The social orientation of the Belarusian economy will be preserved - A. Lukashenko

There are currently nine residential institutions for the elderly and disabled operating within Minsk's social services system, accommodating approximately 2.4 thousand individuals. These institutions provide favourable conditions for living, nutrition, medical care, and leisure activities. As of 1 October 2010, 2.1 million elderly citizens resided in the republic, constituting 22.1% of the country's population. Pension provision covers over 27% of the republic's population. Since 2006, in accordance with the Head of State's decisions, 11 recalculations of labour pensions have been carried out, taking into account wage growth, with the latest adjustment in November 2010. Currently, pensioners have been virtually removed from the category of low-income individuals: it is estimated that in 2010, the average monthly minimum old-age pension will exceed the pensioner's living wage by more than 19%. The real old-age pension over the five-year period (2006-2010) will increase 1.61 times. As reported to the President by the Minister of Labour and Social Protection, Marianna Shchetkina, a model of social protection for the population has been established in Belarus, and all social standards are fully met. According to her, the average old-age pension currently stands at Br612 thousand. The main objectives of social protection for the population are to strengthen support for the most needy citizens and create conditions for improving their standard of living, ensuring the accessibility of social assistance. To provide incapacitated citizens with timely, accessible, and high-quality social services, territorial centres for social services operate in all administrative districts, with a total of 154 across the country. These centres serve 1.6 million individuals. One of the most in-demand forms of service is home-based social care. Currently, 83.6 thousand people are served by home social assistance departments, of whom approximately 70% reside in rural areas. Furthermore, Belarus has 74 residential social service institutions for the elderly and disabled, housing over 17 thousand individuals. However, there are also a number of shortcomings in the area of social services. In particular, many buildings and premises of social institutions require repair and re-equipment. A comprehensive social services program for 2011-2015 is aimed at addressing these and other problematic issues. In Marianna Shchetkina's opinion, volunteers and public associations should be actively involved in this work, alongside the implementation of modern technologies. As reported to the Head of State by the Chairman of the Minsk City Executive Committee, Nikolai Ladutko, jointly with the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, a document on the development of two types of annuity services has been prepared and submitted to the government. These services are new for Belarus but have long been implemented and successfully operate in some European countries. The first type of such services involves an elderly, single person entering into an agreement with a social welfare body, according to which their apartment becomes communal property. In return, such a person receives the right to full lifelong support: food will be purchased for them, utility payments will be made on their behalf, and so on. Such a person will also receive a small annuity for life, and after their death, the apartment will be sold or transferred to someone in accordance with current legislation. Alexander Lukashenko approved this idea. "This needs to be implemented immediately," he said. At the same time, the Head of State noted: "It is necessary to ensure that this apartment is only sold and not allocated to anyone. And then, if someone needs to be provided with a free apartment or at half price, it can be financed from the budget." The second type of annuity services involves the apartment, under an agreement, being transferred to the disposal of a communal legal entity and, after necessary repairs, being leased out. The person is accommodated in a state social institution, receives a certain annuity payment for life, and a full range of services. After their death, the apartment also becomes communal property. According to Nikolai Ladutko, in Minsk, approximately 4,000 single citizens have already been surveyed on this matter, and about 700 of them have stated that they would agree to such services. The Chairman of the Minsk City Executive Committee also noted that in Minsk alone, there are about 20,000 single elderly citizens, of whom 10,000 own a privatized apartment. "This should be offered to everyone who wants it, not necessarily only to single individuals. People need to be explained. Anyone will agree if they are confident that the state will guarantee them services in return for this housing," said Alexander Lukashenko, emphasizing that the high quality of such services must also be ensured. "The state must do this, not hand it over to 'shadow operators'," he added.

Furthermore, according to the Head of State, the entire social support system should be simplified overall. "It should be simple and understandable for everyone," he said. "We need to bring all this into line and rid this system of any populism. We must clearly understand what we can and cannot do."

The President also stressed: "There is only one criterion – those who need help must be unequivocally provided for."

While having tea with the residents of the boarding house, Alexander Lukashenko noted that, in his opinion, many of them are too young to be in such an institution, as he saw many smiling faces and still active elderly people. "But there are those who need help," said the President. "We need to ensure that lonely people in distress feel social support: a state is valued by its attitude towards children and the elderly."

"First of all, we will help children and the elderly," stressed Alexander Lukashenko.

According to the President, Belarus will continue the practice of resettling children from orphanages into families or family-type homes. In total, there are currently about 32,000 children in the republic who are orphaned or have had their parental rights revoked. In the next five-year period, the majority of them will be placed in families. "Of course, a couple of boarding houses will remain, as not all children are able (due to various psychophysical characteristics) to live in foster families, but within five years we will largely solve the problem of abandoned children," the Belarusian leader emphasized.

He also added that the demands on negligent parents, whom the state forces to reimburse the costs of maintaining their children, will not be weakened.

Then the President of Belarus answered questions from media representatives. In particular, journalists asked whether the state could continue to maintain a strong social policy in the face of rising gas prices and the need to concentrate funds on modernizing the economy.

"We will maintain the social orientation of our economy at all costs," stressed the Head of State. According to him, the country has all the opportunities to prevent people's living standards from falling.

Alexander Lukashenko noted that problems that can be solved in other ways will not be shifted onto people under any circumstances. "If there is an extra kopeck, it will go to the people, every ruble we will give to the people, these are good investments in the future," said the Head of State. "If it's difficult, it will be difficult for everyone: both the President and the people."

At the same time, Alexander Lukashenko emphasized that there are no major problems at present that would complicate people's lives or make them worse than last year. "We have all the opportunities to ensure that people's living standards do not fall. And the situation in the world is such that if we work normally, everyone will try to earn, we will live normally," the President said. Responding to a journalist's remark that before the elections, opposition representatives claimed that all salary, pension, and scholarship increases were merely PR for the current government and could not be sustained, Alexander Lukashenko said: "God grant that I and the entire government have the opportunity to engage in such PR, because such PR is very costly for the state if it is not economically justified." "Everything that is done in the country in social terms is economically justified," he stressed. "Rising prices for hydrocarbon raw materials affect the country and people, but it is all easier to bear when there is this 'PR' in the form of salary, pension, and benefit increases." Alexander Lukashenko assured that in the future, the state will be no less active in modernizing the economy, while simultaneously improving people's lives. Media representatives noted that the Belarusian market reform program is closely monitored by businesses both within the country and by foreign investors. Answering a question about when Directive No. 4 on liberalizing economic relations would be adopted, Alexander Lukashenko said that businessmen should not wait for the directive but should start working. "If we had no business at all, then this question would be relevant. The directive should provide an additional impetus for the development of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial initiative in the country," the head of state said. "And where there are bottlenecks, it should expand them. As for the expectations of businessmen, there is no need to wait, you need to go and work." According to Alexander Lukashenko, to some extent, the problem also lies in the fact that many consider themselves capable of doing business. "You know, it's even more difficult than working as the head of a state enterprise or being a civil servant. There (in business), you are simultaneously your own civil servant, businessman, accountant, supplier, marketer, and so on," he noted. "Therefore, if a person goes into business, encounters problems, and shouts: 'Oh, the conditions are not created for us, they are hindering us.' It must be objectively understood that not everyone can do business," the head of state believes.He also noted that businessmen often want to pay no taxes at all. But the state, according to the President, cannot agree to this in any way. "Where, in which country does business not pay taxes? The state rests on the shoulders of business. Therefore, there can be no question of this," said Alexander Lukashenko. It is another matter, he continued, if, for example, when opening necessary, in-demand production facilities in the country, primarily focused on import substitution, they are provided with preferential tax conditions for the first time. "Therefore, these decisions have been made. The liberalization directive should give some additional impetus. So if someone abroad or here is waiting for this directive like manna from heaven, it is a big mistake. We must start working now, we have everything for this," stressed the head of state. "People need to calm down and look at their abilities: whether you can or not. The directive is not a problem, it will be, since we promised. And with this directive, we will remove all problems and claims to the authorities altogether. But you need to understand yourself that business depends only on you," noted Alexander Lukashenko. Journalists also asked the head of state about the path of independent Belarus in the coming years and how relations with partners in the West and East would be built against the backdrop of the foreign policy situation that has developed after the riots organized by the opposition on December 19. Alexander Lukashenko noted that Belarus has existed as an independent country for more than a decade and a half. "Do you remember us developing against a normal foreign policy and economic background? We have always had problems, and the problems were not only ours," he said. In his opinion, the reason for this is that "15 states appeared in place of one state, and a place for them was not reserved." "Someone had to make way, and someone still has to make way a little in this crowded world. All problems stem from this," the head of state noted. "Nobody needs – neither Russia, nor Poland, nor Germany – a successful state that positions itself as sovereign and independent. But we need it. Hence these main contradictions. Well, a pretext and even a reason can be found to bend, especially our country."Regarding the negative assessments of the election results, Alexander Lukashenko, addressing journalists, noted: "You, like me, felt that we have fostered such democracy here that there is no further to go. And we know the objective assessments of our elections. That they (OSCE observers) came here with a text already written – I will say frankly, I read this text a month before the elections. Our elections had not yet taken place, and they had already written this text. Well, it's a little better than in the previous elections." "Therefore," the President believes, "they needed something to cover themselves with, to justify this negativity." This cover, according to him, was provided by the events that occurred on the evening of December 19 in Minsk. "But, firstly, it was after the elections. Secondly, what relation does it have, for example, to the voting? None," Alexander Lukashenko noted. "But they wanted it so much, they planned it long ago. Therefore, the main lesson I draw is: we are absolutely not needed there (in the West). They want to see us weak, and a weak person will not be successful. Only the strong are respected. We will not be weak." "If they are ready to see such a Belarus in the center of Europe – strong, independent, a good neighbour – we will gladly cooperate with them. If they are looking for an excuse to remain in this counterproductive confrontational field, we cannot change them. Therefore, it is their business. We will live and see," Alexander Lukashenko summarized. Media representatives asked the President of Belarus how he would react if the West, as a condition for continuing contacts and dialogue, demanded the release of all arrested individuals, including former presidential candidates. "We will not accept any more ultimatums. If unacceptable conditions are set for us, especially based on double standards – we will not accept them either," the President said. "Do not demand from me: we will act as in France, Germany, where the president cannot go and release someone from investigation. Yes, I can at the investigation stage, the law allows me to, but if there are grounds for it," the head of state said. "If they are not involved in mass riots, but ended up there for ideological reasons, I will personally consider this issue. But if you are guilty – I will not interfere with that." The President noted that everyone must answer for themselves, for their actions. "Their fate is in their hands. And they know it. If someone tries to pressure us and make demands – it will only get worse," he added."As for those detained, we have already released several hundred. But a criminal case has been initiated. If within the framework of the investigation, the criminal case, these people can be released – we do not need them there," the President said. "If you are an active participant in mass riots – there is an investigation, there is a court, you will be dealt with," said Alexander Lukashenko. "And in general, their fate is in their hands: both the ex-candidates, and the detainees, and those 'militants' who were rioting. About 20 people have already been identified: all of them have already served one or two sentences, meaning these are people who have already had problems with the law." Answering journalists' requests to name the main achievements of the outgoing year, Alexander Lukashenko said: "The main achievement is that we defended the country. You cannot even imagine what a handful of renegades could have turned the country upside down. Even I did not imagine much." According to the President, "behind them stood people, not from our country, certain structures, a lot of money." "Even when they ended up in the pre-trial detention center, some of them later received money, meaning the money was delayed on the way," he said, adding that these funds would be transferred to the budget. "We could have woken up in a completely different country," said Alexander Lukashenko. "When they talk to me about the West, I absolutely do not believe them: most likely, they were trying to lull us all to sleep: you conduct everything, open everything, lie down there, in the frost at minus 20, spread out, undress – and then everything will be fine. They were lulling us. Now we see their true face." The President once again stressed that one should rely only on oneself. "I am convinced more than ever that we must rely only on ourselves, we will never be loved by them. I am 100% convinced of this, and the elections have shown this. And it is our happiness that we have protected and defended our country and woke up in a country where we are masters, and see the prospect of development. This is the main outcome of the outgoing year, the main achievement," the Belarusian leader emphasized. As for the New Year, Alexander Lukashenko admitted that he plans to celebrate this holiday traditionally – with his family. He also noted that he cannot afford to celebrate the New Year like most citizens, because he "must be in place, on duty, like some people working at an enterprise with continuous production, doctors, military personnel." "We need to think about work in the coming year," he added. -0-

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