Meeting of the Council of Ministers

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko met with the Council of Ministers on 29 May.

“Before we start our conversation, I would like to remind you once again of the basic reason behind the event. This is a traditional meeting, where we consider the most pressing issues of the country. That is why we hold such meetings at the level of the President,” the Belarusian leader said. “Decisions on these issues are made by the President in the form of a decree or order, and are elaborated by specialists, members of the government.”

The agenda included a number of issues which required balanced decisions, the President noted. Rental housing was the first to consider.

“This issue should become one of the priorities for the ongoing five-year period,” Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized. “Next year we will complete a draft social and economic development program, which will be considered at the Belarusian People's Congress. Before the meeting we need to regulate all the provisions: who can qualify for rental housing, where it can be done, how quickly and on what terms. There should be also an opportunity to acquire rental housing, including through an installment option."

According to the head of state, this is of special importance for small towns (up to 20,000 residents) and will be a strong incentive for people.

“The principle is simple: after working for a certain number of years, let's say 10 or 15 years of continuous service at an enterprise that provides rental housing, the person gets the right to acquire this housing. This is a matter that has been the subject of much talk lately. People ask questions,” the President said. “The same is true about the acquisition of rental housing in rural areas, which is already in poor condition and does not meet sanitary and technical requirements. Strangely enough, but such houses are not taken proper care today. On the one hand, there is an organization which has this housing in the books. It is the organization that should carry out major repairs once every 30 years, according to our legislation. On the other hand, there are tenants who live there but do not hurry to invest in current repairs because the dwelling is not their property. This is how such housing is gradually falling into disrepair.”

There are about 3,000-4,000 such houses across the country. Every year more than Br10 million is needed to renovate them. “There is a demand for such housing: if the state sells this housing, people will renovate it. Clear and understandable conditions are needed for this. We must define them for the people,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

“There is also an opinion that a one-time review should be conducted of such housing (for example, before 1 July) and that only such housing should be put for sales. What are such restrictions for? What good will they do? What will you be doing with the housing which continues to deteriorate and in a year or two will require absolutely different procedures?” the head of state outlined a number of questions.

He emphasized that solutions should be systemic and equally acceptable for the people and the economy of the region, especially given staff retention efforts.

“Maybe it is expedient to donate a house to a young specialist in some backwater district, as we say (although there are no such places in Belarus anymore). It can be given away for free. Perhaps someone has an alternative opinion, then let's discuss it. I think we can discuss it. One more thing. You suggest separating these issues into two decrees. I am not sure about it. There are experts here today. Perhaps it is more reasonable to make one comprehensive document, which will make it easier for a person to make a decision,” the Belarusian leader added.

One of the topics on the agenda dealt with the gambling business. Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that this issue is complicated due to the ethics and safety considerations.

“Firstly, it is necessary to make sure that children and incapacitated individuals cannot access online gambling and betting. Secondly, this type of entertainment should be available only to solvent people. This is not the first time we raise this issue, and this business is thriving in Belarus. This industry is in the pink, figuratively speaking. We have experience in dealing with the gambling business and we should use it to finalize all the rules. We know many examples of [gambling addicts] losing their grip and nothing can stop them. They take on debts, loans, sell property. It affects them, their families and the society. Some people point this out,” the President said.

The head of state demanded that a moratorium on gambling on 'credit' should be introduced in gambling venues. “Maybe we should allow family members of gambling addicts to ban them from gambling. After all, the money from lost apartments and cars goes to foreign gambling companies, therefore this is a matter of principle. I would like to know how this issue is to be resolved. To begin with, banks should be banned from transferring gambling-related money outside the country. The money earned here should be invested in the country. This applies to all areas of work. Please report how these sensitive issues are handled in the draft decree,” he emphasized.

The head of state pointed out that the loss of cattle is a critical issue undermining the farming industry. "What does the data show? Mortality has hit a record high!" the President stressed.

The vice premier overseeing the agricultural sector and the agriculture minister have been chosen to report on the measures taken to resolve the problem.

Aleksandr Lukashenko, addressing Belarusian Prime Minister Aleksandr Turchin, who previously held the post of the chairman of the Minsk Oblast Executive Committee, emphasized that he should understand the essence of the issue and ways to address it better than anyone else. Moreover, the President has already outlined a simple and effective approach to resolving the cattle loss problem. He pointed out that some farms in Belarus have extremely low or even zero cattle losses, successfully handling both feeding and herd reproduction. Therefore, calves from farms in Vitebsk Oblast, Mogilev Oblast and other regions experiencing high mortality rates should be relocated to well-managed farms, with appropriate payment for them, to ensure proper care and feeding. "If young livestock are being lost, they should simply be moved to farms where they will be properly cared for, where conditions are good, and veterinarians are doing their jobs well," the President remarked.

"I want those present here, including the prime minister, the [agriculture] minister, and especially the vice premier, who has been told this several times, to explain whether this is the case everywhere," the President said. "The chairman of the State Control Committee and the prosecutor general, who oversee these issues, will report on how many people have been held accountable for this. Once again, I emphasize: as a country person who worked in agriculture, I simply cannot understand how one could allow the deaths of these young calves. How is this possible?"

It is particularly outrageous that veterinarians were involved in concealing the cattle losses. An urgent inspection conducted across the country, especially in Vitebsk Oblast, revealed that. "What did we discover? District veterinarians, instead of treating and preventing disease, were discussing with farm veterinarians ways to hide the cattle losses. This is appalling," Aleksandr Lukashenko remarked. "This is unacceptable. There must be criminal liability for this."

Since the cattle losses were not the main topic of the meeting, the President decided not to go into further detail, emphasizing that a separate in-depth discussion on the issue will take place. "We will address this later. I do not want this critical agricultural issue to be overshadowed by other agenda items," he stated.

It was previously reported that during a meeting with Brest Oblast Governor Piotr Parkhomchik, Aleksandr Lukashenko warned that this year the conversation on this issue will be extremely tough.

Aleksandr Lukashenko believes that such facts cannot be concealed, as it is very easy to reveal the truth through calculations. "Therefore, this will be a very serious and tough conversation. If we had prevented the loss of cattle, we would have seen much better results," he stated.