The core of Belarusian policy will be the care and support of children and the elderly. This was stated by the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, speaking on January 7 at the Christmas service in the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Minsk, according to a BELTA correspondent.
The core of Belarusian policy will be the care and support of children and the elderly. This was stated by the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, speaking on January 7 at the Christmas service in the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Minsk, according to a BELTA correspondent.
The Head of State, congratulating everyone present, the entire Belarusian people on the feast of the Nativity of Christ, said that it is always difficult to speak in church. "It is difficult because not only those who are present here, but also those who will hear me on this holiday, always pay special attention to the accents," the President emphasized. "Perhaps today is not the place for everyday conversations, but nevertheless, I will say something that concerns our country."
"I took a risk recently, at the end of last year, to say that the coming year will not be easier than the past one," the President continued. "You see what is happening around our country. Many people in our society say, in Belarusian: 'Okay, we'll get through it, as long as there is no war.' Alexander Lukashenko believes that there is great meaning in these words. "I do not adhere to this slogan. One must always live. And we will always live with dignity and normally. But there is a deep meaning in this," the Head of State believes. "And we have become convinced of this by the example of our neighbors: when there is war, then you don't want anything. Only peace. Just to save lives. And people don't even think about themselves. People think about their children. Therefore, our first appeal to the Lord is that he truly protect us and preserve our country as it is now. We simply do not dare to ask for more today. Because everything else depends on us." After all, if there is peace, a person can do anything.
Alexander Lukashenko also noted: "We must rely only on ourselves, each person must count only on themselves. And whatever the state can do, I promise you, it will do for the people. But this will be in addition to what you can do for yourselves, for your families and children." "As far as possible, I have demonstrated the policy that we will pursue in the near future," the President said. "And the essence of this policy will be children and the elderly. I think I don't need to explain to you why. The elderly are that part of our population that has created what we have today. And we have quite a lot, and it was created by their labor. Secondly, these are frail people, even if they are not sick, but healthy, they can no longer do what they could do in the past. For other reasons, they need support." Alexander Lukashenko also remarked: "We will never be young again, we will definitely become elderly. How we treat the older generation is how our children will treat us. Therefore, we must demonstrate good relations with our elderly."
Regarding children, Alexander Lukashenko noted that they are the future. "And we must do for them what we must. We should not overprotect or patronize them," the head of state believes. "They are wise today. They have the opportunity to understand everything, and to understand it correctly. We just need to help guide them on the right path, the path they should take."
Alexander Lukashenko said that this is the essence of the further social policy that will be pursued in the country. "We will do everything to ensure that our children grow up not only healthy but also educated. We will do everything to protect people, to make their lives as long as possible. By the way, we have already done a lot in the last 10 years, our average life expectancy has increased by 5 years. No state in the world has shown such an increase in life expectancy. Therefore, we will do everything for the health and education of people, so that people can later provide for themselves. Because a sick and uneducated person will never provide for not only themselves but also their family," the President noted.