Meeting to discuss support measures for real economic sector on part of banking system

Preserving the sovereignty and independence of the country is of crucial importance, Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko said at a meeting held in Minsk on 19 June to discuss support measures for the real economic sector on the part of the banking system. 

At the start of the meeting the head of state expressed his opinion over the developments in and around the country. “You see that today all political interests have their focus on Belarus, both from the West and the East. Watching the situation over the past 24 hours, I can see that certain forces have intensified their activities in attempt to undermine the situation in the country. We have observed this for a long time. But we managed to make some steps to keep ahead of the game and derail a large-scale plan to destabilize Belarus (this is not a joke or intimidation) and to organize some kind of a maidan revolution here. That was the goal. We have ripped off the masks from not only puppets that we had here but also puppeteers who are outside Belarus,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said. 

The president stressed that he would not allow anyone to destroy the country. “I want you to understand that in terms of my functional duties as President under the Constitution and simply as a person who has spent his whole life to create this independent sovereign state, will not allow anyone to destroy this country. I want you and others to understand me. For me there is no greater value than Belarus, sovereign and independent. I will go to any length to keep the country intact," he said. 

Aleksandr Lukashenko said he was closely monitoring the situation in Belarus. He has also been discussing it at the meetings with representatives of the regions. “I am conducting an open dialogue, informing about the situation. This conversation is fundamentally open in view of the political events that are taking place in our country,” the president said. 

He noted that certain political forces are simply trying to use people in this situation. “For now I am asking and warning these people: do not do this, do not force the authorities to take some response measures, do not push us,” the president said. 

The head of state addressed the parents of young people: “They use young people. Half of them are still too young and have nothing to do with the elections. They are 15, 16, 17 years old,” said Aleksandr Lukashenko. “They do not remember Belarus, which we lived in in the mid 1990s. They do not remember food stamps. They do not remember that we could not buy a bottle of milk. They do not remember the times when Minsk had flour stocks for three days only. They live in clean and peaceful Belarus and take everything they have for granted. Of course, it is our fault too, because we did not explain this to them. But their parents know everything,” he said. 

“Here, I would like to address parents. Please, look after your children, explain to them that it is not allowed to break the law. I do not want their children to get into any trouble. I am asking them to take this into account. I am not intimidating anyone. There is no need to make heroes out of thieves, bankers and other swindlers who are sitting there in Belgazprombank. This will not work. I have already said that they will become neither prisoners of conscience, nor fluffy and white. We will deal with those who have allowed this,” said the president. 

“Today the issue is wider and deeper. It is about the preservation of statehood and independence of Belarus. We got this independence and statehood without a fight and spilling blood, as others did. Today the main problem is not even about these carousels, signals and those who are trying to make a queue demonstrating something. This is not the point. The main thing is the economy," he said.