President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko met with the asset of the Vitebsk region

President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko notes that much has been done in the country in recent years, but there is still a lot of work ahead. He stated this on July 15 at a meeting with the asset of the Vitebsk region.

President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko notes that much has been done in the country in recent years, but there is still a lot of work ahead. He stated this on July 15 at a meeting with the asset of the Vitebsk region.

"We have a lot of work ahead of us. We know that a lot has been done. We have indeed done a lot over the last five-year period, and it was not the easiest one. It was one of the difficult ones. We can do everything, but everything requires huge resources, primarily financial ones, which we do not have in sufficient quantities. We do not have large reserves of hydrocarbons, gold, or metals, and we have to manage as best we can," the Head of State noted.

Alexander Lukashenko emphasized that the discussion at the meeting would also be about reforms, which the opposition constantly talks about. "Any process is a result. Our reforms cannot be some kind of fake, huge, all-encompassing ones," the President said.

"Reforms do not mean breaking and destroying (demolishing everything to the ground, and then we will build something). Do not give in to these foolish conversations," the Belarusian leader urged. "Our reform is the improvement of what exists. We must develop the industries on the basis of which Belarus exists. Because we know how to do it. There is no need to destroy."

At the same time, Alexander Lukashenko noted that there are individual enterprises that are probably no longer needed in the country. "But these are isolated cases. Therefore, our reform is the deepening of the production process that we have today. Because we have people and competencies," he added.

During the meeting, Alexander Lukashenko stated that the Vitebsk region needs to focus more on supporting the tourism complex. He cited Vitebsk as an example. "It is a beautiful city. Yes, the "Slavianski Bazaar" has always spurred and improved both Vitebsk and the region, but hands had to be put to all of this," the Belarusian leader noted.

"The nature is unique. And this must be utilized," said Alexander Lukashenko.

The President emphasized that if the tourism industry develops well in Belarus, there will be less need to think about exporting food products: "People will come and eat the milk and meat here, which they have learned to produce in the Vitebsk region."

"I am confident that if we gather our strength and financial resources and develop our tourist complex, especially here in the north, the region will achieve good results. And also jobs. This means people's salaries, the standard of living in the Vitebsk region," the Belarusian leader summarised.

The Head of State noted that all regional centres in the country are connected to Minsk by good modern roads, but it is impossible to stop there; the road network needs further development.

"My great dream is to build this road (towards Polotsk. - Ed.) from Minsk through Begoml. This is a very important direction. And we will, I am sure, achieve it," Alexander Lukashenko noted.

During the meeting with the asset, the President stated: "Exports will be the main direction of our activity. Exports are currency. A country cannot exist without currency. And this currency must be earned."

Alexander Lukashenko emphasised that work on diversifying the geography of export supplies and developing new markets will continue. "We have done a lot over these years. We traded almost 90% in Russia. Today it is 47%, if we consider total exports. This means we have moved to other markets. This is the greatest achievement. The market is very tight, the competition is fierce," he noted.

The Head of State confirmed that Belarus will gradually move towards the export formula based on the "third-third-third" principle, when one-third of supplies will go to Russia, one-third to the EAEU markets and the European Union, and one-third to countries of the far arc. "We will definitely achieve this, and we will achieve it in the new five-year period," the Belarusian leader is confident.

Alexander Lukashenko also recalled the tasks of import substitution.

Speaking about the Vitebsk region, the Head of State noted that since 1995, more than 103,000 families have improved their housing conditions. Of these, almost 8,000 are large families. The poverty level decreased from almost 50% to 6% in 2019. "This is an indicator. This is not our indicator, it is an international standard. They recognise it. Therefore, it is good progress. Real incomes of the population have increased almost 7 times, and salaries and pensions - 9 times," the President said.

"Of course, this is not yet what it should be. And it will be more. I am confident in this," the Belarusian leader emphasised.

"We must bear in mind that discipline, both executive and technological, and stability in the state are the foundation of any development. No Maidan or revolutions will save us," the Belarusian leader stressed.

Alexander Lukashenko noted that the reform in Belarus is about deepening and developing existing areas of activity and what is already in place. "Without the strictest technological and executive discipline, all these plans will go to waste," the President added.

"The key task on a regional and national scale is the development of regions. This will be the main direction. We must develop the regions!" the Belarusian leader emphasized.

He noted that the country has programs and plans for large and small cities, rural settlements, and the accelerated development of cities and districts with a population of about 80,000 people. And this work began specifically with Orsha in the Vitebsk region. "It was decided here to create a model, an example, according to which such regions should develop. We have, I think, 11 such cities as Orsha, and each has its own development program following the example of Orsha," said Alexander Lukashenko.

"But I ask you to bear in mind that the accountability for the implementation of these programs will be very serious," the Belarusian leader warned.

The President drew attention to the fact that all directions of regional development have been outlined, from unpromising villages, farmsteads, and agro-towns to district and regional centers. "We have outlined the direction in which we will develop. And the next five-year period will be dedicated to this small homeland. We need to uplift the regions, to ensure that people feel the same in an agro-town as they do in Minsk, and have a greater desire to live in an agro-town than in Minsk," stated the Head of State.

The President noted that both the country as a whole and the Vitebsk region are observing positive progress in agriculture. "Even from a helicopter, you can see that the entire republic is different this year. But I am pleased with the Vitebsk region. They have started working well, cultivating sown areas and fields. And the harvest is not bad," said Alexander Lukashenko. "Whatever it takes, we must step up our efforts, regardless of any elections, to harvest the grain. The elections will end, but we will need to eat after August 9th. And we cannot lose this year. For the Vitebsk region, it is very indicative."

At the same time, the President warned that the harvest, especially in the Vitebsk region, considering the agro-climatic features of the region, will not be easy. "On the fields, as the governor said, there are over 1.3 million tons of grain. And we must gather this grain and create at least a 100,000-ton reserve in the Vitebsk region," noted the Head of State.

"We will defend our country by all lawful means. We will not give our country to anyone," the President stressed at a meeting with the region's active members.

Alexander Lukashenko noted that sometimes Western neighbours and partners exhibit double standards in their assessment of what is happening in Belarus, especially during election periods. "They are starting to hint to us: you watch out that everything is democratic, that there are no clashes on the street..." the President remarked.

In this regard, he mentioned the approaches of law enforcement officers during the "yellow vests" demonstrations in France and the recent popular unrest in the USA. "You see what is happening there. It doesn't go without tear gas. Criticise Trump, the USA for lack of democracy. Try to pick a fight with Russia. They are afraid. And so, they have probably decided to practice on Belarus again. It won't work," said Alexander Lukashenko.

"If you want to observe the elections, please, come tomorrow. We are not against it. We are not hiding. But we don't need to be told how to live. We know how to live. You should sort yourselves out. That's where the problems are the most numerous. But, you know, one wants to hide one's own problems behind the screen of some neighbouring issues. You need to point fingers at neighbours and others. That won't work either. These are not the times," the Belarusian leader stressed.

Nevertheless, Alexander Lukashenko believes that there is something to learn from Western partners, particularly in business development and the use of new technologies. "This experience must be studied and implemented in our country, which we are successfully doing," he said.

"We need to create conditions for people to create their own jobs and engage in their own businesses. And we have a lot to do here," the Head of State noted.

As an example, he cited wood processing: "We live in a forest, but we are engaged in wood processing, probably at 15-20 percent of what it should be. These areas need to be developed."

According to the President, demographics, especially for the Vitebsk region, but also for the country as a whole, is one of the most important problems. "You are having few children. Moreover, people are leaving, the population is declining. And all the decisions we have recently made regarding the Vitebsk region are aimed at making people interested in working in this land. But the problem cannot be ignored. We need to retain labour resources here. There must be good jobs and a reasonably normal salary," the President stressed.

The Head of State stated that the results of the industrial sector's performance in the region remain directly dependent on the conditions for obtaining Russian crude oil and the sale of products derived from it, as well as on energy policy.

"Today it is evident that without new growth points, the problems in the region's economy cannot be solved. In this regard, the further development of the petrochemical and light industries, and the production of composite materials, appears promising. Machine tool manufacturing in the Vitebsk region needs to be developed in close cooperation with major republican enterprises," stated Alexander Lukashenko.

The President also noted that the country will not "push" for the expansion of free economic zones, as the country receives less tax revenue from enterprises in FEZs. "The period when we desperately needed to create jobs is over. We need jobs, enterprises that will operate under normal conditions and produce goods on par with others, and trade them," said the Head of State.