannot, well, take it, just take this livestock and send it to those who can feed it. There are enough such farms. No, they are all dragging their feet. And then they resent the strictness of the requirements and other things. There will be no deviations. I strongly recommend that all interested parties join this work. The time for persuasion and explanations is over. Only concrete actions and results. For the agro-industrial complex, this is a drastic reduction in import dependence. It is important to create a breeding and genetic center in poultry farming in the shortest possible time. This is not just a project, it is the future of our poultry industry. By the way, a leader in the meat sector. Well, to put it simply, we raise so many broilers and layers, we have so many eggs per person. And, roughly speaking, where do we get the chicks? From the West...
The Soligorsk poultry farm also has successful developments in this area. Another extremely important direction is seeds of domestic selection and maximum refusal of foreign counterparts. Scientists and farmers have been allocated sufficient resources. Seed imports are only at the expense of agricultural enterprises themselves. Do you have money? Buy whatever you want. You can buy imported seeds, or something else. But there will be no state support for purchases outside the country.
Next.
It is time to radically modernize the industry, to switch to the principles of what is fashionably called digital agriculture, with the scaling of precision farming technology. Therefore, at least 40 percent of the organizations in the industry must master and implement this platform in their farms by the end of the five-year period.
But what needs to be done in every agricultural organization is centralized material and technical support and dispatching of all work with control of all processes from the field to the farm. We are not doing the elementary things, we cannot set a task for machine operators at a planning meeting in some agricultural enterprise, especially in sloppy agricultural enterprises, and then ask for accountability at the end of the day. We have moved away from all this. The market? Go ahead. As a result, we must benefit from food exports with an annual minimum threshold of 12 billion dollars.
SIXTH. EFFICIENCY AND QUALITY. This is an axiom of the competitiveness of Belarusian goods. The tools that are widely used in the world are so-called lean management. We still have very fragmented implementation.
Expand work within the framework of the state-level revived Quality Mark, which has become our most prestigious award for manufacturers. Only quality and impeccable service will ensure our survival and additional earnings.
We cannot continue to sell our products abroad without providing service. As for quality, I don't even want to talk about it. Let the product be one or two percent more expensive. MAZ, BELAZ, MTZ... But it must be a quality product. You see the competition. In the media, every time: either a MAZ bus caught fire there, or it was set on fire somewhere else. We start to investigate, and nothing burned. This is competition. They are simply trying to bring us down this way and show that we have low-quality products. But there are questions about our quality. We need to make sure there are none.
SEVENTH. EFFECTIVE SALES FOR SUCCESSFUL FOREIGN TRADE.
Returning from my traditional winter business trips, I am once again convinced: we don't know how to trade at all. You know, I was ashamed to negotiate with the Sultan of Oman and ask him: "Help us, teach us how to trade. We will produce, we will deliver, but let's create a company together and trade together in your traditional markets." Is this normal? We produced it, threw it over the fence, sold it at whatever prices, it doesn't matter. We sit around, waiting for something.
- Do not rely on luck, but master the art of sales. Lukashenko on tasks for exporters
It seems we are producing a decent range of goods, but either distant markets are unaware of them, or crowds of intermediaries are profiting from them, taking the lion's share and making profits. It's time to realize that sales are an art.
I will inform you that I have instructed our Deputy Chairman, Kosinets Alexander Nikolaevich, to immediately address this issue of intermediation. To eradicate it at the root. We are losing 30 to 50 percent in price solely because we are feeding intermediaries. Is this normal? While the working group reports to me and makes proposals, ministers, deal with this immediately. I have cited the example more than once when it was necessary to slow down the growth of rapeseed. They planted it. You see the weather, winter crops are growing, growing, overgrowing. This means they won't survive the winter, especially rapeseed. I tell the minister: import growth regulators centrally. We buy them as imports. So he spent about two months coordinating some additional decision, when this rapeseed had already grown knee-high. Is this a normal situation? We cannot rely on chance or random circumstances; a well-thought-out strategy and a clear plan with competent logistics are needed.
- Lukashenko demanded an immediate crackdown on unjustified intermediation
An official seconded abroad must understand: no more tourism. The Council of Ministers and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will introduce a database of economic investment assignments for each country.
I instruct the Government to fully review the role and functionality of the so-called development institutions in the first half of the 26th year. Why are we spending so much money on structures that are neither seen nor heard? The National Investment Agency under the Ministry of Economy, right? The National Center for Marketing and Price Conjuncture under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Agency for Foreign Economic Activity under the Development Bank, the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and so on.
You know, I look at it: the National Center for Marketing and Price Conjuncture under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. What marketing? What conjuncture? Yes, such questions exist. This is what the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a whole should be dealing with. What other additional structures are needed? These are crony feeding troughs for officials with bloated staff and salaries. Abolish them within the first quarter of the 26th year.
As for producers, the state, for its part, is always ready to support exporters. The return is obvious: budget investments in exports have fully paid off. For every ruble of budget support, we received 30 dollars of exports, dozens of times over. If any other incentives are needed that are guaranteed to yield results, propose them promptly.
EIGHTH. A PERFECTED CONSUMER MARKET. For us, Belarusians, the choice of which product to buy – Belarusian or foreign – is a matter of national security. Many cannot overcome the stereotype of the elitism of imports. But this is not a result of experience. It is a tool of brainwashing, if you will, which was quite successfully applied in Soviet society, especially in the later stages of its development.
- The result of brainwashing. Lukashenko explained why Belarusians believe in the "elitism of imports"
We understand that both then and now, the quality of goods produced by Belarusians was and remains one of the best in the world.
But do we position ourselves that way in our own market? Well, you know, maybe somewhere there is "Dolce & Gabbana" or "Versace" and the like. Maybe they are more promoted. Maybe they are even of high quality. So, can't we wear Belarusian clothes? Will they strip you naked in the street? Is it disgusting to look at?
(Applause.)
I recall my first business trips to the West. Almost 30 years ago. You know, following fashion, I had to dress nicely, and so on. And so I sit at negotiations with billionaires. This was my business trip to the United States of America. Billionaires. I thought, my God, what kind of shabby people are these? Billionaires. I'll tell you honestly, I looked: simple suits and so on. And it was considered shameful for them to dress impeccably and show off. Shameful. And we, you know, live in a not-so-rich country, we talk about Belarus, you talk about it. And our population. But look at the cars people drive, what they wear. The question arises: why do you spend huge amounts of money to support foreign manufacturers? Support your own. "Kamvol", Orsha flax, and so on. Good fabrics, our own fabrics, environmentally safe. Why do you do this? This concerns everyone. We need to think about this before blaming the authorities for all sins, including me.
- Lukashenko: Resumption of US Embassy operations in Belarus discussed at talks with Americans
To a greater extent, I am addressing business owners. You are the first to shape demand and decide what and how to put on the shelves. I don't know if the President should explain that if a product says "Made in Belarus," then it should have preference on the shelf. And concerned citizens are asking me about this. They have been asking for a long time. I am making my final remark.
And trade, I wanted to say traders, I won't offend you, so don't be offended by me later. Import dominates within the country, and you seek government support. This pyramid needs to be flipped. For the Government, the share of domestic goods in the domestic market will be the main criterion for evaluating performance, alongside prices. If there are sales, there will be production volumes. There will be GDP and exports. But if there are no sales, you will have neither GDP, nor volumes, nor salaries. As an economist, I tell you, it's a simple formula. Everything should start with sales. Make all your marketplaces, retail chains, and other structures finally work for the country, otherwise, we will deal with this using other methods known to you. There is no other way out. If we want to live in a normal country, not wage war.
NINTH. TOURISM IS A POINT OF ECONOMIC GROWTH. This has become particularly relevant in recent years. The importance of creating a strong Belarusian tourism brand, I think, needs no explanation. Nor does the fact that this sphere can become a powerful tool for promoting Belarus's image as an open, hospitable country.
The task for the upcoming five-year period is to at least double the contribution of tourism to the economy. Everything is in place for this.
Minsk is a unique world-class capital. Brest region is not only the legendary hero-fortress and the ancient Belovezhskaya Pushcha, but also the soul of Belarusian Polesie. Vitebsk is the country's cultural festival center, a beauty. The Gomel region attracts tourists with its palace and park ensembles and original folk culture. Mogilev land is about healing springs and unique local history museums. Grodno region is a land of castle architecture.
Every corner of our country has its own face and originality. Tourists' complaints mainly boil down to the lack of service throughout the entire chain of services and digital support: booking accommodation, purchasing tickets, finding routes, ordering excursions. The absence of such comfort means losing potential guests. All decisions in the industry have been made based on the Government's proposals.
Begin developing a full-fledged domestic tourism platform. Given the rush demand, it was necessary to expand the number of rooms in sanatoriums and build new hotels, especially in district centers, yesterday.
Governors are watching this from the sidelines and waiting for something. If you can't do it yourselves, involve private structures. You need to more actively promote tourist services through our embassies, dealerships, and even more aggressive advertising. Burden ambassadors with this work; they are not particularly overworked at the moment.
And one more thing. Belarus is a clean country. This is the first impression our guests voice. This is a huge effort. Tens of thousands of people go to work daily, creating beauty, even when most of our citizens are still asleep. This refers not only to the absence of garbage but also to well-kept parks, streets decorated with flowers, and every corner equipped for recreation. We have become so accustomed to this order that we are beginning to abuse it, creating landfills even in forest areas. What are you doing? This is yours; you will bring your children here to relax. In the Year of Improvement, we have dozens of cases of vandalism of new facilities. Perhaps not to
TENTH. STRONG REGIONS ARE THE MAIN PRIORITY. All economic sectors, which I mentioned above, should form the basis of the new regional policy. In each region and district, we shift the center of gravity, all forces and resources there. The most important task is to stop the outflow of people from the regions, to relieve the capital, regional centers. This issue must be resolved by revolutionary methods, finally and without discussion, otherwise we will depopulate the country. We will pull everything into Minsk and regional centers.
You know, I follow the media closely, and I remember a statement from one young lady on behalf of the youth: "For us now, the main priority is housing." That's correctly said. But this nice, beautiful young lady should understand that for me as President, and what I am directing the government to focus on, the main priority is the balanced distribution of productive forces. And if housing is also about agro-towns, support villages, districts, regional centers, not just Minsk. As, perhaps, many young people understand it. Therefore, if you are admitted to a medical or agricultural university through targeted recruitment or in some other way, before you start attending, think about the fact that you will have to work starting from a district hospital, perhaps as a general practitioner, or maybe you'll need to get involved somewhere and revitalize a rural outpatient clinic. You need to be prepared for this, not just say, "I graduated from medical school, I want to work in Minsk, and if not, I'll leave tomorrow." Well, some have left.
Today, Shved (Prosecutor General of the Republic of Belarus Andrei Shved. - Ed.) has a queue of people wanting to return. Think, think, especially young people, before taking any step, you need to think, as it used to be.
A limit should be set in Minsk on the commissioning of new housing units. No more than three hundred thousand per year, perhaps even less.
The alternative is satellite cities. Create a similar quality, fully-fledged urban environment there and in the adjacent territories.
Although I see that there are a sea of problems here. We will also comprehensively consider the issue next year. Ideas are being voiced to develop satellite villages instead of satellite cities – large settlements – for a more even distribution of the population. About two hundred such villages have been identified. Let me remind you of the words of the famous Vasily Shukshin from an interview after the release of the film "Kalina Krasnaya." Do you remember, almost 150 million people watched this film. He said: with the destruction of the village, we will lose morality and spirituality, we will lose our identity. These are our roots, a special way of life, labor that educates. Without its land, a person is like a blade of grass, subject to all winds.
This is the main issue for me. Therefore, I, often even to my own inconvenience, I
I am justifying myself, I am roaming the villages, agricultural enterprises from morning till evening. The issue is not, as I have already frankly stated, for the Vitebsk region to reach some indicators. Forgive me, I will say it again: yes, we can easily do without the production of the Vitebsk region, even the Mogilev and Gomel regions, where there are the most problems. And we will feed the people, and there will be enough for export. My task is to save the village, so that these are not empty, dilapidated houses. So that people live there, wherever possible. And I want to sign under the words of Vasily Shukshin. One of my tasks, as I said, is to save the village. That's the whole point. We are all from the village. Well, look around, maybe in the third, fourth generation your parents lived in the village. I am not saying this because I am a villager myself, no. But because the village is the foundation, the foundation of our life. If there is no village, we will perish, the state cannot exist without it. We will return to those times.
(Applause.)
Africa is before our eyes. They are going through hard times. The richest region, you can't even imagine. They have everything - from gold, diamonds to rare-earth metals. They have everything. Therefore, I say, Africa has a future. But I recall, the first time I encountered this was in Zimbabwe - the richest country. I say, they have natural gas, and oil. Well, what don't they have. They are poor. The main question, I ask the President, I have good relations with him, personal ones. What is the question? They say: help us ensure food security. Simply put, help feed the people. We showed this with the example of Zimbabwe in two years. In two years, as President Mnangagwa says, we ensured the food security of a country with a population three times larger than ours. And the word spread throughout Africa: Belarusians can do it, Belarusians will help.
Without motor transport, without a tractor, it's impossible to live there. Well, how can one live without a tractor today? A tractor cleans the streets, it's a means of transport, and it plows. And we are helping them. And they responded, they responded that we are coming to them with open arms, we are training them, we are doing everything for them. But it's not free. It's not free. This is evidence that the state will pay the last penny to solve the task of feeding its own people.
Do we want to return to those times? This, you know, will happen very quickly. You won't even have time to look back. Therefore, we need to pull ourselves together and maintain the level we have achieved, perhaps adding a little, 3-4 percent of gross domestic product each year. 2 percent, 2.5 - no more is needed. On the other hand, if we talk about the countryside, about the village, I live and see clearly that very small villages, as they were called before - unpromising, of course, do not have prospects for development. You know, maybe they don't need to. With the technology that has come into agriculture today, we are consolidating, consolidating, and consolidating agricultural enterprises.
We have this indicator, "Dzerzhinka," as we call it, - 130 thousand hectares of land. Not every district in the republic has so much land. 130 thousand. It is one of the best, works effectively.
This is a global trend. We have less than 2 million Belarusians living in rural areas, 21 percent. We have reduced the rural population by 10 percent since the collapse of the Soviet Union. This is also a global trend. That's why I say: we need a robot for milking cows. We need a press to harvest hay and straw on time. Because there are fewer and fewer people. And our youth today, when talking about housing, do not mention milking a cow. Therefore, robots will work. They exist, but we need our own, domestic ones, if we want to continue to be called an agro-industrial state.
We need to retain people in agro-towns, in large, as I said, anchor villages. Provide a normal life here.
Yes, all this requires significant financial and time costs in most cases. Therefore, all program documents, republican and regional, must be synchronized, or we will face a huge imbalance in development. Employment and housing should be the priority. There must be housing and work.
- Lukashenko does not rule out that a limit on the commissioning of new housing meters may be introduced in Minsk
We are not a Western country where people are accustomed to living in rented accommodation for a long time, sometimes their whole lives. Belarusians prefer to live in their own houses and apartments. And this is good. Therefore, young specialists should have the right to buy out rental housing in the future, and its construction should be linked to job creation.
A new national approach is needed, motivating people to move to rural areas with specific conditions. I will not talk about what needs to be done in this regard. I think the Government will deal with this and report. But the Government, together with our deputies, needs to submit its well-developed proposals in the near future. And if we are talking about retaining young specialists in the regions, then we must pay attention to families with children.
And one more thing. Last year, we actively engaged in landscaping territories, and tidied up many significant sites. We held two republican workdays. Now we should pay attention
The Year of Improvement is ending, but the process itself is not. It remains under the control of the President.
Regardless of the goals and objectives that prompt my trips to one region or another, the first thing I assess is a хозяйский (owner's) approach at all facilities. There should be no neglected industries, villages, roads, or anything else. There shouldn't be. Don't forget that Belarus is our common home. Order in it is the first thing to consider when talking about the basic principles of social development. Comfort is the quality of life, and the economy is people. People who rebuilt our country. Quite recently, after the war. The goals we define as primary are always answers to two simple questions: what do we expect from the state, and what are we willing and obliged to do to ensure the state preserves the familiar and comfortable socially oriented plan for us? The answers to the questions I have posed are the country's strategy, striving for the future.
Only a healthy person can handle this road. Increasing life expectancy is one of our strategic goals.
We are investing huge resources in healthcare development, constantly opening new facilities, sparing no expense on renovating medical institutions and purchasing modern medical equipment. In inter-district centers, we perform surgeries that were previously only done at the Republican Scientific and Practical Centers (RSPC) – I remember this, it was all before my eyes – or in regional hospitals. Modern mobile paramedic and obstetric stations are arriving in remote areas. Moreover, many of them are domestically produced. We know how and can do everything, but we don't always do everything. The conditions for work have been created. Doctors' salaries have been raised as they demanded, but getting to the right specialist is often a problem. Especially in small districts and rural areas. I read these TikToks too. We demand bread from villagers, from peasants, and they wait for weeks for a specialist consultation or diagnostic tests.
We have four medical universities – a sufficient number of graduates for a country as compact as ours, yet we still lack personnel. Or do we have enough? In Belarus, we have one and a half times more doctors per thousand or ten thousand people than in the European Union. I don't recall the exact figure. What else is needed?
We are trying to solve the problem by relying on interns and young specialists, but they don't stay. Why? This is a question for everyone.
We have a standing working group on medicine. And once again, I draw your attention to the fact that all stages of medical care for people – from early detection of illness, comprehensive treatment to rehabilitation – must be carried out in a timely manner, regardless of a person's age or place of residence. After this, I want to ask you a question. Recently, our high-ranking officials, the "smart ones," sent me a letter. "All diplomatic," – roughly speaking, – "employees should be registered, as we call it, at the presidential hospital." Do you have a conscience? Why are you clinging to this hospital? It hasn't been the best in the country for a long time. We have plenty of such hospitals. I handed over this presidential hospital, which everyone was eager to get into, to Minsk. No, it's there. Well, God be with you, I'm not being treated there. Don't think that where the President is, it's good. Thank God, the Lord has so far protected me from this hospital. I'm not lying around in it, calm down. And then, what about ordinary people?
The issue of the quality of medical care is a very sensitive and complex topic. Complex, just like a doctor's work. I understand that it is difficult to deal with people who diagnose themselves, treat themselves on the internet, let the disease progress, and then expect a miracle from a doctor. But the complaints of patients, which the Presidential Administration and other authorities sometimes have to deal with, are often justified.
We will always keep such appeals under control. This is a matter of public trust in the entire healthcare system, which, after all, is working with dignity. Which many who returned from Poland and Lithuania, having tasted the "paradise garden," have appreciated.
As I said, if you need dental treatment, go to Belarus. It's high-quality and cheaper there. Well, go there – let them pull your teeth and jaw there. Why are you coming back here? You should sneak in, we have a visa-free regime.
We have something to be proud of, and we shouldn't trample into the mud everything we have.
Belarusian surgeons perform high-tech operations in cardiology, neurosurgery, traumatology, and transplantology. We are making every effort to save the lives of children with the most severe prognoses. We have introduced and are improving innovative technologies in pediatric oncology. We are keeping pace with the development of reproductive medicine. In the last three years alone, our doctors have performed over five thousand IVF procedures. Nearly two thousand long-awaited babies were born.
So, the men have achieved this, huh?
You know the situation. Today, all developed countries are facing an unprecedented decline in birth rates and an aging population. Unfortunately, Belarus is no exception. The fact that our country maintains leading positions in the world in providing medical care to mothers and children, and we have maintained low rates of infant, child, and maternal mortality for a long time, is a huge achievement. We are first in the world in this regard! But this is no longer enough.
(Applause.)
To simply maintain the population, families must have three children.
(Applause.)
Dear women! Have three children and demand anything you want from me.
(Applause.)
We have some people in the Presidium - one by one.
(Laughter in the hall.)
Yes, a lot has been done in terms of material incentives.
Before the birth of a child, future mothers are provided with free comprehensive medical care, we pay significant child benefits, a family capital is provided, we keep kindergarten fees at a minimum possible level, subsidizing them from the budget. Listen, well, in general, from infancy to graduation from university - at state expense.
What is wrong? Education. It's huge money. We spend huge amounts of money for a child to get an education at school and enter university. Listen, I once entered university, and then got a second degree. And it was always difficult to enter the economics faculty after graduating from university. And today, nothing is needed. To provide equal opportunities, I went for directing students to agricultural universities and universities in general through targeted recruitment. What else is needed? Take your head in your hands and go ahead, study. But if you don't study, what kind of specialist are you? And what right do you have to demand from the authorities later: we need a thousand dollars or two thousand (salary. - Ed.)? We can't. We are not the Soviet Union, which had a huge amount of oil and gas, and we are not Russia, where you can sell, get and then share. You have to earn. How do we talk about human capital. And in order to earn, you need to study, study, and study again, as the great Vladimir Ilyich said. But this is as old as the world. Therefore, before demanding something from someone, especially from me, from the authorities - look in the mirror, at yourself, you need to work.
(Applause.)
Yes, I ask women to have three, at least three children, but the working conditions for women who have returned from maternity leave, and their attitude towards them, are no less important. For employers, this is a real problem. Oh, she'll go, give birth, and then what to do with her? Do nothing. We need a second one so she can have a third. In the current demographic situation, it is criminal even to think that young mothers are a headache for employers. But not always the reason
But what prevents us from creating our own national stereotype? We've been through this before. Belarusian. We need to return the image of a mother to the pedestal.
Today, she can be both business-oriented and successful. Even with three or more children.
(Applause.)
There are examples in politics, sports, and other fields. This is a matter of our future and the future of our descendants. There can be no Belarus, no country of Belarus without Belarusians. We need people. This is the main issue, and I speak about it openly.
No less important than the birth of children is the focus on active longevity.
To a large extent, this is a result of the lifestyle we choose. By the end of 2030, every fifth Belarusian will be over 65 years old at the current pace. Everyone knows the recipe for a long and high-quality life. It's physical culture and sports. At least. I will not go into detail about how much has been done to enable an active lifestyle. Starting from equipped yard areas, bicycle paths, and ending with sports palaces across the country. We have never had such opportunities to engage in any kind of sport. Who uses them and how is a personal matter (I was just written about this in the Administration). It's not personal at all. We don't value our health, and then we spend huge amounts of money and pay corresponding categories of doctors to save you, to shield you from this disease. Do you remember that pandemic? If you don't remember, I remember it well. I often give this example when I visited the intensive care unit with the minister, we went in there, and there were mountains of people lying there. Bellies up to the ceiling, not a single thin person. Excess weight is a catastrophe. I'm telling you this. I know what I'm talking about.
- Lukashenko: Everyone knows the recipe for a long and high-quality life – physical culture and sports
The second, no less important priority, connecting the interests of the state and society, is the quality of education.
It all starts from the school bench. In the 25th year alone, our schoolchildren became absolute winners of the International Geographical Olympiad. At the Mathematics Olympiad, the Belarusian team took 5th place out of 110 countries, ahead of all European states.
(Applause.)
The export of educational services has reached 115 million dollars. But this is far from the limit. In the 25th year alone, 35,000 foreign students are studying in our country. The geography covers 120 countries.
And wherever I have been, even in large countries, even in the People's Republic of China, it's about education. "Can you take these, and can you take these, these, these?" Well, yes, some say, here are grants, well, just at our expense. Only when I meet people in Africa, Zimbabwe, Algeria, speaking our native language, speaking Russian, I think, the Soviet Union did a good job after all. There were enough grants, they trained normal specialists. Today they are already heads of state. Therefore, this is our asset in any country. A good asset that helps us later promote our economy in these countries. But the most important thing is the accessibility of domestic education for Belarusians. And we are world leaders here. In terms of accessibility. In the near future, we need to focus on increasing the flexibility of the vocational education system. Adjustments to educational standards and plans should be made in a short period of time. According to the needs of customers and the requirements of the economy. We need to continue to reduce the training time for specialists, but taking into account the intensification of training. Getting higher education, secondary vocational education is not a walk in the park, it is real work. After lunch, students should work in laboratories, institutions, and enterprises. Then the employers will not say that the youth do not know the real production. And students can be paid some money. We just need to think about how to do it right. But we must understand: young people are forming a demand for up-to-date knowledge. These are the realities that
Domestic schools and universities must comply, especially today, when high technologies are so deeply penetrating all spheres of our lives, dictating new requirements. We must take into account that today the leading world powers are actively forming national strategies in the field of artificial intelligence. Belarus has its own scientific school with deep traditions in mathematics and information technologies. We have world-class researchers, engineers, and developers.
- "Students can be paid some kopecks." Lukashenko proposed to think about motivation for learning in production
- Lukashenko on AI: I would not want any machine or computer to replace us
It is precisely the personnel of the new formation that is the main guideline for the education system.
We need to train more specialists in nanobiotechnology, architecture, high-class design, and so on. Starting from the next academic year, Belarusian State University will begin training tomorrow's specialists in natural science fields. This experience should be scaled up across the country, taking into account the profiles of our universities. I expect the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus to be actively involved in this work. Together with the Government, you have been tasked with submitting concrete proposals within the next month to enhance the role of our academy, considering our recent discussions. This should be done without fostering scientific dependency or wasting resources.
Speaking about the development of the legal regulation sphere of the state, I will emphasize the concept of justice, which we often discuss. And yes, the demand for justice in modern society is only growing. But this is a two-way street. We all want to live and work under the protection of the law. Is this a fair demand? Yes. The state, as a system, requires compliance with this law. Is that fair? Of course. And in this matter of mutual responsibility, the level of societal involvement in the law-making process plays a crucial role. The country's Constitution has undergone collective opinion expertise three times in our history; the people adopted amendments to the Basic Law. By an absolute majority of votes. The Constitution defines the basic postulates of state development and our ideology. And any attempt to destroy them, to sow discord in people's lives, entails criminal liability.
Our laws are no different from any others in the world. But some decided to "sniff" Western democracy, giving in to emotions. Today they have repented; as I said, they want to return home.
The Constitution, I emphasize again, enshrines the political will of the majority. The law protects us - we comply with it. A simple and objective formula for a state governed by the rule of law, which Belarus is. This is how we understand our Belarusian model of democratic development.
I am absolutely convinced that the population needs to be more actively involved in discussing legislative changes. We have a powerful resource - our
We are Slavs, we are used to being talked to, to the authorities talking to their people. Listen, our people are like this (I remember this from my deputy days) - even if you don't help them, but talk to them like a human being, they will be grateful to you. Do not forget this simple truth.
The second point, which concerns the leaders of the Parliament, is that you have created many groups, commissions, expert councils. You constantly meet and discuss something. Well, probably, this is correct. But often after such meetings, you come to the President again and again with initiatives to clarify a point, a paragraph, an article, and so on. That is why I am talking about systematizing legislation. I instructed to review by-laws, as well as legislation, laws in general. A large-scale work has been done, but it should not be a one-time action. The review of legislation should be carried out on a permanent basis, because life, especially now, is changing very rapidly. Laws are lagging behind this life.
A few words about the role of the All-Belarusian People's Congress in the legal regulation process. You, dear friends, are vested with high status. This is the trust of the people you represent. As delegates, you are authorized to make the most important decisions - from the economy and the formation of higher courts to issues of peace and security. Already at this meeting, you will have to make personnel decisions involving a serious renewal of the Constitutional and Supreme Courts. This is not just about rejuvenating the judicial corps.
The All-Belarusian People's Congress must ensure the inviolability, you must ensure the inviolability of the constitutional order, the continuity of generations, and civil accord. If you like, you are a school. You are the future.
It is from here, from this depth, that Alexander Nikolaevich (Deputy Chairman of the All-Belarusian People's Congress Alexander Kosinets. - Ed.), future personnel should be drawn. He constantly comes and says: "What should we do? Will we control? Will we gather? Will we...?" Stop all gatherings! Everyone must carry this high title of a member of the people's assembly as a banner. You are the future of our country.
(Applause.)
We must see in you future leaders, future ministers, chairmen of district executive committees, governors. Because I am confident that almost one hundred percent of you are patriots of our country, which is in high demand today.
(Applause.)
You, as it was said during and after the war, must lead. You have no right, just like me, I feel and understand this, you have no right to be bad people. You cannot lag behind in your work. You must not be at the tail end anywhere. You must not trail behind. You must be ahead. This is the task of our All-Belarusian People's Congress members. And besides, you must understand. Yes, this is the seventh All-Belarusian People's Congress, but remember the first one. The question was decided then: to be or not to be? Thank God, He prompted me to turn to this people's assembly. As a historian, I understood that it was necessary to gather people, to get their support. And after the first All-Belarusian People's Congress, cars were overturned on the streets. You see this.from the chronicle footage. But the situation absolutely began to change, in my opinion, from '96 of the last century. It began to change. This is what we should bow down for (time will pass soon, you will appreciate it), bow down to the All-Belarusian People's Assembly. In a difficult moment, it said: "No. We support this whiny President, we elected him, and we must move forward, forward and only forward, without stopping."
(Applause.)
This is what we exist for. Well, and then. Although I am often criticized for this, when I say, well, I am not eternal. Yes, we have created a system, much depends on the President, thank you for supporting me. Without this support, much would not have happened in the country. Everything is from you.
(Applause.)
But I am a departing President. I cannot be President forever. And it's not necessary. But as a President who has done a lot for the country, together with you... I cannot help but worry about what will happen next. Only you are the stabilizer of our society. No presidents, no parties, no groups, no deputies, and others will be able to break what we will create together. Yes, we will change. You will change. But you must direct the country, put it on the rails, push it - and let it move forward. No stupid zigzags and hesitations. If it is necessary to bypass an obstacle sharply, here, on this platform, you will decide what to do. This is what you are created for. Not for running around the country and controlling something. Whom will you control? Here are top managers, chairmen of district executive committees, governors, members of the Government, deputies. Will you control yourselves? Everything is created, settled as it should be. We must act in this direction. And we, together, this is another task, must find our place, our constitutional place in this life. But we must proceed from the great tasks that we will solve together. Well, that's it. I will think about these issues again in the near future. And, perhaps, by the next meeting of our All-Belarusian People's Assembly, I will set out my point of view more concretely on the future of the All-Belarusian People's Assembly. But this is in general. No petty themes, as scientists say. Don't get bogged down in various trifles. It's not our business..
We are created to solve global challenges. God forbid, I often say: look around, I will talk about this now, what is happening. What if there is a war? Well, yes, one can say: the President is the Commander-in-Chief, he will make this decision. But for this decision to come from the people, we must make this decision together. Will we surrender, or will we defend our country. Listen, it's not about the country. It's not about the country. Defend your children. Defend your family. Men, defend your beloved woman, in the end. This is our country and our Motherland. This is what is needed from us today and tomorrow.
(Applause.)
Similar goals should be set by all public organizations and parties.
These are challenging times. Protecting interests in Belarus is paramount. Foreign agents and extremists will no longer operate in our political field. This is also a matter of justice.
Therefore, when I let someone go, whether to Lithuania, Poland, or further south, do not worry. These are my functions and powers. You elected me, allow me to exercise my powers. And you, at every workplace, as I say, do your jobs, quietly, calmly. We will resolve all issues. Both with Americans, Chinese, Russians, and Africans. If I am wrong in something, well, elections are coming soon. This is the essence of democracy. If we start tearing each other apart now, who did right and who did wrong, if we start stirring things up somewhere, we will create such chaos in society.
I am saying this specifically. When negotiations with the Americans began (perhaps we will talk about this topic, I have been sent questions, I will talk about it in more detail later), when we started this dialogue with the Americans, some... I even told Ivan Kubrakov: look at our guys, the OMON officers and others, who stood in the front ranks and defended the country. They say: "Well, why, they are such and such, they should be 'beaten' there, not released from prison." Well, guys... Well, okay, they will sit for another year or two. Some of their sentences are ending. Remember, after another batch, everyone reproached me from there: "Ah, Luka deceived everyone, he released those who were supposed to be released in two months." Well, guys, you asked me - I released them. But they are right, only two months were left.
- Lukashenko on dialogue with the USA: sometimes tough and persistent, but it is a negotiation of the strong with the strong
(Applause.)
Don't ask. That's why you're not worried. Firstly, they form different lists and so on, yes, I have to make decisions. I told you about this scumbag whose wife is sitting in Lithuania with the kids... And she asked to reunite the family. And our people didn't want to: let him sit there, this and that, a murderer, he wanted to kill your son and so on. Well, guys, what's there to say about what happened yesterday? We must remember, not forget. Well, let's let them go, his wife asks to reunite. We reunited them. Well, you know what's happening. I don't need to tell you. If it weren't for such a forum, not in the public domain, I could tell you a lot. What we see and know. Now they're shouting: "He deceived us again." Well, how did I deceive you? You asked. You asked - take it. Now, no sooner had these been released, they are creating a separate center in Germany, "shady characters" are not needed. Guys, you asked to release them. And there's not enough money. And what there is must be divided. And so it went. Now they've gone silent: nothing to say. I did what you asked. Therefore, guys, don't blame me if I did something somewhere within my powers.
I sacredly remember what we need today. And at the beginning, I told you: if there is an economy, there will be a sovereign and independent Belarus.
(Applause.)
Many were happy: oh, sanctions were lifted from Belavia. Well, the Americans presented it to me like this: Mr. President, maybe we'll lift sanctions from Belavia. I said: dear American gentlemen, don't lift them! If earlier we had two or three planes standing at the airport parking lot, today they are all flying and we don't have enough of them. Putin and I agreed, we will buy Russian planes. Yes, which have already been used, good planes, and we will transport people. Today in Russia, in huge Russia, in China, in Asia and so on, where we fly, there are not enough planes. What, did you give me some kind of gift? Well, you lifted them, fine, we have a sufficient fleet of Boeings, we will buy spare parts, thank you. The same is true for Belkalii now. Here, we will lift sanctions from Belkalii. From everything. I say: thank you, but we don't need this gift.Relevant. Not relevant. Last year, this year, Alexander Grigoryevich (Prime Minister Alexander Turchinov. - Ed.), we will receive, sell more potash than in previous years, and even receive more money.
That's all. So don't think that we were done some kind of great favors here. I offered the Americans back at the first meeting: guys, you are all businessmen. Think about it. We built a private mine. The private owner left, scared of your sanctions. Think about it. Not a billion, but three. Three billion. Buy this new factory from us. You buy all the potash at world prices, take it to America, and as a bonus, we'll give you a couple of million tons of oil from the old mine. America is a premium market.
They are thinking. Enter the capital of this enterprise, we invite you. Maybe you won't fight against us then and won't harbor plans. They are thinking. That's why I look further than just lifting some sanctions. We'll survive. Trump is not a fool. Don't look at him being so outrageous, in front of the media... He's that kind of person. He's not a fool. Personally, he's not a fool. He'll bend somewhere, then back off. I already know his policy, and the Americans have confirmed it. They know what they need. And from Venezuela they know what, we discussed this issue a lot, and from Russia, and from Ukraine. First of all, rare earth metals from Ukraine. They are pushing not business, they are pushing their own economy. "Peace through strength," "America first" - these are their slogans. That's why I say directly: "Guys, I understand what you want. But you must understand: we are much smaller than you. Not even talking about the economy. But we have our own interests. And as President, I must express these interests of the Belarusian people. This is the basis of our negotiations. So don't worry, don't fret. It's not time for President Lukashenko to betray you. Or to sell you out, as our extremists, fugitives, "tiushki-lahushki" are shouting. "We'll come to power - we'll privatize." They don't say they'll give it away, sell it off. "We'll privatize everything." Sell it. Turn it into private property. And who will buy it? A rhetorical question.
National unity, peace, security are the fundamental values that we realize every dayall the sharper. And this is the result, including the daily work of law enforcement agencies, structures, and every uniformed employee.
Objectively, there is no easy service. There are no easy periods in terms of risk, threats to national security either. And we never had them in our history. And today they are many times greater.
This is a terrible trend. The world community is being drawn into a global war. Whatever peace initiatives may sound, the situation is seriously escalating. Even the same Trump, whatever he might have intended, you see how they are dragging things out. They are stifling it, stifling it, dissolving it. They are afraid to confront directly. Although journalists and others are already saying, their propagandists, as they call them, their mouthpiece, are talking about it.
- Lukashenko: Whatever peace initiatives may sound, the situation in the world is seriously escalating
But nevertheless, quietly, quietly: Volodya, go fight, go fight against Zelensky. We will give you something. Thousands will die, but it's not our people dying. One of the high-ranking, Biden's, officials, in the last year of his tenure in the administration, said: "Let them fight. Let them fight. This is for the terror that was unleashed against the Jewish population."
Listen, they accuse us of oppressing Jews? But in Belarus, for example, half of the government are Jews. Where are we oppressing anyone? Normal, smart people: Poles, Jews, Ukrainians, Russians, Belarusians. Go to work. But you know, there's an order. You got into the wrong place, don't go there. Remember, I reproached the Jews when we sent one of the President's aides there? They ran to me. Well done, they are protecting their own. But we don't live in Israel. We live in Belarus. We have laws, you will be held accountable for this.
(Applause.)
And not a single Jew, not a single Pole will throw a stone at my garden. It has never happened that we leaned on someone and forced them to do something. These are our people, I know as a historian. Vadim Gigin is somewhere here... (member of the House of Representatives, Director General of the National Library Vadim Gigin. - Ed.)
The Pale of Settlement, Vadim, did we have it? As a historian. Where can you go from that?
I recently discovered that half of the Catholics in my immediate circle, women, girls, are working. Excellent workers and employees. I can say the same about the governing bodies of power. That's the whole national idea. I'm not talking about Russians, Ukrainians, and Belarusians. Here it is, the national idea in action. Don't oppress people. If you invited them to work with you or they ended up here somehow, they should be like our titular, so to speak, nation. And then there will be no outbursts, no conflicts. Belarus will be like that. And even without me. We must take this into account.
(Applause.)
Today, we have an effectively functioning law enforcement response system in Belarus to any challenges and threats. We created it during a difficult period, we turned the dangerous situation around.
We can develop business here without protection from thugs. And the fact that we all perceive this as the norm is a great achievement. I am not saying that we don't have this. We have plenty of this stuff. But you know my attitude, and not only mine, but that of the relevant people, the security forces, towards this. The most comfortable conditions have been created in Belarus for investors. There is only one requirement. And it is fundamental: pay a decent salary to those who work for you in Belarus, observe the laws, and do not mix economics with politics. Do you want to be President? For God's sake, for 30 years. But do not exploit our people, earn money, transfer it to Lithuania, and then finance protest sentiments from there. This should not happen. Everything must be honest. I cannot be reproached for this. I had not yet managed to go to the Middle East, and I read: he is hiding money. I think, why are you making Belarusians fools? Here we have Roman Golovchenko, the chief banker (R. A. Golovchenko is the Chairman of the Board of the National Bank of Belarus Roman Golovchenko. - Ed.).
How, Roman, how can money be hidden today? How can this be explained? What money? We are sitting in a narrow circle. Last year they wrote: 13 billion dollars. Roman, and what is our annual budget? The republican budget? Less. 13 were stolen. Today they wrote: 9. And so on. As a joke, the youth say: somewhere the President squandered 4 billion dollars in a year...
Why, I say, are Belarusians considered fools? How can such money be hidden? I simply answer: "Guys, you probably know where I hid it, where I transported it. Well, come and get it. Do you need a written power of attorney? I'll give it to you. Go, get it." You know, they twist and turn. As soon as we take some step, as they were released last time, now they are released, they are looking for a way to distract the population from this problem, where they have lost. And don't think. You will not win anywhere else. We have drawn conclusions from the year '20. And we will bomb you, bomb you in the information sphere, as long as Eismont is alive (Chairman of the National State Television and Radio Company Ivan Eismont. - Ed.).
(Applause.)
On the Armed Forces.
Our Armed Forces have focused on domestic systems that we produce ourselves, and quite well.
A Belarusian school of missile construction has been created in the country. The production of our own small arms and ammunition has been organized. Whatever drones there may be, a soldier with a machine gun, assault rifle, pistol, grenade launcher solves problems on the battlefield, especially in our conditions, when there are forests and swamps all around. This is the most important condition for victory. We have started doing this.
Then we made the Buk air defense system, which is in demand all over the world today. Our own missile, our own launchers. A wonderful machine, it is enough for us in Belarus. We have learned to produce drones, but we have always reassured the military. Don't rush, don't rush. This is not a steppe country, where everything is in plain sight and they inflict damage on you with drones, kamikaze or others. We live in a forest, and the war will be, whether you like it or not, mainly partisan. We will not walk through squares with a machine gun or some kind of rifle to destroy this drone.
We need to see where we will wage war. Based on this, we started creating our own weapons. They are much cheaper.
But we haven't forgotten about missiles either. Drones, counter-battery electronic warfare, operational camouflage – these are the areas that require primary attention. Those in uniform know this well.
They have to thoroughly study the experience of modern military conflicts, primarily the special military operation. We have included a new branch of special forces in the Armed Forces – unmanned aviation. Let it be. Drones are a new reality.
But no drones can replace a trained soldier. We must not forget about physical and firing training.
The Wagnerites, whom I brought to Belarus, reminded us of the realities once again. They asked: what about physical fitness? It's elementary. What kind of soldier is he if he's out of breath and can't walk or run, let alone fight? It turns out that physical training is the foundation of everything. It was like that in my time. Firing training.
If you have a rifle, you must know how to shoot it. And not just shoot, but hit the target. And then we moved on from life, to the point where we needed to create a people's militia so that everyone could protect their family.
As they said in the Great Patriotic War: "I'll kill at least one fascist." But you have to know how, you have to be trained. And when they suggested only professional troops, that we should abolish conscription, like we have, I said: "No, under no circumstances!" Every young man who has served in the army is a different person, and he will learn at least something. He will be able to protect his family. Look at what is happening today. Germany, great Germany, wants to return to conscription, like ours. Right? Right. And everyone in NATO, the Americans have thought about this. That's what it means to foolishly accept a draft
(Applause.)
At the same time, I want to warn you. You know, many have started shouting: "Oh, Belarus has been targeted, oh, nuclear weapons. They will be attacked by foreigners first. Or "Hazelnut". Russia demonstrated a terrible weapon at one of the largest factories. "What a disaster, you brought it here." Don't give in to these talks.
I'll draw a parallel. Remember when they started building the nuclear power plant? "Are you serious? In a Chernobyl republic? Why do we need this nuclear power plant? No, we don't." Lithuania wants to build its own nuclear power plant. Poland, as many as two. Germany and France have completely decommissioned nuclear power plants and recognized that it is clean electric energy. And Trump mocks all of Europe: "Idiots, fools. What are you doing? What green economy?" Well, it went further.
Therefore, do not give in to these talks that here are nuclear weapons, and strikes will be delivered to these facilities. What if they go to war against us? Will they pet us on the head? They will strike against us. And they will strike, as it is fashionable to say, at decision-making centers. At us. That's the main thing. Therefore, we are doing everything we can to prevent war. We have had enough of this war. One generation, as I said, has not yet died that fought. We don't need this war. Our happiness is in peaceful life. We don't want to sit in swamps and dugouts anymore.
(Applause.)
And for this not to happen, we must be strong. The world is like this today, it has always been like this. The strong have always been respected everywhere. Therefore, we must be strong.
We are negotiating with the Americans. I must say directly: never, except for the first meeting, did they raise the issue of Russia. I told them directly: Russia is sacred. These are our own people. Nevertheless, there are talks, talks. I asked them: guys, will you replace Russia with Belarus tomorrow? No. So what are we talking about? Therefore, we have one support and hope for the preservation of our sovereignty and independence. This is a close, native people to us – Russians, who help us in everything.
(Applause.)
And remember: this is my policy. From the first to the last day of my current presidency. No matter how much they criticize me in Russia sometimes, this way and that, out of jealousy. I have always proceeded from the fact that we must be together.
Putin, Lukashenko, people come and go, but countries, peoples remain forever. You know my policy and position. As long as I am President, we will not deviate from this policy. The closest friends for us are them.
Thank you to Xi Jinping. It started with personal relationships and developed into modern economic ties. They help us greatly. And if it weren't for these two countries, it would be very difficult for us, and we would always remember that we are under sanctions. They helped us greatly. We must understand this. And today, enlightened Europe, this "paradise garden," pays $400-500 (more in winter) for natural gas, while we pay $100-120. And this is the economy. These are our MAZ, BELAZ, "Kamvol" and other enterprises, leather and linen factories.
That's why what else is needed? What about our runaway "tikhushki-lakhushki"? "We will connect to the European energy system"... Have you lost your minds? Look, Lithuania disconnected from BRELL, from electricity. Prices soared instantly. People can't pay. They are shouting loudly. It's almost to the point of a state coup. And what will happen in winter? They want to plunge us into this. But it's not just about us getting these perks. Keep in mind, we don't owe anything for this. We talk about it little. But we don't keep this accounting that some in the Russian government sometimes throw at us. "We did this for you, and we did this for you." We don't talk about everything we do for Russians. If I started listing, I don't know whose side the bill would be on. But President Putin and I have clearly agreed: we help each other. "Aggressors," "co-aggressors," it doesn't matter what they say about us. We must see the interests of our own people.
I emphasize once again: cherish this friendship. God forbid, we should bend somewhere and give in to these foreign promises. This will be the beginning of the demise of our state. Sanctions are not because of dictatorship, not because Lukashenko is like that. As if there are lesser dictators in the East than Lukashenko. But you know, there are plenty of them. You can't swing a cat. But they are friends. Rich. They invest money in America. I was convinced of these investments recently. They are building everything: from resorts to military facilities. And it doesn't matter that they have a dictatorship, a monarchy, and so on. That's not the point. Now there is a fierce struggle, fierce competition. Everyone understands that the economy comes first. And in this competition, a ruthless strangulation of competitors has begun. If not with weapons. Well, how to fight against Belarusians or against Russians? This is fighting against the main nuclear power of the world - Russia. No. They started strangling with sanctions. And what about trifles? They blew up a tanker with oil. Something else, they struck. Well, you know, like a mosquito bit an elephant. Yes, unpleasant. Yes, damaging. But we will survive.
But before you blew up the tanker with Russian oil, think about what will happen next. Therefore, the situation is difficult today. But we must endure. We have already learned a little over 5 years since sanctions were imposed against us. I reminded you about this plane. Remember when they said: "They caught Roman Protasevich, arrested him, landed the plane to arrest him." What didn't I do to explain to them: "Guys, the plane was flying to Vilnius, it was over Vilnius. Land it in Vilnius." There was a threat of explosion. Why did you turn back from Vilnius, fly in from the south, and start landing this plane in Belarus? The military reports: "He is our man, he is sitting there."
Now it is known that he is our man. But sanctions were imposed against us. And I am being reported to. I say: "Lord, what should I do? We don't need him to land in Minsk. He needs to go to Vilnius." I tell the military: "Get all the instructions and act according to the instructions."
Khrenin says: "We need to scramble a fighter jet, escort it, in case something happens?" I say: "Scramble it. Do you need two? Two, three, five, but everything must be according to the instructions." They escorted it, from the tail, these are objective control materials. They landed it in
This is the operation, this was the point. Sanctions were imposed. Well, now apologize and lift them. Not because our person was on the plane, whom we had to arrest, but because you were wrong. We did everything according to the instructions. But what was your plan? We still don't know.
It's like negotiations with the Americans: "Well, you lost," - this is the last time I tell John, - "well, you lost. But admit that you lost. And we will continue to build relations. I'm not a fool, I understand that you will constantly strangle us." And we have to resist. And we have to win this fight. Because to go out and wail according to the Belarusian-Jewish scenario. Well, people are like that. We are always crying, crying. As the Jews told me in Israel when I first went: "You know what our problem was? That when we were hit on the right cheek, we turned the left." Peacemakers. They are led to the lake, to the river, they will die - they go calmly, without resistance. Religion. The religion is that if you are beaten, you must respond. And it's best if there's no fight. And we are doing everything for this, and our Armed Forces. Just think, Brussels allocated 44 billion dollars to Poland. The United States of America added 11 billion. 15 billion to the Baltic countries. Listen, if you sell all the countries, there won't be 15 billion. They allocated it. The military knows. And I am oriented towards this. Are these defensive budgets? They are buying a huge amount of weapons. And our fugitives are shouting that he brought nuclear weapons. And where will we get 50 billion dollars to arm ourselves like the Poles and the West? We don't have that kind of money. And there can't be. Neither China nor even Russia can provide us with such support. So, we must have a rifle that will go bang, and they will know that we will bang. So that they don't meddle here. That's the point.
(Applause.)
To put it briefly about the situation that is shaping today's agenda, it must be said: there is no peace, but the fight for the peace prize is underway.
(Applause.)
I conveyed to Trump and Melania, to both of them, I wrote to them and handed it over to the Americans: "Tell Trump, tell him tohe is not worried that he was not given this award. They will give it next year." This is the first point. And secondly, if I were offered this award, I would go crazy. This is in that camarilla, which is given the peace prize today. One has to be in the same company with them...
What peace prize? It's a disgrace today. Where, where is Trump, I say, your Trump getting into? Why does he need this? He is a completely different person. No. They gave it to this woman from Venezuela. I looked into it. This woman called on the smart collective West to strike Venezuela. War against one's own people is today valued by the peace prize. What is this? I tell Trump: "Is this your place in this lineup?" No, it cannot be. Therefore, the main thing is war, war in the economy, trade wars. They didn't succeed with this global economy, they are already moving away from it. They want separate national economies today. And look what will happen to the European Union.
We have our own way. It is without illusions. We live under political and economic pressure throughout our sovereign history. This is the price of independence.
Since the USSR collapsed, we have been taking this blow, but we are working and getting out of this situation. We are focusing on external markets. Both China, and India, Russia, countries of Asia, Africa, Latin America. This is the world majority. And we are part of this world majority.
(Applause.)
The economic balance is completely shifting in favor of the Global East and South, and we are included in this system. The future belongs to countries and associations like BRICS, SCO, where we are expected and gladly accepted.
The Russian Federation is our main ally.
I'm cutting myself short here, I won't characterize all of this, I've said some things, we will publish it especially for you...
***
(This is, in particular, what was further discussed in the Address. - BELTA note)
We have increased the share of distant arc countries in our exports from 11 percent in 2021 to 20 percent in 2024. These are intermediate figures for us. The goal is for one-third of Belarusian supplies abroad to find buyers in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
However, relations with Russia and China remain an unconditional priority. There can be no compromises here.
The Russian Federation is the main ally and partner of Belarus. Two-thirds of our exports are supplied to its market. And we buy approximately the same amount. Mutual supplies of goods and services will amount to a significant figure of 60 billion dollars in 2025. These volumes need to be increased, but already through production cooperation and joint ventures.
Our task is to bring such enterprises to full capacity and to maximally utilize materials and components from the Union market. The relevant legal framework has been developed.
We have agreed on the criteria for classifying industrial products as goods of the Union State, with the help of which
Cooperation in the transport and logistics sector has reached a new level. We are actively developing the transshipment of Belarusian cargo through Russian ports. This year, its volume will reach 16 million tons. This means a full recovery to the pre-sanction level.
There should be no administrative obstacles or bureaucratic misunderstandings between our countries.
I believe that the Government and Parliament should pay special attention to systematic work with Russians on the formation of common industry markets, including the field of high technologies. We are not foreigners to Russia. We need to move away from empty accounting of who owes whom and how much. This is a relic of the past.
All our exports to Russia are a drop in the ocean! We do not create any significant competition for any product. And our union should not be hindered by ordinary clerks and bureaucrats.
China is the second largest trading partner after Russia and one of the leaders in terms of direct investment in our economy. Over the past decade, our exports to the PRC have increased almost threefold. And the total volumetrade already exceeds trade with the entire European Union by more than 2 times.
Serious projects have been outlined in new promising areas - from wood chemistry to unmanned transport.
The most striking example of industrial cooperation between our countries is the Belarusian people's car "BELGEE", for which large-scale deepening of its own localization has begun.
Today, the number one task for our exporters is far-arc countries.
As an example, a good growth rate of supplies to India has been achieved (in January-October 2025 - 2.8 times to 493 million dollars). Today, it is the fifth economy in the world and has the largest population.
There is significant potential for the development of trade and industrial cooperation with Iran, Pakistan, Algeria, Oman, and the Emirates - countries whose leadership speaks to us in a language we understand.
A whole series of the most important agreements at the highest level confirm this. There is demand there for our food products, industrial products, developments in information technology, security, and medicine.
Increasing economic turnover with African countries is a test for our economy and export promotion system. A litmus test for evaluating the work of the entire Government. Especially the industrial bloc.
The scope of work is huge. And it's not just ministries that need to get moving. The role of ambassadors should be strengthened - key figures for collecting primary information and finding ways to promote our interests.
But the enterprises themselves should be in the first place: Belarusian business should more actively engage in building logistics chains and dealer networks in the Global South and East countries.
And the work of our parliamentarians through integration associations, in addition to the political effect, should bring real economic results.
We are always open to dialogue and cooperation at any level. We will find common ground with everyone. Belarusians have rich experience. But this should be a conversation on equal terms!
In our history, we, Belarusians, have built statehood together with different peoples. First in the family of East Slavs, later - with the peoples of the vast Soviet Union.
All those who have visited us at least once from former Soviet republics on an official visit, on a business trip, to relatives or for vacation know: they are welcomed here like family. Our ties are more than friendship.
Almost a century of shared history cannot be erased from common memory. Many Belarusians found a second homeland in different corners of the once united country. Many came to us. Truly international families live here and there.
Yes, we, the heirs of the Soviet Union, are going through difficult times. The West has thrown an intra-Slavic conflict at us, which has erupted into a war in Ukraine.
I will not delve into the political backstage, but I will repeat what I said earlier: we are open to Ukrainians. You are not strangers!
Belarusians today are a huge family: more than 150 ethnic groups and nationalities.
In the last 5 years alone, more than 17,000 people have obtained Belarusian citizenship. The geography is more than 60 countries, from the USA and Canada to Sri Lanka and Madagascar.
Now these are our people, Belarusians
The right to the free development of cultures of all national communities living in the Republic of Belarus is enshrined in our Constitution. Once every 2 years, we hold the Republican Festival of National Cultures in Grodno.
A good example of social harmony was the adoption of decisions on the establishment of centers for our main religions.
I am convinced that over time, all these objects will become a symbol of the national unity of the Belarusian people - open and peace-loving.
(Further in the President's speech. - Editorial note of BELTA)
***
The issues of our union construction are the number one issue. We will do everything to ensure that our union is strong. Putin and I will leave, young people will come, but they must have a basis, a foundation on which they will build this union. I believe that the Government and the Parliament should pay special attention to this work, systemic work with Russians, on the formation of common industry markets. We are not foreigners to Russia, just as they are not foreigners or strangers to us. The Belarusian presidency in the EAEU gave us the opportunity to focus attention on the organization's agenda and to shake up this organization for the better. Last year, the EAEU turned ten years old. Today, we see a twofold increase in the trade turnover of the union member states, an increase in GDP by almost 18 percent, and industrial production by 30 percent. That's all the sanctions.
Next year, we will celebrate the 35th anniversary of the CIS. And here is a good platform for outlining prospects, for orienting ourselves and looking into the future. The People's Republic of China is the second largest trading partner after Russia. And today it is the absolute leader in the world. When meeting with Americans, in an interview, if you watched it, I told the Americans a long time ago: "You are exactly 25 years late, and you will not stop any China today, you are not capable of it. You can only negotiate with China." The Chinese are calm, they are not in a hurry, but they are moving towards their goal. This is an ancient civilization. It must be treated as such. Neither drugs nor human trafficking can be stopped by any missiles or military strikes. The same applies to the economy.
The world has changed. The world cannot be changed today. We must adapt to this world.
And we, dear friends, first of all. Yes, I am talking about breakthrough directions, but I always keep in mind here - to adapt. To survive this time. In Belarusian, "pamyarkouna", calmly. We have more smart people than we need. We just need to shake ourselves up. We need to understand that no one will solve our problems for us.
We have reached a number of important agreements at the highest level. In many countries. There is an amazing demand for our products. The Government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs must truly get involved.
But this conversation should not be based on "you are senior, I am junior." It is a conversation between equals. There are no small or large, weak or strong peoples. Any people is a people. For me, the Belarusian people are the strongest, most courageous people, because I am their President. And for me, the main thing is to defend these interests.
(Applause.)
We have done a lot in the sphere of culture. I will not characterize it. Sometimes we might overdo it with the restoration of castles. Somewhere, perhaps, we should not act at such a pace. They need to be revived. We have no choice, this is our history. Perhaps we don't need so many "Slavianski Bazaar" festivals, "Kupalye" in Alexandria, and so on, but they already exist. They have become customary. Let's stop there and make them of higher quality. This will be the most important issue for us.
In sports - we are still tumbling. My slogan is: beat the Russians. Well, no one is stopping you. Look, our biathletes are running as they should, shooting - they are winning. The Dynamo hockey players - sometimes they win, sometimes they lose, but they seem to be okay. What about the others, except for the trampolinists? Well, Kovalchuk (Minister of Sport Sergei Kovalchuk. - Ed.) and I will sort this out.
Therefore, we have everything. We have everything to live, to work. To work normally. We just need to look in the mirror more often. No need to point fingers at others, because it won't make things better. If you have a family - you got married, you have a family - well, you are responsible for the woman, the girl, whom you attracted to your side. Children were born - well, you think about them. I already said, the third one is mine. And who will feed the other two? They must understand that money is not dropped from helicopters. If we have family capital, or something else for mothers, fathers, families, free food in kindergartens (a meager salary for those who look after 15-20 children) - this is not from a helicopter. This is what we collected from everyone and gave to you. But you don't want to work.
Dear compatriots, we do not know what the world will be like tomorrow. What Belarus will be like depends only on us.
(Applause.)
Therefore, let's, at each of our workplaces, at each, at each place - what I ask is elementary - let's do our job. Let's do everything. If someone has retired but can still do something, come and say: "I can." We will gladly accept your help. Everyone today must think about the development of our country. But if, I repeat, we cannot do much, let's add a little bit every year. The times are not for global, tectonic shifts. These are times when you sometimes just need to adapt and survive. To wait somewhere, but to see your own interests. Excuse me for this banality, for this frankness. Let's do everything so that our children have a place to live. I remember that the President is responsible for strategic issues. Well, you write in your "TikToks" for me to mow your lawn, chop your firewood. Thank God, I know how to do it - I'll come and do it. But this is for two or three of these homesteads. But remember that this is your task. My task is to solve strategic issues. I have plenty of these issues. And negotiations on the external track, and not only control over law enforcement agencies - try to get this Khrenin (Minister of Defense Viktor Khrenin. - Ed.)
Time has chosen us. And this is a time for concrete actions.
Perhaps I have not convinced everyone that we must do. Perhaps I have not found the right words. But as the youth say – here's what I want to say in conclusion, what will resonate with you. I know what you must absolutely agree with and accept with all your heart. We, our generation, cannot shift unresolved problems and issues onto the shoulders of our children. We have no right to do so.
(Applause.)
We have no right to do so. I am convinced – not only I, who wrote these lines, but you too – because we care about what will happen after us. What will happen to those who follow us, to our children. And you care too.
Time, the challenges are very tough. Therefore, let us do everything we must do.
And they will come after us: if they want to use our experience, they will. If not – they will build a country for themselves.
Thank you.
(Stormy applause.)