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Lukashenko compares printing money to suicide

MINSK, 27 March (BelTA) – There is no intention to turn on the money printing machine because it can quickly result in inflation. Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko made the statement as he appointed Aleksandr Yegorov First Deputy Chairman of the Board of the National Bank of the Republic of Belarus (NBRB), BelTA has learned.

Aleksandr Lukashenko said with a hint of humor: “Some people have started yapping that [newly appointed NBRB Chairman of the Board Roman] Golovchenko and [Aleksandr] Yegorov will turn on the money printing machine right away. But they don’t have one. The machine is outside my office. It is already rusty. No one… Listen, we are not the country that can turn on the machine and start printing money today. It will produce inflation right away tomorrow. This is why it is necessary to look around a thousand times. And nobody intends to turn on any machines over here because it is not the right situation for turning them on. The situation in the country is more or less normal.”

“Yes, we are dependent on markets. The financial system is. It is understandable. But we have learned how to keep things balanced after all. This is why it is clear that [the opposition] wants to get the population riled up by predicting inflation tomorrow, by claiming we will devalue our national currency and so on. A suicide is not an option for us,” the Belarusian leader stressed.

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