Meeting with top officials and executives of Vitebsk Oblast

The country has done a lot over the years, but there is still a lot of work ahead, Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he met with top officials and executives of Vitebsk Oblast.

“There is a lot of work ahead of us. We know we have done a lot. We have really accomplished a lot in the last five years, and this five-year period has not been the easiest, actually one of the toughest. We can do everything, but we need huge resources, especially financial resources which we do not have in sufficient amounts. We do not have huge deposits of hydrocarbons, gold, metals, and we have to make do with what we have,” the head of state noted.

Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed that the meeting will be about reforms, which people with alternative opinions constantly talk about. “Any process is the result. Our country cannot afford some fake, huge, wide-ranging reforms,” the President noted.

“Reforms are not about breaking and destroying (demolishing everything to the ground and then building something new). Please, do not get carried away by these silly conversations," the Belarusian leader noted. "Our reform is about improving what we have. We must develop those manufactures that already exist in Belarus. We know how to do it. There is no need destroying anything,” he said.

Aleksandr Lukashenko added that there are  companies that the country does not need anymore. “There are few of them. Our reform is to expand the existing manufacturing process. We have necessary specialists, technology,” he said.

At the meeting the head of state said that Vitebsk Oblast needs to do more to promote the tourism industry.

He cited the city of Vitebsk as an example. “It is a beautiful city. The Slavianski Bazaar festival has spurred the development of the city and the region. Still it required taking some effort” the Belarusian leader said.

“The nature is unique here, and we should use it," Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

The President emphasized that if the travel industry picks up steam in Belarus, then the country will have to think less of food exports: people will come here, eat milk and meat which Vitebsk Oblast has learned to produce well,” the President noted.

“I am sure that if we gird up our loins and focus more on the travel industry, especially here, in the north, then we will get good results. This means more jobs, higher salaries and better living standards in Vitebsk Oblast,” the Belarusian leader summed up.

The head of state noted that all regional centers in the country are connected with Minsk by good modern roads. “But we cannot stop at this. We need to to further develop the road network,” the President noted.

“We have no problem getting to Vitebsk by road or rail. But I would very much want to have a highway from Minsk to Polotsk and to Vitebsk. I have asked to work out the project. When the time is right, we could begin building the highway from Minsk through Begoml (this is my only big dream),” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

According to him, the time is not yet ripe for this project. There is no overwhelming demand and the rate of utilization of this road will not be high at the moment. “But time passes. I am sure that when the project is ready, we will launch the construction. We have already begun maintenance works on this road in some places. In several years we will bring it into good condition, and then we will build a four-lane highway similar to Brest-Moscow or to the highways to Gomel, Mogilev,” the Belarusian leader noted.

“This is a very important project. I am sure we will implement it," Aleksandr Lukashenko summed up.

At the meeting the President said: “Export will be our main area of activity. Export brings foreign currency, which is vital for the country. This foreign currency should be earned."
Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized that the country will keep working to expand the geography of sales and penetrate new markets. “We have accomplished a lot over these years. Russia used to account for nearly 90% of our trade. Today our export to this market stands at 47%. This is a great achievement. This is a mature market with a cut-throat competition,” he noted.

The head of state reaffirmed that Belarus will gradually move towards the export formula “third-third-third”, which means that a third of supplies will go to Russia and the Eurasian Economic Union, the European Union and faraway markets. “We will certainly achieve this target and this will happen in the new five-year period,” the Belarusian leader is convinced.

Aleksandr Lukashenko also recalled about import-substitution tasks.