Ceremony to present State Quality Mark awards

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko presented the maiden State Quality Mark awards in a ceremony in Minsk on 23 January.

“Any sovereign, independent state should have its own serious traditions rooted in the minds of people. I really hope that today's landmark day will become such a tradition in every sense,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said at the opening of the ceremony.

The President stated that the State Quality Mark was established a year ago.  It is an indicator of official recognition, and the first recipients of this highest award in the history of the young independent Belarusian state have been named.

“These are brands known to everyone. We proudly say about them: “Made in Belarus”. They passed a strict selection for compliance with the criteria of innovation, technology, safety and a number of others. The lineup of winners includes our renowned machinery and products loved by millions of people on different continents. This is also baby food, which is popular among babies even in distant Africa. And, of course, these are products made of Belarusian flax, one of our national symbols,” the head of state said.

According to the President, the list of nominees could be even longer, as there are many worthy ones. Almost 220 manufacturing enterprises took part in the contest, while 660 goods claimed to receive the recognition mark.

“It was a competition among the best. This means the victory is the most valuable for those who won it. The National Certification Commission and the strictest judges - about 50,000 Belarusian citizens-consumers - have determined Top 20 domestic products,” the head of state said.

“The purpose behind reviving this tradition is to create a domestic competition mechanism, whereby retaining State Quality Mark becomes as important and as difficult (or even more difficult) than winning it,” Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed.

The head of state emphasized that not everyone who contributed to the success of their products attended the ceremony, because this is a team success. “It is impossible without competent management and hard work of those who create unique products at the enterprise: designers, planners, technical staff, service teams, marketing specialists and others. In short, this success is the result of the efforts of thousands of people. Thank you all very much. You are the true heroes of today,” the Belarusian leader said.

“The Year of Quality and the current five-year quality plan represent the most relevant development strategy at this historical period, this is our response to modern challenges, a matter of national sovereignty,” the President emphasized.

He drew attention to the fierce competition in all spheres - from manufacturing to civil society - and at all levels - from personal and professional fulfillment to strengthening of the country's positions on the international arena.

“Quality is both a destination and a journey. This is our main asset along with hard work, intelligence and discipline. Thanks to them we live in an independent country despite unprecedented pressure. We have had 30 years of peace and creation. No matter how good our products are, we will always have to compete with other countries that produce exactly the same products,” the President said.

At the beginning of our journey, we had to deal with urgent matters of survival. Today we are forging ahead on a new journey of development, I very much hope, high-quality one,” the head of state said.

According to him, Belarus has made great headway in some sectors, for example, food production, and laid a great groundwork in others such as woodworking, electric transportation. “We should focus on the things we know how to do and for which we have the resources,” Aleksandr Lukashenko believes.

“No matter how hard they tried to derail the Belarusian economy, our key sectors posted growth. GDP rose by 4% in 2024. No matter how hard they tried to shut off the air supply, Belarus exported its goods to 154 countries for a total of $50 billion. We even tapped into 14 new markets,” Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed.

We continue building new facilities, developing transportation, housing and utility infrastructure, assimilating modern technologies into production. “Customer satisfaction in industrial engineering amounted to almost 97%,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

The five-year period of quality is another bar, and a very high one, the President said. According to him, it will not just become a benchmark for economic sectors but all areas of the life of the state and society.

“The goal is to bring a new quality to our life. Pursuit of this goal should become a way of thinking, a national style, if you like, and be passed on from generation to generation,” the Belarusian leader said.

“The results of the Year of Quality, which we are summarizing today, are the result of decades of our development. Therefore, it is natural that the exhibition of our achievements My Belarus displayed in the new Minsk International Exhibition Center became the main event of the past year. I hope this exhibition center will become even more beautiful ahead of the celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War,” the head of state said.

More than 300,000 people have visited the exhibition in less than a month. They saw the result of huge, truly heroic labor.

“We need continuity to make sure no outside influence could rock the foundations we have laid,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

The President expressed his gratitude to all those whose professionalism, talent and determination helped them fulfill the tasks with dignity. “It is impossible to survive in the modern world otherwise,” he said.

Aleksandr Lukashenko congratulated the first recipients of the State Quality Mark: “Each of you knows that the victory was not due to sudden luck or hitting a momentary trend. It is the result of hard, responsible labor, perseverance and dedication, discipline and aspiration to be better than others and even outdo your yesterday’s achievements.”

“We will always support such conscientious producers like you,” the head of state stressed. “I wish you all new successes. It is they that make the state strong and prosperous. The future, which we want to live in, is in our hands. There is no escaping, because the time has chosen us, and we, especially you sitting here, go along with this time.”

The decree to establish the State Quality Mark was signed by the President in January 2024. The award is a red pentagon with a rotated letter K in the center, below the inscription “Belarus”. The five angles of the mark symbolize five elements of quality: safety, environmental friendliness, innovation, technological edge and aesthetics.

In the engineering goods section the State Quality Mark has been awarded to BelAZ-7513 dump truck; BELARUS-1222.3 tractor; MAZ-631228-8575-012 automobile chassis; reaper for grain crops ZhZK-9-2 (01) made by Gomel Casting and Normals Plant; passenger tires 15/60R17 model BEL-402 96H, 225/65R17 model BEL-411 102H (manufactured by OAO Belshina); regulated stabilizer microcircuit К1242EP1БП (IL431АМ-1) produced by INTEGRAL.

The State Quality Mark was also awarded to a group of industrial household goods. These are linen bedding sets of Pole Kvetak trademark, product article 24C7 (Orsha Linen Mill); laminated flooring VIVAFLOOR (Gomeldrev); a line of furniture products Alezi P1.350 (bedroom furniture) produced by Pinskdrev; enamel paint PF-115 (Lakokraska).

The following food products were also awarded with the Quality Mark: line-up of black bitter chocolate without added sugar (Kommunarka); condensed milk with 8.5% fat mass fraction (Rogachev Milk Canning Plant); top-grade wheat flour of M54-28 and M54-25 brands (Lidakhleboprodukt); product lines Meat Pads (Brest Meat Processing Plant), powdered infant formula BELLAKT PREMIUM 1 and BELLAKT PREMIUM 2; hard aged cheese Brest-Litovsk 45% (Savushkin Product); bread Karavai Pridvinya (Vitebskkhlebprom).

The resolution to award the State Quality Mark was adopted by the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus.

“I would like to congratulate you once again. You are the first and only. There will never be anyone like you. You will get the most attention. Some will support and praise you, some will criticize you, but you will still be the best. You are in the spotlight,” the head of state said closing the ceremony. "You will be more than just heroes of today. You might even become heroes of the year. We will look up to you. You will have a place of honor at the Minsk International Exhibition Center."

Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed once again that it will be difficult to keep up after becoming the first in the country. “But I know: you will succeed. You will not only retain this high honor, but also create new innovative goods that will compete on international markets. I will always be proud of representing and selling your products in other countries,” the President added.

He wished everyone good health and happiness, and to always feel enthusiastic.