News & Events in Belarus

MINSK, 24 April (BelTA) – The task of the Belarusian state is to be open for the better, the goal is to grow faster than others, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said in his State of the Nation Address on 24 April, BelTA has learned.

“Our task is to be open for the better. Our goal is to grow faster than others and catch up with the developed countries. This provides for changes in quality, which are necessary for us to improve the well-being of the Belarusian citizens with respect to the rest of the world,” Alexander Lukashenko underlined.

According to the president, this matter was in the focus of the government’s meeting dedicated to the 2017 results. “We have made little secret of the meeting. My stringent assessment and key conclusions have been made public,” he remarked.

The times when the countries and nations could live and develop without looking back at others are over, he stated. The total interdependence of today’s world is not just a beautiful phrase. “The world is turning into a single global organism. The internet has become its nervous system. The international finances and banks have become its circulatory system. The image of the global economy is being increasingly characterized by giant transnational corporations rather than the national states. Their commercial interests prevail over politics or agreements. They also provoke economic and even military conflicts. This is today’s harsh reality,” the head of state emphasized.

In his words, a country’s independence, its reputation, public tranquility, high-quality education, well-developed culture and sports achievements primarily depend on the economy. “We prove this rule like no other. We achieve success by hard work and intelligence of our people, unlike other countries that are rich in natural resources. This is our advantage. We should understand the development of the modern world correctly for a proper choice of actions inside the country. This development is defined by three key factors: the explosive growth of new technologies, the uplift of developing markets, and the total globalization of all international processes,” Alexander Lukashenko said.

“On the other hand, confrontation and mistrust have been growing in the international arena. This means there will not be an easy time. Sanction wars will inevitably backfire on us. We will feel it through either trade or financial channels. We will not close ourselves off from the world. No country, even a great power, can be successful if it goes into its shell,” the president believes.