Meeting with Belarusian MPs

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A truly efficient representative and legislative body has been formed in Belarus, President Aleksandr Lukashenko said at the meeting with members of the House of Representatives and the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of the sixth and seventh convocation on 5 December.

“Today is an important and, at the same time, solemn day in the political life of our country. We welcome members of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus of the seventh convocation at the Palace of Independence. We are going to review the results and thank outgoing MPs for their work,” the head of state emphasized.

He said that, judging by certain materials in mass media and opinions of certain MPs, some people await the president’s statements. In this regard, he said: “This is not a form for global statements. You know that there are such forms of work for important statements as the State of the Nation Address.”

The head of state explained that the tradition of such meetings with MPs was established not long ago. The meeting with focus on certain assessments and important issues. “We will discuss topical issues for our state. This meeting is attended by the elite of our society. You were elected by people. Now you should do your best to prove that you deserve this high status,” the president said.

In his words, it is symbolic that the parliamentary elections took place in a landmark year for the country. “The year 2019 marked the 25thanniversary of the Constitution, the document which plays a crucial role in the enhancement of Belarusian statehood,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

“By the adoption of the Fundamental Law we regularized centuries-old traditions of Belarusians who have always been committed to justice, independence and peaceful creation on their soil, we took part in virtually all existing kinds and forms of people’s representation. Belarusian parliamentary government has its roots in the popular assembly of the Principality of Polotsk, representative assemblies of the Great Duchy of Lithuania and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the State Duma of the Russian Empire, all-Belarus assemblies of the Supreme Council and other councils of the BSSR,” the president continued.

According to the head of state, the modern parliament was formed in a rather complicated period. “The first years of Perestroika, the disintegration of the Soviet Union strongly affected all walks of life in the country. Perhaps, injustice that our people faced in the era of changes was the biggest challenge. People who worked really hard for their whole lives could not make both ends meet and provide for their children. In fact, the country was on the brink of the abyss.”

Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed that in these conditions the Belarusian people had to solve difficult tasks: without a gold reserve, oil and gas the country had to build a new economic model. “Oil and gas were the resources of the great country. And in Soviet times Belarus invested a lot of time and efforts to extract oil and gas in Siberia,” the president said. He added that in Soviet times oil extracted in Belarus was exported. The absence of oil is a big issue for the country today.

According to the president, back then the country had to preserve public ownership, promote a social focus of the country’s home policy, establish legal order and prevent extremism and violence. In such conditions we had to build the country and sort things out.

Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized that it was also essential to build new diplomatic relations. Belarus was quickly acknowledged by foreign states. We also had to choose new state symbols uniting the society. “We had to prevent outbursts of ethnic hostility, address a sensitive language issue and other problems. In other words, we had to build a strong and viable state,” he concluded.

“In order to create a new truly democratic political model we had make prompt uncompromising decisions and create a legal foundation for corresponding authorities,” Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed. “Thanks to our wisdom and readiness to take responsibility for the future of the country, Belarusians made those important decisions all public referenda. People voted for the solid government, stability and legality. A truly efficient representative and legislative body was formed in Belarus.”

The head of state said that the establishment of the bicameral parliament – the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus – was a good foundation for consistent and efficient social and economic transformations.

“To conclude this historical excursus, I want to say the main thing. Negative issues are forgotten in the course of time. In view of the problems which the country faced in the 1990s, many Belarusians, probably, do not want to bring back that time. And it is okay. It is better to remember positive things and reflect on the negative things with gratitude,” the president believes. “As the head of state I will always remember the support of our people.”