News & Events in Belarus

Belarus president delivering State of the Nation Address

MINSK, 18 April (BelTA) – Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko is delivering his annual State of the Nation Address, BelTA informs.

The event at the Oval Hall of the Seat of Government has brought together top-ranking officials, members of the government, heads of government bodies and agencies, major enterprises, universities and banks, representatives of the diplomatic corps and mass media.

This year the event in the Oval Hall has also brought together many community leaders. These include former MPs, representatives of the Belarusian Public Association of Veterans, the national public association Belaya Rus, the Belarusian Union of Women, university students (including representatives of the Belarusian youth union BRSM), students of military universities, journalists of regional mass media.

The State of the Nation speech will highlight major priorities in the current social and economic development of the country. The State of the Nation Address will also take into account the analysis of petitions which were received ahead of the Big Conversation with the President on 1 March. All those petitions were thoroughly analyzed.

Lukashenko: Belarusian people passed through trials and created its own country for life

The president remarked that a new diplomatic course of external interaction had been building within a rather short period of time. Belarus initiated and took an active part in Eurasian integration projects...

Lukashenko rules out compromises on sovereignty, security

“As for the matters of sovereignty and security in our foreign and domestic policy there has been no room for compromises. And never will be. The experience of repeated division of the Belarusian nation and redrawing of our borders has taught us to value today’s unity and territorial integrity”...

Political maturity of Belarusian society noted

"I should note that among the questions submitted during the recent meeting with the expert community and reporters there were a lot proposals on the development of regions. Their residents truly root for their native land"...

Lukashenko urges Belarusians to acknowledge their national unity

“Our sacred duty is to maintain sovereignty, peace and tranquility on our land. In order to accomplish this historical mission, we should finally acknowledge our national unity,” the head of state said...

Citizen engagement seen as major driving force for Belarus’ development

“An individual, their engagement and the desire to live a better life should become a major driving force for the country's development in the coming years,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said...

Lukashenko promises powerful response to assaults on Belarus’ sovereignty

Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed that young Belarusians have the most important thing – a peaceful, beautiful, and independent country. There are traditions, a rich cultural and spiritual legacy...

Belarus hailed as land of talented people

“Our national culture is a trove of great spiritual wealth. This is our moral core. It helps preserve the identity,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said...

Lukashenko: Tensions between global powers are detrimental to world

"The mechanisms of global checks and balances are falling apart, while the decision of the United States to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty might have unpredictable consequences," the president noted...

Belarus president underlines importance of keeping peace in Europe

The Belarusian leader pointed out that Minsk had earned a reputation as a neutral ground for negotiations and contacts on the most difficult items on the international agenda...

Belarus hailed as strongest thread in Silk Road fabric

The president noted that the People's Republic of China is an important strategic partner of Belarus. Interaction between the two countries has entered into a new era, reaching the level of special trust-based comprehensive strategic mutually beneficial partnership...

Lukashenko calls for level playing field in EAEU

“Today, Belarus is ready to play a bigger role as a trade channel for the multi-million market of the Eurasian Economic Union and the CIS countries with the European Union,” the president said...

Belarus president urges to create environment for healthy competition

People’s incomes and their growth remain among the priority goals for the government. Certain categories of workers in the scientific, education, healthcare, and construction sectors saw wage rises last year

Lukashenko wants breakthrough projects in every industry

“We need projects of the future in keeping with the best global trends in every industry. We need new production facilities, new technologies and new products,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said...

Belarus’ economy to prioritize development of large enterprises

The president emphasized that the strong economy is the foundation of a successful state, and Belarus has done a lot over the years of independence. For example, the gross domestic product per capita and in terms of the production parity went up almost five times...

Lukashenko displeased with unreasonably long modernization of large enterprises

“However, the implementation of individual projects has taken unreasonably long time. First of all, it applies to Svetlogorsk pulp and paper mill, Dobrush factory Geroy Truda, newsprint plant in Shklov, and oil refineries”...

Lukashenko warns against reduction in employment

Creating high-performance jobs remains a priority goal, and the whole vertical of power is responsible for achieving it, the president added...

Lukashenko: Authorities should instantly respond to price rise

“If prices go up, the government and local authorities should respond to it right away. I don’t mean to say that we should push prices down to the extent when manufacturers and sellers will quit this business and allegedly leave it to die and to incur losses”...

Belarus president identifies key task for any executives

“Concrete people, concrete problems, concrete solutions. Every day. All the promises given to the nation must be fulfilled. It is the formula of our behavior. It is what any executives must do without an exception”...

Lukashenko: IT sector should cater for economic needs

According to Aleksandr Lukashenko, the Hi-Tech Park (HTP) shapes Belarus’ image on the international arena. "The most important thing now is to maintain momentum and to stay in touch with current economic needs"...

Belarusian nuclear power plant to cost less than $10bn

The Belarusian head of state drew attention of his Russian counterpart to the fact that the Belarusian-Russian credit agreement provides for lending up to $10 billion while the real price will be less than $7 billion...

Second nuclear power plant in Belarus possible

“If the first one is a success, it is possible the new society will have to build another nuclear power plant in the future. A spot for it has already been chosen. It is located in [Belarus’] east”...

Lukashenko wants supremacy of technology, new products in agriculture

"The number one task for agriculture is to ensure the absolute supremacy of technology and work discipline. Everyone should get involved, from company chiefs and specialists to our police"...

Belarusian government instructed to draft documents on pension increase

“We increased pensions three times in 2018. We will see their growth in 2019. I am instructing the government to prepare, without delay, necessary draft documents,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said...

Belarus president against any dividing lines in living conditions

Aleksandr Lukashenko drew attention to the balanced development of territories. “Belarus is a compact country. And there should not be any dividing lines, especially in social, economic and living conditions,” the Belarusian leader said…

Lukashenko wants comfortable housing for large families

The president stressed the need to support large families as demographics remain an important and relevant issue for Belarus and many other countries. “This is the matter of the future, our statehood and our national identity,” he stressed...

Belarus president in favor of good living standards in countryside

"We shouldn’t just help people buy a house in the countryside. We should help people, who are ready to live and work there. It can be done via the municipal authorities or by people pooling financial resources. It needs to be analyzed"...

Lukashenko welcomes successes of Belarus’ medicine

“Three hundred people got a new heart. Six hundred lives were saved due to kidney transplants. Actually, kidney transplant surgeries are performed routinely in Belarus now. It is hard to believe, but over 30 women gave birth to little Belarusians after undergoing such surgeries”...

Capabilities of Belarusian army underscored

The head of state remarked that Belarus continues developing domestic production of special hardware and combat hardware...

Belarus president against drastic Internet restrictions

Instead of shutting down the Internet Aleksandr Lukashenko called upon civil servants to work harder with the online community...

Prosecutor General’s Office of Belarus urged to step up anti-corruption efforts

"Upon my instruction, sessions to discuss anti-corruption efforts were held at oblast executive committees. All executives at all levels were warned. Concrete proposals to enhance responsibility in this area at all levels of administration were made"...

Belarus to hold presidential election in 2020

"I would like to repeat again: we will not be looking for some favorable factors or some opportune moment. The presidential election should be held in 2020. So it will take place whatever happens in our country"...

Lukashenko: Constitution should be in sync with Belarus’ interests

“I am convinced that thanks to the balanced and scrupulous work of experts we will have the Constitution meeting the interests of our country and our citizens at the present stage,” the head of state noted...

Lukashenko says cares about country's future rather than his power

In his speech the head of state touched upon possible changes in the Constitution in part of redistribution of functions and giving more powers to other branches of govern