Report of Deputy Prime Minister Anatoly Sivak, Architecture and Construction Minister Ruslan Parkhamovich

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko met with Deputy Prime Minister Anatoly Sivak and Architecture and Construction Minister Ruslan Parkhamovich to receive their report on 4 January.

“No construction means no development of the country. It is an axiom, and it is clear to everyone, especially to you, who have been working in the construction sector for a long time. If we take a look at the performance of the construction industry last year (I have the data as of the end of November, maybe something changed in December), I can say that there is not much to be happy about,” said Aleksandr Lukashenko.

According to the data presented to the head of state, the construction industry accounted for less than 5% in GDP in January-November 2021. The growth rate of construction and assembly works made up less than 90%, exports of services - about 97%, production of building materials - just over 100%. “Those are also not the figures we need. There are certain problems. I want to know the causes?” the president asked.

Aleksandr Lukashenko was also interested in the work to reduce the number of long-term construction projects: “How many of them do we have and when will we deal with this issue?”

The president also touched upon the measures to reduce the time and cost of construction. According to the president, this topic is under special control, and people are also concerned about it. “People say that construction is sometimes unaffordable. What can we do to reduce both the time and the cost of construction?” Aleksandr Lukashenko asked.

The head of state also spoke about the export of construction services. In his words, Russia lacks qualified personnel in the sector and Belarus could offer its services. “Either you are shy to go there, or there really are some problems there. You tell me and I will discuss these issues with the Russian president. I think, we will be able to move forward. There are probably problems on our side as well,” the president added.