Opinions & Interviews

Lukashenko: Belarusians are better off but must stay proactive

VILEIKA, 7 August (BelTA) - Belarusians are living better, but they must keep moving forward, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he spoke to the residents of Vileika District on 7 August, BelTA has learned.

“I will say something unpopular: people are living much better now. And those who want to live well can live well. This is how things stand today: war here, war there... Russia and the East are communicating with the West, Europe, through Belarus today. A huge flow passes through us,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said. “This creates bottlenecks, it creates competition, there is a struggle. But Belarusians must not sleep; they must keep moving.”

“You can earn something in any line of work. And enterprising people do earn. Those who don’t want to, well, they just live that way. It cannot be otherwise, no matter how unpopular it sounds,” he said.

The president also noted that Belarusians today have opportunities they did not have decades ago, including when it comes to employment and earnings. “Work wherever you want, earn whatever you can,” Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized.

In this regard, the head of state once again emphasized the need to maintain discipline and work diligently. From the helicopter, the president surveyed the condition of the fields in the central region and noted that agricultural practices in Vileika District need improvement. “I have visited Brest Oblast and Grodno Oblast - they have similar soils and land. But they work better. In the south of Minsk Oblast, people are active and working hard,” he said.

Aleksandr Lukashenko compared the condition of the land in Vileika District to the worst districts of Vitebsk Oblast: “Vitebsk Oblast is also varied. Tolochin, Orsha, Senno, Dubrovno, Vitebsk - they are relatively decent. But in the north (Verkhnedvinsk and elsewhere), it is like what you have here. So you need to step up a bit.”

The positive changes taking place in the country are also noticed by Russians. A Russian citizen who has been living in Belarus for ten years approached the head of state. The move was related to her husband’s work. Now she works at a Belarusian organization and noted that here, everything is done for the people.

“You are my father’s idol,” she admitted.

“I would like to be yours as well,” Aleksandr Lukashenko joked.

“You are my idol too. When I was moving to Belarus, my father told me: ‘You must take a photo with Aleksandr Grigoryevich [Lukashenko].’ May I?” the woman asked.

"Of course you may," the president agreed.

Another Russian, a resident of Chekhov in Moscow Oblast, came to Belarus on holiday. “The most peaceful and safe holiday is in Belarus,” he said.

“Come more often. In Vileika, you can not only relax but also go fishing,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.