21 February, Minsk /Vladimir Matveev - BELTA/. President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko has instructed to develop a clear system for providing housing to military personnel. He stated this today while speaking at a meeting with servicemen of the Armed Forces, as reported by a BELTA correspondent. As the head of state noted, the issues of providing housing for officers and ensigns are not always resolved in a timely manner and in the required volume today. And while the financial provision for military personnel is more or less satisfactory, the problem of housing provision has recently become more acute. "We need to approach this issue substantially," emphasized Alexander Lukashenko. According to him, one of the possible solutions could be the creation of standard housing for military personnel, which should be of good quality, beautiful, and comfortable. Accordingly, it is necessary to work out the financing in this area. The President believes that providing service housing only for the period of service does not solve the problem: "It is not a method when a person who has served in the army (colonel, general, or major) leaves (their service housing. - BELTA note). And where should he go? He cannot do anything else but serve and perform his function." However, the state cannot simply give away an apartment, even to a military serviceman. Therefore, it is possible that the state will cover a part of the housing cost, and the military serviceman will be able to obtain a preferential loan for the remaining amount. The options, according to Alexander Lukashenko, can be varied. These issues need to be considered and a clear decision must be made on how to provide housing for military personnel, the head of state added. -0-

BELTA