Speech of President Lukashenko at the second session of the seventh All-Belarusian People's Assembly
Time for specific actions. Speech of President Alexander Lukashenko at the second session of the seventh All-Belarusian People's Assembly while addressing the Belarusian people and the National Assembly
Dear compatriots! Dear delegates of the All-Belarusian People's Assembly! Invited guests!
Since the economy is the foundation of our life, I warn you right away that it will be boring and uninteresting to some. Therefore, I will try to make my address as brief as possible.
The current 25th year is coming to an end. The final one in our five-year plan. Significant for us, considering that we developed and adopted the program for the socio-economic development of the country, the current program, during a period of unprecedentedly aggressive global agenda. During a time of political and economic redivision of the world, which has not yet ended. It is gaining momentum.
The Global South and Asia have become a new reality. Today, our agricultural machinery and trucks, dairy and meat products, tires, and components are being sent to the countries of the Middle East and Africa, China, and Latin America - the list of goods is impressive.
We have shattered the myth of our country's closedness and isolation created by the West, as confirmed by any global rankings.
This is with more than half of the border checkpoints closed. We have preserved and multiplied a strong real sector of the economy, losing nothing and not spilling any of the Soviet legacy. In the global competitiveness ranking of industry, we occupy the 56th position among one and a half hundred countries. Although there is still serious work to be done on labor productivity.
In such a challenging time, domestic enterprises continued to actively invest in technological development and modernization. This is a foundation for the future. In the current five-year period, we completed the implementation of nearly a thousand production projects. At the same time, housing, roads, and social and sports infrastructure were built in the necessary volumes. The initiative "One District - One Project" has proven successful, creating over 6,000 new jobs in small towns and settlements. This program will continue further. It will become one of the key initiatives in our country.
The debt burden is decreasing, gold and foreign exchange reserves are at a historical maximum, and trust in the national currency has deservedly increased. Considering the initial conditions mentioned at the beginning, the results for the everyday life of people are generally acceptable. Stable employment, a decent level of income, and, most importantly, safety have been ensured.
During the Assembly, we need to determine the main directions for the country's development for the next five years. Before we get acquainted with the project developed by the Government, I would like to remind the basic, fundamental guidelines that this document must adhere to - our programs. They stem from life and are very relevant.
The foundation of foundations, as I have already said, is the economy. This is the main weapon in the modern world. We need a basis for implementing the program of the next five-year plan, which includes ambitious plans and indicators. If we want to steadily reach 100 billion dollars in annual gross domestic product and an average monthly salary of one thousand dollars, enterprises and the financial system must operate sustainably.
In the world, there are three poles of power: China, Russia, and the United States of America. In fact, the European Union is also considered a fourth pillar. However, given their internal discord and hysterical demands, this pole may collapse. The center of new attraction is becoming India, with the highest rates of economic development. Therefore, there is nothing wrong with having brilliant strategic relations with Russia and China while we begin to build a constructive dialogue with the leadership of the United States of America. Let me remind you, this is one of the most powerful main centers of power. Yes, the dialogue is sometimes tough and persistent. Yes, every detail matters. But this is a negotiation of the strong with the strong.
The respect and authority of our country are beyond doubt, and we stand firm in our positions. Belarus is our home. Only we define our economic model.
He has long been socially oriented, and the same Americans - big market capitalists - have never once during all the negotiations demanded that I break this model or deviate from it. They are not blind: they see what our country is like - the roads, clean cities, normal cars. We are indeed implementing our Belarusian path together. We set all tasks based on our own interests and experience, but understanding that only a sovereign state can guarantee their compliance.
Therefore, we have always fought to preserve our industries and the industrial foundation for the development of the republic, gritting our teeth. For 15 years, we have been engaged in import substitution, which is turning into import independence.
The task has never been to produce absolutely everything in Belarus. But where we have local raw materials, scientific groundwork, and schools, we will literally fight for our interests in a complex and not always fair competition. Absolutely dishonest competition. Especially since we have our own nuclear power plant now. This has strengthened the energy independence of the country almost twofold, provided the most competitive tariffs in Europe for manufacturing enterprises, and opened new sectors: electric heating of homes, electric transport, energy storage, mining, and the cryptocurrency market. We produce our own computers and monitors. We have successfully mastered the production of new types of products in machine engineering - from powerful energy-intensive tractors to unmanned BELAZ trucks. We have essentially created from scratch the production of passenger cars in the country, launching a production line for every taste. Hundreds of thousands of domestic cars have been sold on the common market of the Union State. Certain models occupy the top sales positions. A new bus factory of MAZ has been built in Minsk. Today, the enterprise is ready to produce up to three thousand comfortable vehicles in modern design annually - you have all seen and know this. Based on modern technologies, we have increased our own oil production. By deepening the processing of oil raw materials, we have established the production of petroleum coke and other types of oil products. We produce medicines for cancer patients, amino acids, and innovative bioproducts. In the food industry, we have launched production from unique dry mixtures for infants - highly demanded lactose-free dairy products - to elite cheeses and meat delicacies.
At the same time, there are plenty of unresolved economic issues.
FIRST. TECHNOLOGICAL SOVEREIGNTY.I consciously give him priority, as we have been greatly tempered by the experience of so-called cooperation with the West. Under various pretexts, we were deliberately and systematically placed in a situation of dependence on Western equipment and even small components. We saw how important it is to have our own developments in critically important sectors of the economy. Now we are simply obliged to return production in a new quality or to create our own from scratch in microelectronics, robotics, pharmaceuticals, unmanned systems, and so on. Yes, it may be difficult today, very expensive, but tomorrow it will pay off many times over. Without this, it is simply impossible. We have no time for a warm-up. It is especially important in the real sector to increase the speed of implementing promising developments. The country needs projects based on the developments and discoveries of domestic scientific and production schools.
The role of catch-up players is especially unacceptable in the development of micro- and radioelectronics.
- Lukashenko explained why he prioritizes technological sovereignty
- Lukashenko compared the exiles' plan for Belarus' economy to the surrender of sovereignty
Another specific task is to annually release new models of computer-controlled machines to meet the full needs of our enterprises and to enter global markets. We are a machine-building country. Without modern machines - what kind of machine engineering is that?
Again, our topic from Soviet times - machine engineering. Therefore, industry ministers and leaders, together with scientists, must agree on the program and plans for the new five-year plan. By 2030, we need to increase the density of robotization to 100 units per 10,000 industrial workers. Up to 100 units, while in the world it's 150. Moreover, the state provides assistance from benefits to already prepared production sites. One of these unique sites was created on the territory of "Motovelo" - the Minsk City Technopark. Any entrepreneur can come here with their business idea and open an innovative production. We will expand this format in all regions of the country. The process has begun.
- Lukashenko: we will expand the format of technoparks in all regions of the country
We have successful experience in implementing import substitution projects with the Russian Federation - from microelectronics and aircraft manufacturing to the localization of automotive components and assemblies. There are quite a few common ideas in partnership with the People's Republic of China. For example, a number of projects in the pulp and paper industry. This sector is more than promising, where the interest of other international players is growing.
We can and must satisfy it. In our wooded Belarus, there is an abundance of raw materials - timber - for such projects. Therefore, all forestry enterprises must be equipped with domestic multifunctional logging equipment and supply at least 25 million cubic meters of round timber for processing annually. At the same time, let’s note: why is there timber lying around all the edges, while the country imports furniture and paper packaging worth tens of millions and cannot mass-produce cheap calf prophylactics? We cannot produce decent toilet paper. The disgraceful attitude of the relevant officials towards this industry, into which, by the way, 2.5 billion dollars have been invested during the last modernization, taking into account the pulp and paper mill. So far, not a penny has been returned. Or do you think someone will write them off for you? Get those thoughts out of your head. For five years, you have been feeding the whole nation tales about the finished bag craft paper in Svetlogorsk. No government has been able to show real results regarding our triad of raw materials - timber, flax, leather raw materials. Either you are indifferent people, or you have no ambitions at all. Without ambitions, nowhere to go…
In the upcoming five-year period, at least 25 major investment projects in the industrial sector should be implemented.
We have promising ideas and developments in creating a Belarusian train in Fanipol, a domestic airplane in Baranovichi, a round baler, a milking robot, and restoring shipbuilding competencies at the Pinsk plant. So far, there is a weak offer in the petrochemical complex, and after the modernization of the oil refinery, there are no breakthrough projects. I see that you are gradually ruining the chemical fiber industry ("Mogilevkhimvolokno" - Note). All these productions are extremely important for the future of Belarus. We need to effectively control all the mentioned construction projects in manual mode. There will always be resources for viable projects in the country. By the way, we have a record gold and foreign exchange reserves. Is there really a need to have such a volume as dictated by Western systems? I believe we should restructure the strategy for managing international reserve assets. Money should work. And the income received by the National Bank from managing the reserves should be invested in the real sector of the economy, modernization of production, localization of key imported components, and profitable export contracts.
THIRD. DEVELOPMENT OF THE NATIONAL HIGH TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY, IT INDUSTRY.The experience of sanctions, when the servicing of software products was instantly halted, and the technological chains of enterprises were put at risk, became another lesson for us. We talked about it a bit; from my side, it was a simple step… We prohibited discussing sanctions. But they did not go away. Here is one of the directions. We will definitely eliminate this vulnerability.
Critical industries must be provided with import-independent software products at least 90 percent. Everything is in place for this. The legal framework, infrastructure, training schools for IT specialists, High-Tech Park.
The government and the High Technologies Park need to more actively establish development centers in Belarus, focusing IT teams primarily on national projects, rather than catering to large companies in the United States or other countries.
We have plenty of hotlines, portals, websites, from zvarota.bel to chatbots, but what's the use? People keep going from one organization to another.
Similar experience exists in Russia and China. I want to emphasize: the goal is not digitalization for the sake of digitalization. If administering a service costs more than its actual demand, then spending money is pointless. We will simplify where it is rational.
Another pressing issue is reliable and fast mobile communication. There are questions about it all over the country. Family expenses on the internet are already comparable to other utility payments. I am leading to the fact that with their considerable income, mobile operators must provide equally stable communication in any settlement. Excuses are no longer accepted. The government needs to solve this problem literally within the next year. All the regulatory acts you requested have been signed by me.
The built nuclear power plant has significantly strengthened our energy independence, but by the thirtieth year, we need to raise this level even higher. The station's capacity has allowed us to modernize the corresponding infrastructure and stimulate the development of electric transport. During this time, we have connected two million square meters of new electrified housing.
FIFTH. SUSTAINABLE, PROFITABLE FOOD PRODUCTION.The industry brings billions of dollars in export revenue to the country every year. This year, more than 9.5 billion dollars. This year, thanks to the coordinated work of farmers, we received one of the highest grain harvests - 11 million tons. And sugar beets - 6 million tons. This has never happened before. And remember what kind of year it was. When the level of grains was determined at the selector and our farmers reported 11 million, I agreed, thinking, okay, let it be 11. Let's see how you will achieve it. You achieved it. In livestock farming, we will overcome a new milestone - we will produce more than 9 million tons of milk. Just think about these unique figures. For each Belarusian, we received more than one ton of grain and one ton of milk. How many such countries are there? Almost none.
At the same time, there are many gaps in agriculture. The reason lies in the widespread absence of technological and production discipline, in falsifications and theft. It's sad. This brings along a whole chain of problems.
Low-quality feed, animal care, diseases and mortality, neglectful attitude towards expensive agricultural machinery, and so on. All of this needs to be eradicated in our practice. Not over the course of five years, but literally within the next year.
Today in the first half of the day, I had a serious conversation with the Prime Minister. I understand that the former governor knows the problem well. And when I point out the negatives, he tells me: well, we have it good over there. But there are some districts, including in the Minsk region, where he worked, well, there are only 4 districts that are struggling year after year. To which I said: fine. Out of 21 districts, I believe - four. Well, we can bring order to four districts. Stuck in place, we do not see specific problems behind the overall figures.
The results of the Vitebsk meeting will be visible in all regions without exception. I will tell you more: I had a desire to publish a hundred pages, a volume, with shortcomings in agriculture for all delegates of the VNS based on the meeting in the Vitebsk region. But when the project was put on my desk, I almost lost my mind. I think if I send this even as a secret letter to the VNS delegates now, we will definitely fail this meeting. Therefore, this hundred-page report has been sent to the responsible persons. We will think about what to do next if such situations continue across the country. This is unacceptable. Wild mortality of young stock, cows that feed us, and so on. When we can't feed the livestock... And if someone can't, well take it away, just take this livestock and send it to where they can feed it. There are enough such farms. No, everyone is dragging their feet. And then they are offended by the strictness of the requirements and other things. There will be no retreat. I strongly recommend that all interested parties get involved in this work. The time for persuasion and explanations is over. Only concrete actions and results. For the agricultural sector, this is a radical reduction in dependence on imports. It is important to create a breeding genetic center in poultry farming as soon as possible. This is not just a project, it is the future of our poultry industry. By the way, a leader in the meat sector. Well, to put it simply, we raise so many broilers and layers, we have so many eggs per person. And, roughly speaking, where do we get the chicks? In the West…
Next.
It is time to radically modernize the industry, transitioning to the principles, as we like to say, of digital agriculture with the scaling of precision farming technology. Therefore, at least 40 percent of organizations in the industry need to master and implement this platform in their farms by the end of the five-year period.
What needs to be done in every agricultural organization is centralized material and technical support and dispatching of all work with control of all processes from the field to the farm. We are not doing the basics; we cannot set tasks for the mechanics at a planning meeting in some agricultural enterprise, especially in careless agricultural enterprises, and then ask about it at the end of the day. We have moved away from all of this. The market? I don't want to play. As a result, we should have a profit from food exports with an annual minimum benchmark of 12 billion dollars.
SIXTH. CAREFULNESS AND QUALITY.This is the axiom of the competitiveness of Belarusian goods. Tools that are widely used in the world, the so-called lean management. We currently have a very fragmented implementation.
We cannot continue selling our products abroad without providing service. As for quality, I don't want to talk about it. Let the products be one or two percent more expensive. MAZs, BELAZs, MTZs... But it must be a quality product. You see what competition is going on. In the media every time: a MAZ bus caught fire somewhere, or it was set on fire elsewhere. We start to investigate - and nothing actually burned. This is competition. They are trying to tilt us this way and show that we have low-quality products. But there are questions about our quality. We need to ensure there are none.
SEVENTH. EFFECTIVE SALES FOR SUCCESSFUL FOREIGN TRADE.
Returning from the now-traditional winter business trips, I am once again convinced: we really do not know how to trade. You know, I was ashamed to negotiate with the Sultan of Oman and ask him: "Help us, teach us to trade. We will produce, we will supply, but let's create a company together and trade together in your traditional markets." Is this normal? We produced, threw it over the fence, it doesn't matter at what prices we sold. We sit, waiting for something.
- Do not rely on chance, but master the art of sales. Lukashenko on tasks for exporters
I inform you that I have instructed our Deputy Chairman Kosenets Alexander Nikolaevich to immediately address this issue - mediation. To uproot it completely. We are losing from 30 to 50 percent in price just because we are feeding intermediaries. Is this normal? While the working group reports to me and makes a proposal, ministers, take care of this immediately. I have cited more than once the example when it was necessary to slow down the growth of rapeseed. We planted it. You see what the weather is like, winter crops are growing, growing, outgrowing. This means they will not survive the winter, especially rapeseed. I tell the minister: bring in growth regulators centrally. We buy them through imports. So he spent two months coordinating some additional decision when this rapeseed had already grown to knee height. Is this a normal situation? We cannot rely on chance or random circumstances; a well-thought-out strategy, a clear plan with competent logistics is needed.
- Lukashenko demanded an immediate investigation into the unjustified mediation
I instruct the government to completely review the role and functions of the so-called development institutions for the first half of the 26th year. Why are we spending so much money on structures that are neither visible nor audible? The National Investment Agency under the Ministry of Economy, right? The National Marketing and Pricing Conjuncture Center under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Agency for Foreign Economic Activity under the Development Bank, the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and so on.
You know, I look at this: the National Marketing and Conjuncture Center under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. What marketing? What conjuncture? Yes, there are such questions. So the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a whole should be dealing with this. What other additional structures? These are the cushy jobs for officials with bloated staff and salaries. Liquidate within the first quarter of 2026.
EIGHTH. PERFECTED CONSUMER MARKET. For us, Belarusians, the choice of which product to buy - Belarusian or foreign - is a matter of national security. Many cannot overcome the stereotype of the elitism of imports. But this is not the result of experience. It is a tool of brainwashing, if you will, that was successfully applied in Soviet society, especially in the later stages of development.
- The result of brainwashing. Lukashenko explained why Belarusians believe in the "elitism of imports"
But do we really position ourselves in our own market? Well, you know, maybe somewhere out there "Dolce Gabbana" or "Versace" and others. Maybe they are more promoted. Maybe even of better quality. So, is it impossible to wear Belarusian? Will you be stripped on the street? Is it unpleasant to look at?
(Applause.)
I remember my first business trips to the West. Almost 30 years ago. You know, well, following the fashion, it was necessary to dress nicely, and so on. And here I am sitting at negotiations with billionaires. This was my business trip to the United States of America. Billionaires. I think, my God, what kind of scruffy people are these? Billionaires. I honestly tell you, I looked: simple suits and so on. And for them, it was shameful to dress impeccably and show off. Shameful. And we seem to, you know, live in a not wealthy country, and we talk about Belarus, you say. And our population. But look at the cars people drive, what they wear. The question arises: why are you spending huge amounts of money to support foreign manufacturers? Why not support your own? "Kamvol", Orsha linen, and so on. Good fabrics, our own fabrics, environmentally safe. Why are you doing this? This concerns everyone. We need to think about this before blaming the authorities for all sins, including me.
- Lukashenko: negotiations with the Americans discussed the resumption of the work of the US embassy in Belarus
The task for the upcoming five years is to increase the contribution of tourism to the economy by at least two times. Everything is in place for this.
Every corner of our country has its own face and its own uniqueness. Complaints from tourists mainly relate to the lack of service throughout the entire chain of services and digital support: booking accommodation, purchasing tickets, finding routes, ordering excursions. The absence of such comfort is a loss of a potential guest. All decisions in the industry based on the Government's proposals have been made.
Governors are looking at this from the sidelines and waiting for something. If you can't do it yourself - involve private structures in the work. You need to promote tourist services more actively through our embassies, dealer centers, and even more aggressive advertising. Load this work onto the ambassadors, they are not particularly overworked at the moment.
And also. Belarus is a clean country. This is the first impression that our guests express. It is a huge effort. Tens of thousands of people go to work every day, creating beauty, even when most of our citizens are still asleep. It's not just about the absence of trash, but also about well-kept parks, streets adorned with flowers, and every corner arranged for relaxation. We have become so accustomed to this order that we begin to abuse it, creating dumps even in forest areas. What are you doing? This is yours; you will take your children there to relax. In the Year of Improvement, we have dozens of cases of vandalism against new facilities. It may not be appropriate, but dear Belarusians, I appeal to each of you. Let's respect the work of people, not force the state to resort to Singaporean methods, and not destroy the country, for what will happen is what happens in this "paradise western garden." As for Singapore, let me remind you: there, just for a discarded wrapper, you can receive a fine of 2000 rubles or corrective labor. Such initiatives are already being voiced by deputies here. Do we really need to adopt draconian measures here?
You know, I closely follow the media, and I remember a statement from a girl on behalf of the youth: "For us, the main priority right now is housing." That's rightly said. But this lovely, beautiful girl should understand that for me as President, what I am aiming for with the government, the main priority is the even distribution of productive forces. And if housing is in the agrotown, the supporting village, these are districts, regional centers, and not just Minsk. As perhaps many in the youth understand. Therefore, if you are entering as target students or in some way into a medical or agricultural university, before you go there, think about the fact that you will have to work starting from the district hospital, maybe as a district doctor, or maybe somewhere you need to connect and get the FAP moving. You need to be ready for this, not just "I graduated from medical university, I want to work in Minsk, if not, then I will go there tomorrow." Well, some went.
Today, Shved (the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Belarus Andrei Shved. - Note.) has a queue for this very commission to return back. Think, think, especially the youth, before taking any step, you need to think about how it was once.
In Minsk, a limit on the introduction of new housing meters should be established. No more than three hundred thousand per year, maybe even less.
The alternative is satellite cities. Create a similar quality full-fledged urban environment there and in the adjacent territories.
Although I see that there are many problems here. We will also comprehensively consider the topic next year. Ideas are being proposed to develop satellite villages instead of satellite cities - large populated areas - for a more even distribution of the population. About two hundred such villages have been identified. I remind you of the words of the famous Vasily Shukshin from an interview after the release of the film "Kalina Krasnaya". You remember, almost 150 million people watched this film. He said: with the destruction of the village, we will lose both morality and spirituality, and we will lose our uniqueness. These are our roots, a special way of life, the work that educates. Without their own land, a person, like a blade of grass, is susceptible to all winds.
This is the main question for me. Therefore, I often feel uncomfortable, I justify myself, wandering from morning till evening through villages and agricultural enterprises. The question is not about, as I have already frankly said, Vitebsk region achieving some indicators. Excuse me, I will say it again: yes, we can easily do without the production of Vitebsk region, even Mogilev and Gomel, where there are the most problems, today. We will feed the people, and there will still be enough for export. My task is to save the village, so that it is not just empty, dilapidated houses. So that people live there, wherever possible. And I want to sign under the words of Vasily Shukshin. One of my tasks, as I said, is to save the village. This is the essence of it all. We are all from the village. Well, look around, maybe in the third or fourth generation your parents lived in the village. I say this not because I am a village person myself, no. But because the village is the foundation, the foundation of our life. Without the village, we will perish; the state cannot exist without it. We will return to those times.
Before my eyes is Africa. They are going through tough times. The richest region, you can't even imagine. They have everything - from gold, diamonds to rare earth metals. They have it all. That's why I say, the future is with Africa. But I remember the first time I encountered it in Zimbabwe - the richest country. I say, they have natural gas and oil. Well, there's nothing they don't have. Poor. The main question, I ask the President, I have a good personal relationship with him. What question? They say: help us ensure food security. Simply put, help us feed the people. We demonstrated this with Zimbabwe in two years. In two years, as President Mnangagwa says, we ensured food security for a country that has three times the population of ours. And all over Africa, there was a buzz: Belarusians can, Belarusians will help.
Here, without transport, without a tractor, it is impossible to live. How can one live today without a tractor at all? The tractor cleans the streets, serves as a means of transport, and plows. And we help them. And they responded, they responded that we are going to them with open arms, we are training them, we are doing everything for them. But this is not free. This is not free. This is evidence that the state will pay its last money to solve the task of feeding its own people.
So we want to return to those times? You know, it will happen very quickly. You won't even have time to look around. Therefore, we need to tighten up and maintain the level we have reached, at least slightly increasing it, by 3 - 4 percent each year of gross domestic product. 2 percent, 2.5 - no more is needed. On the other hand, if we talk about the village, about the countryside, I live and see perfectly well that very small villages, as they were once called - unpromising, of course, have no prospects for their development. You know, maybe it's not necessary. With the technology that has come to agriculture today, we are consolidating, consolidating, and consolidating agricultural enterprises.
This is a global trend. We already have less than 2 million Belarusians living in rural areas, 21 percent. We have reduced the rural population by 10 percent by the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union. This is also a global trend. That’s why I say: we need a robot for milking cows. We need a press to timely harvest hay and straw. Because there are fewer and fewer people. And our youth today do not mention when they talk about housing that they need to go milk a cow. This means that robots will be working. They exist, but we need our own, domestic, if we want to continue to be called an agro-industrial state.
Yes, all this requires significant financial and time costs in most cases. Therefore, all program documents, republican and regional, must be synchronized, or we will face a huge imbalance in development. Employment and housing come first. There must be housing and work.
- Lukashenko does not rule out that a limit on the introduction of new square meters of housing may be established in Minsk
We are not a Western country where people are used to living in rented housing for a long time, sometimes for their entire lives. Belarusians prefer to live in their own houses and apartments. And that is good. Therefore, young specialists should have the right to buy out rental housing in the future, and its construction should be linked to the creation of jobs.
A new national approach is needed, motivating relocation to rural areas with specific conditions. I will not talk about what needs to be done in this regard. I believe the Government will take care of this and report. However, the Government, together with our deputies, needs to submit their well-thought-out proposals in the near future. And if we are talking about retaining young specialists in the regions, we should pay attention to families with children.
And also. Last year we actively engaged in landscaping, putting things in order at many significant sites. We held two republican clean-up days. Now we should pay attention to abandoned buildings. The government, the executive committee together with the military. It is necessary to simplify all requirements and procedures as much as possible, reduce the time and cost of demolition, and involve the newly available lands in circulation. All powers have been delegated, distributed, and documents signed. The focus needs to shift to the local level. The chairman of the district executive committee and the executive committees should solve this problem in the districts, and perhaps even the rural councils. This is their interest and area of responsibility.
It doesn't matter what goals and objectives drive my trips to a particular region. The first thing I assess is the managerial approach at any facilities. There should be no shabby productions, villages, roads, and the like. There should not be. Do not forget that Belarus is our common home. Order in it is the first thing to consider when talking about the basic principles of social sphere development. Comfort is the quality of life, and the economy is the people. The people who rebuilt our country. Just recently, after the war. The goals we define as primary are always answers to two simple questions: what do we expect from the state and what are we ready and should do to ensure that the state maintains a familiar and comfortable socially-oriented plan for us? The answers to the questions I posed are the country's strategy aimed at the future.
Only a healthy person will be able to overcome this road. We define the increase in life expectancy as one of our strategic goals.
We are investing huge resources in the development of healthcare, constantly opening new facilities, and not sparing money for the renovation of medical institutions and the purchase of modern medical equipment. In inter-district centers, we perform surgeries that were previously only done in the Republican Scientific and Practical Center - I remember this, it all happened before my eyes - or in regional hospitals. Modern mobile paramedic and obstetric points are arriving in remote areas. Moreover, many of them are domestically produced. We can do everything, but we don't always do it all. Conditions for work have been created. Doctors' salaries have been raised, as they demanded, but getting an appointment with the right specialist is often a problem. Especially in small districts and in rural areas. I also read about this in those TikToks. We demand bread from the villagers, from the farmers, but they wait for weeks for either a specialist's consultation or diagnostic studies.
We have four medical universities - a sufficient number of graduates for such a compact country as ours, yet there is still a shortage of personnel. Or is there? In Belarus, we have doctors per thousand or per ten thousand people - one and a half times more than in the European Union. I don't remember that figure from memory. What else is needed?
We are trying to solve the problem by using interns, young specialists, but they do not stay. Why? A question to all responsible: do you understand what is happening in our industry? Figure it out. Together. The government and local authorities.
We have a permanent working group on medicine. And once again, I draw your attention to the fact that all stages of medical assistance to people - from early detection of disease, comprehensive treatment to rehabilitation - must be carried out in optimal timeframes regardless of a person's age and place of residence. After this, I want to ask you a question. Recently, our smart high-ranking officials sent me a letter. "We need to register all diplomatic, - something like that, - workers at what we call the presidential hospital." Do you have a conscience? Why are you reaching out to this hospital? It has long ceased to be the best in the country. We have a sea of such hospitals. I handed over this presidential hospital to you, where everyone was eager to go, in Minsk. No, it's over there. God bless you, I don't get treated there. Don't think that where the President is, it's good. Thank God, so far God has spared me from this hospital. I'm not lying around in it, calm down. And then, what about ordinary people?
The issue of the quality of medical care is a very sensitive and complex topic. Complex, just like the work of a doctor. I understand that dealing with people who self-diagnose, treat themselves via the internet, let their illnesses progress, and then expect miracles from the doctor is difficult. However, the complaints of patients, which sometimes need to be addressed by the Presidential Administration and other authorities, often have valid grounds.
As I said, to treat a tooth - go to Belarus. It's quality and cheaper here. So let's go there - let them pull your teeth and jaw there. Why are you coming back here? You should sneak in, we have visa-free travel.
We have something to be proud of, and we shouldn't trample all that we have into the dirt.
Belarusian surgeons perform high-tech surgeries in cardiology, neurosurgery, traumatology, and transplantation. We put in maximum effort in the fight for the lives of children with the most severe prognoses. In pediatric oncology, we have implemented and are improving innovative technologies. We keep our finger on the pulse of reproductive medicine development. Just in the last three years, our doctors have performed over five thousand IVF procedures. Nearly two thousand long-awaited babies have been born.
So the guys managed to reach out, huh?
You know the situation. Today, all developed countries are facing an unprecedented decline in birth rates and an aging population. Unfortunately, Belarus is no exception. The fact that our country maintains leading positions in the world in providing medical assistance to mothers and children, and we have long kept low rates of infant, child, and maternal mortality, is a tremendous achievement. We are the first in the world in this regard! But that is already not enough.
(Applause.)
In order to maintain the population, families must have three babies.
(Applause.)
Dear women! Give birth to three babies and demand anything from me.
Some of us sit in the Presidium - one by one.
(Laughter in the hall.)
Yes, from the perspective of material incentives, enough has been done.
Before the child is born, expectant mothers are provided with free full medical support, we pay substantial child benefits, family capital is provided, we keep the kindergarten fees at a possible minimum, subsidizing them from the budget. Listen, well, in general, from infancy until they graduate from university, - on state support.
What's wrong? Education. It's wild money. We spend huge amounts of money for education in school and to enter universities. Listen, I once entered a university and then got a second education. And it was never easy to enroll in the economics faculty after finishing university. But today, nothing is needed. To provide equal opportunities, I went for targeted directions to send students to agricultural universities and generally to universities. What else is needed? Take your head in your hands and go ahead, go study. But if you don't study, what kind of specialist are you? And what right do you have to demand from the authorities later: we need a thousand dollars or two thousand (salary. - Ed.)? We can't. We are not the Soviet Union, which had a huge amount of oil and gas, and we are not Russia, where you can sell, get, and then share. You need to earn. As we talk about human capital. And to earn, you need to study, study, and study again, as the great Vladimir Ilyich said. But this is as old as the world. Therefore, before demanding something from someone, especially from me, from the authorities, - look in the mirror, look at yourself, you need to work.
(Applause.)
Yes, I ask women to have three, at least three children, but the working conditions for women returning from maternity leave and the attitude towards them are equally important. For employers, this is a real problem. Oh, she will go, give birth, and then what to do with her? Do nothing. We need a second child for her to have a third. In the current demographic situation, it is criminal even to think that young mothers are a headache for employers. But the reason is not always just economic measures. I often repeat: we cannot force women to give birth with money. And the experience of the last decade has confirmed this. The hardest part is working with stereotypes imposed through the internet, movies, and advertising. We must also consider how the image of a successful business person, unburdened by family, affects the consciousness of young people. We will not break these global trends; we cannot close ourselves off from them. The fashion for non-traditional families is the same topic. And all of this looks like a global project against humanity.
But what prevents us from creating our own national stereotype? We have already gone through this. Belarusian. We need to restore the image of the mother-woman on the pedestal.
(Applause.)
There are examples in politics, in sports, and in other areas. This is a question of our future and that of our descendants. There cannot be Belarus, there cannot be a country of Belarus without Belarusians. We need people. This is the main question, and I speak about it openly.
No less important than the birth of children, the focus is on active longevity.
To a greater extent, this is the result of the lifestyle we choose. By the end of the 30th year, every fifth Belarusian will be, at the current pace, over 65 years old. The recipe for a long and quality life is known to all. It is physical culture and sports. At the very least. I won't go into detail about how much has been done to enable an active lifestyle. Starting from equipped yard areas, bicycle paths, and ending with sports palaces across the country. We have never had such opportunities to engage in any kind of sport. Who and how they use them is a personal question (I was told here in the Administration). It's not personal at all. We do not value our health, and then we spend huge amounts of money and pay corresponding categories of doctors to pull you out, to shield you from this disease. Do you remember this pandemic? If you don't remember, I remember it well. I often give this example when I went to the intensive care unit with the minister, went in there, and there were such mountains lying around. Stomachs to the ceiling, not a single thin person was there. Excess weight is a disaster. I'm telling you this. I know what I'm saying.
The second, no less important priority that connects the interests of the state and society is the quality of education.
(Applause.)
The export of educational services has reached 115 million dollars. But this is far from the limit. In the year 25 alone, we have 35 thousand foreign students studying with us. Geography - 120 countries.
And wherever I go, even in large countries, even in the People's Republic of China, - education. And can you take these, or can you take these, these, these? Well, yes, some say, here are the grants, well, so that at our expense. Only when I meet people who speak in Africa, Zimbabwe, Algeria in our native language, speaking Russian, I think, after all, they did well in the Soviet Union. There were enough grants, they raised normal specialists. Today they are already heads of states. Therefore, this is our asset in any country. A good asset that helps us later promote our economy in these countries. But the most important thing is the accessibility of domestic education for Belarusians. And we are world leaders here. In accessibility. In the near future, we need to focus on increasing the flexibility of the vocational education system. The adjustment of educational standards and plans should be carried out in a short time. According to the needs of customers and the requirements of the economy. We must continue to shorten the training periods for specialists, but taking into account the intensification of training. Obtaining higher education, secondary vocational education - this is not a walk through life, this is real work. After lunch, students should work in laboratories, institutions, at enterprises. Then the employers will not say that young people do not know real production. And some pennies can be paid to students. We just need to think about how to do this correctly. But we must understand: young people are forming a demand for relevant knowledge. These are the realities that domestic schools and universities must meet, especially today, when high technologies penetrate deeply into all spheres of our life, dictating new requirements. We must take into account that today leading world powers are actively forming national strategies in the field of artificial intelligence. Belarus has its own scientific school with deep traditions in mathematics and information technology. We have researchers, engineers, world-class developers.
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It is precisely the personnel of the new formation that serves as the main guideline for the education system.
Speaking about the development of the sphere of legal regulation of the state, I will emphasize the concept of justice, which we often talk about. And yes, the demand for justice in modern society is only growing. But this is a two-way street. We all want to live and work under the protection of the law. A just demand? Yes. The state as a system requires compliance with this law. Is it fair? Of course. And in this matter of mutual responsibility, the level of societal involvement in the legislative process plays a crucial role. The Constitution of the country has undergone collective opinion review three times in our history, changes to the Basic Law were made by the people. By an absolute majority of votes. The Constitution defines the basic postulates of state development and our ideology. Any attempt to destroy them, to bring turmoil into people's lives entails criminal responsibility.
Our laws are no different from any others in the world. But some decided to "sniff" western democracy, succumbing to emotions. Today they regret it, as I said, they want to go home.
The Constitution, I emphasize once again, enshrines the political will of the majority. The law protects us - we comply with it. A simple and objective formula of the rule of law, which is what Belarus is. This is how we understand our Belarusian model of democratic development.
I am absolutely convinced that it is necessary to more actively involve the population in the discussion of changes in legislation. We have a powerful resource - our National Assembly. I want to draw the attention of the House of Representatives and the Council of the Republic to two points. First. You work on the ground, including with appeals from voters, meet with people, and know the sentiments in society. On the one hand, this is an opportunity to track how laws work in practice, and on the other - to engage people in the discussion of new projects. The more opinions we hear, the closer we will be to the optimal result. And in general, we need to work with people so that they do not reproach us that the law is bad, the law is not right. Although it is clear, a law is a law. There are no bad and good laws. A law is a law. It must be observed. But we need to work with people.
We are Slavs, we are used to being spoken to, to the authorities talking to their people. Listen, our people are like this (I remember it from my time as a deputy) - even if you don't help them, but you talk to them humanely, they will be grateful to you. We must not forget this simple truth.
The second point concerns the leaders of the Parliament - you have created numerous groups, commissions, expert councils. You constantly meet and discuss something. Well, probably, this is correct. But often after such councils, time and again, you come to the President with initiatives to clarify a point, a paragraph, an article, and so on. That is why I speak about the systematization of legislation. I instructed to conduct a review of subordinate acts, as well as legislation, laws in general. A large-scale work has been carried out, but it should not be a one-time action. The review of legislation should be conducted on a permanent basis because life, especially now, is changing very quickly. Laws lag behind this life.
The VNS must ensure inviolability, you must ensure the inviolability of the constitutional order, the continuity of generations, and civil consent. If you want, you are a school. You are the future.
It is precisely from here, from this depth, that Alexander Nikolaevich (Deputy Chairman of the All-Belarusian People's Assembly Alexander Kosinets. - Note.) should draw future personnel. He constantly comes and says: "What should we do? Are we going to control? Are we going to gather? Are we going to..." Stop all gatherings! Everyone should carry this high title of a member of the people's assembly like a banner. You are the future of our country.
(Applause.)
We must see in you future leaders, future ministers, chairmen of district executive committees, governors. Because I am confident that almost one hundred percent of you are patriots of our country, which is very much in demand today.
(Applause.)
You, as it was said during the war and after, must lead. You do not have the right, just as I do, I feel and understand this, you do not have the right to be bad people. You cannot lag behind in work. You should not be at the tail anywhere. You should not be dragging there. You must be ahead. This is the task of our VENS activists. And then, you must understand. Yes, the seventh All-Belarusian People's Assembly, but remember the first one. At that time, the question was: to be or not to be? Praise be to God, it inspired me to turn to this people's gathering. As a historian, I understood that we needed to gather people, we needed to gain their support. And after the first All-Belarusian People's Assembly, cars were being overturned in the streets. You can see this from the footage of the chronicle. But the situation absolutely began to change, in my opinion, since 1996. It began to change. For this, we must bow (soon time will pass, appreciate it), bow before the All-Belarusian People's Assembly. It said in a difficult moment: "No. We support this snotty President, we elected him, and we must move forward, forward and only forward, without stopping."
(Applause.)
This is why we exist. Well, and then. Although I am often criticized for this when I say, well, I am not eternal. Yes, we have created a system, a lot hangs on the President, thank you for supporting me. Without this support, there would be much less in the country. Everything comes from you.
(Applause.)
But I am the outgoing President. I cannot be President forever. Nor is it necessary. But as a President who has done a lot for the country, together with you… I cannot help but worry about what will happen next. Only you are the stabilizer of our society. No presidents, no parties, groups, no deputies and others will be able to break what we will create together. Yes, we will change. You will change. But you must guide the country, put it on the tracks, push it forward - and let it go ahead. No foolish zigzags and fluctuations. If you need to sharply bypass some obstacle, here, on this platform, you will decide what to do. This is what you were created for. Not to run around the country and control something. Who will you control? Here are the major leaders, chairpersons of district executive committees, governors, government members, deputies. Are you going to control yourselves? Everything is created, established, as it should be. We need to act in this direction. And we together, this is another task, must find our place, constitutional place in this life. But we must start from the big tasks that we will solve together. Well, that's that. I will think again about these issues in the near future. And perhaps by the next meeting of our All-Belarusian People's Assembly, I will present my point of view more specifically on the future of the All-Belarusian People's Assembly. But this is in general. No need for trivialities, as scholars say. No need to jump at various trifles. Not our question.
We are created to solve global problems. God forbid, I often say: you see around, I will now say about what is happening. And what if there is a war? Well, one can say: the President is the Commander-in-Chief, he will make that decision. But for that decision to come from the people, we must make that decision together. Will we surrender, or will we defend our country? Listen, we don't need a country. We don't need a country. Protect your children. Protect your family. Men, protect your beloved woman, after all. This is our country and our Motherland. This is what is needed from us today and tomorrow.
(Applause.)
Similar goals should be set by all public organizations and parties.
The time has come. Protecting interests in Belarus is the top priority. Foreign agents and extremists will no longer operate in our political field. This is also a matter of justice.
I say this on purpose. When the negotiations with the Americans began (maybe we can talk about this topic, I was sent questions, I will elaborate on this later), when we started this dialogue with the Americans, some... I even told Ivan Kubrakov: look at our guys, the OMON officers and others, who stood in the front lines and defended the country. They say: "Well, why, they are such-and-such, they need to be 'taken out' there, not released from prison." Well, guys... Well, okay, they will sit for another year or two. Some have their terms ending. Remember, after the next batch, everyone reproached me from there: "Ah, Luka deceived everyone, he released those who were supposed to be released in two months." Well, guys, you asked me - I released them. But they are right, there were only two months left.
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Don't ask. So don't worry. First of all, different lists and other things are being formed, yes, I have to make decisions. I told you about that jerk whose wife is sitting in Lithuania with the kids... And she asked to reunite the family. And our people didn't want something else: let him sit, that scoundrel, a murderer, wanted to kill your son there and so on. Well, guys, what can I say about what happened yesterday? This needs to be remembered, we shouldn't forget. Well, let's let it go, the wife is asking to reunite. We reunited. Well, you know what is happening. No need to tell you. If it weren't on such a forum, not in the public domain, I could tell you a lot. What we see and know. Now they shout: "He deceived again". Well, what did I deceive you about? You asked. You asked - take it. Now, they haven't managed to release these, they are creating a separate center in Germany, "lahushki-tihushki" are not needed. Guys, you asked to release them. But there is not enough money. And we need to divide what we have. And it went on. Now they are silent: nothing to say. I did what you asked. So, guys, don't blame me if I did something within my powers.
I firmly remember what we need to do today. And at the beginning, I told you: there will be an economy - there will be a sovereign and independent Belarus.
(Applause.)
Many were delighted: oh, the sanctions against "Belavia" have been lifted. Well, the Americans presented it to me like this: Mr. President, maybe we should lift the sanctions on "Belavia". I said: dear American gentlemen, do not lift them! If earlier two or three planes were standing at the airport, today all are flying and we do not have enough of them. We have agreed with Putin, we will buy Russian planes. Yes, the ones that have already been in service, good planes, and we will transport people. Today in Russia, in vast Russia, in China, in Asia, and elsewhere where we fly, there is a shortage of planes. What, did you make me some kind of gift? Well, you lifted them, good, we have a sufficient fleet of "Boeings", we will buy spare parts, thank you. The same goes for "Belkalij" now. Here, we will lift the sanctions on "Belkalij". From everything. I say: thank you, but this is not relevant for us. Not relevant. Last year, this year, Alexander Henrikhovich (Prime Minister Alexander Turchin. - Ed.), we will receive, sell more potash than in previous years, and we will even get more money.
That's it. So don't think that we were given, oh my, what services were provided here. I suggested to the Americans at the first meeting: guys, you are all business people. Think about it. We were building a private mine. The private owner left, scared of your sanctions. Think about it. Not a billion, but three. Three billion. Buy this new factory from us. You buy all the potash at world prices, take it to America, and as a bonus, we'll give you a couple of million tons of oil from the old mine. America is a premium market.
They think. Enter the capital of this enterprise, we invite you. Maybe then you won't fight against us and won't hatch plans. They think. That's why I look further than just lifting some sanctions. Yes, we will survive. Trump is not a fool. Don't look at how flamboyant he is, how he behaves in front of the media... He is that kind of person. He is not a fool. Personally, he is not a fool. He will lean somewhere, then retreat. I already know his politics, and the Americans have confirmed this. They know what they need. And they know what to expect from Venezuela; we have discussed this problem a lot, and from Russia and Ukraine. First of all, rare earth metals from Ukraine. They are pushing not business, they are pushing their economy. "Peace through strength", "America first" - these are their slogans. Therefore, I say directly: "Guys, I understand what you want. But you must understand: we are much less than you. I won't even talk about the economy. But we have our own interests. And as President, I must express these interests of the Belarusian people. This is the basis of our negotiations. So don't worry, don't be anxious. It's not the time for President Lukashenko to betray you. Or sell you out, as our extremists here, the fugitives, the "quiet ones", shout. "We come to power - we will privatize". They don't say that they will give away, sell off. "We will privatize everything". We will sell. We will turn it into private ownership. And who will buy this? A rhetorical question.
National unity, peace, security - these are the basic values that we become increasingly aware of every day. And this is the result, among other things, of the daily work of law enforcement agencies, structures, and every officer in uniform.
Objectively, there is no such thing as an easy service. There are no easy periods in terms of risk, threats to national security either. And we have never had them in our history. And today they are many times greater.
This is a frightening trend. The global community is being drawn into a global war. Whatever peaceful initiatives may be voiced, the situation is seriously escalating. Even Trump, whatever he may suggest, you see how they are dragging it out. They are suffocating it, suffocating it, dissolving it. They are afraid to confront directly. Although already in some places journalists and others are speaking, their propagandists, as they say, the loudspeaker, they are talking about it.
Listen, we are being accused of oppressing Jews? In Belarus, for example, half of the Government are Jews. Where are we oppressing anyone? Normal, smart people: Poles, Jews, Ukrainians, Russians, Belarusians. Go work. But you know, there is order here. If you ended up in the wrong place, don't go there. Remember, I criticized the Jews when we sent one of the Presidential aides there? They ran to me. Good for them, they defend their own. But we do not live in Israel. We live in Belarus. We have laws, and you will be held accountable for this.
(Applause.)
And no Jew, no Pole will throw a stone into my garden. It has never happened that we leaned on someone there and forced them to do something. These are our people, I know as a historian. Somewhere Vadim Higin is here... (deputy of the House of Representatives, general director of the National Library Vadim Higin. - Note.)
The Pale of Settlement, Vadim, did we have it? As a historian. Where can you go from this?..
Recently, I discovered that half of the women, girls in my immediate environment are Catholics and work. They are wonderful workers and employees. The same can be said about the governing bodies. This is the entire national idea. I am not talking about Russians, Ukrainians, and Belarusians. Here it is, the national idea in action. There is no need to oppress people. If you invited them to work or they somehow ended up here, they should be like our titular, so to speak, nation. And then there will be no outbreaks, there will be no conflicts. This is the kind of Belarus that will be. And even without me. We must take this into account.
(Applause.)
Today, we have an effectively functioning system in Belarus for law enforcement agencies to respond to any calls and threats. We created it during a difficult period, turning around the dangerous situation that developed in the 1990s. Back then, restoring order and ensuring people's protection from banditry became a matter of honor. I have told you how this was done. Today, every citizen knows that their life and property are under reliable protection.
We can develop business here without the roof of the mob. And the fact that we perceive all this as normal is a great achievement. I did not say that we do not have this. We have plenty of this good. But you know my, and not only my, the attitude of the relevant people, law enforcement, to this. The most comfortable conditions have been created in Belarus for investors. There is one requirement. And it is fundamental: pay a decent salary to those who work for you in Belarus, comply with the laws, and do not mix the economy with politics. Want to be President? Go ahead, it's the 30th year. But do not exploit our people, make money, take it to Lithuania, and then finance protest sentiments from there. This should not be. Everything must be honest. You cannot blame me for this. I didn't manage to go to the Middle East, and I read: hiding money. I think, why do you keep Belarusians as fools? Here we have Roman Golovchenko, the chief banker (R. A. Golovchenko - Chairman of the Board of the National Bank of Belarus Roman Golovchenko. - Note).
How, Roman, how can we hide money today? Well, how to explain this? What money? We are sitting in a narrow circle. Last year they wrote: 13 billion dollars. Roman, how much is our annual budget? The republican budget? Less. 13 was stolen. Today they wrote: 9. Well, that's it. As a joke, the youth says: somewhere the President spent 4 billion dollars in a year...
Why, I say, do they hold Belarusians for fools? How can such money be hidden? I simply respond to this: "Guys, well, you probably know where I hid it, where I transported it. So just take it. Do you need a written power of attorney? I will give it to you. Go, take it." You know, they twist and turn. As soon as we take some step, like last time when we were freed, now we are freed, they look for ways to divert the population from this problem, where they lost. And don't think. You won't win anywhere else. We have drawn conclusions from 2020. And we will bombard you, bombard you in the information sphere, as long as Eismont is alive (Chairman of the National State Television and Radio Company Ivan Eismont. - Ed.).
(Applause.)
About the Armed Forces.
Our Armed Forces have focused on domestic systems that we produce ourselves, and quite well.
A Belarusian rocket engineering school has been established in the country. The production of our own firearms and ammunition has been organized. Whatever drones there may be, a soldier with a machine gun, automatic rifle, pistol, and grenade launcher solves problems on the battlefield, especially in our conditions, where there are forests and swamps all around. This is the most important condition for victory. We have started to do this.
Then they made the PVO "Buk", which is now requested all over the world. Their own rocket, their own systems. A wonderful machine, enough for us in Belarus. We learned to produce drones, but always reassured the military. Don't rush, don't rush. This is not a steppe country where everything is laid out and they inflict damage on you with drones, kamikazes, or others. We live in the forest, and there will be war, like it or not, mostly partisan. We will not walk around the squares with a machine gun or some kind of rifle to destroy this drone.
But we do not forget about rockets. Drones, counter-battery electronic warfare, operational camouflage - these are the things that need to be prioritized. People in uniform know this well.
They have to thoroughly study the experience of modern military conflicts, primarily in the special military operation. We have included a new type of special forces in the Armed Forces - unmanned aviation. Let it be. Drones are a new reality.
But no drones can replace a trained soldier. We must not forget: physical training and fire training.
Once again, those Wagnerites whom I brought to Belarus turned to reality. And they said: what about physically? Well, it's elementary. What kind of soldier is he if he physically can't carry a weapon on his shoulder and can't walk, run, let alone fight? It turns out that physical training is at the core of everything. It was the same in my time. Fire training.
If you have a gun, you must be able to shoot it. And not just shoot, but hit. And then we moved further away from life, reaching the point that we need to create a people's militia so that everyone can protect their family.
Well, as they said in the Patriotic War: "I will kill at least one fascist." But you have to know how to do it, you need to train. And when I was offered only professional troops, to remove this conscription, like we have, I said: "No, under no circumstances!" Every young person who has been in the army is a different person, and he will learn something. He will be able to protect his family. And look at what is happening today. Germany, great Germany wants to return to conscription, like we have. Right? Right. And everyone in NATO, the Americans are thinking about it. That's what it means to make a foolish decision, and it's very difficult to go back. Don't think that today everyone here really wants to serve.
Recently, the Minister of Defense said - there aren't enough people, some benefits should have been canceled. And we only tried to talk about it, and a "stir" rose across the country. So, to run far and then come back - it's quite difficult. It's like raising salaries - you can't lower them later, even if your economic indicators are worse. I know this from my work as a company manager. Therefore, everything should be done calmly, thoughtfully, step by step, moving forward. The main thing is not to stop.
Strategic defense is ensured by our military cooperation, primarily with the Russian Federation. Therefore, Belarus and Russia are implementing a set of strategic deterrence measures.
This is the deployment of the Russian component of the Regional Grouping of Troops on our territory. In case of escalation of the conflict, armed forces are outlined: several tens of thousands of people in western Russia, who are immediately included in the military struggle as a second echelon. Belarus goes first. We need to react. Then we are supported by the Russian Federation. This is the Regional Grouping of Troops and the tactical nuclear weapons that we have returned to Belarus.
In addition, the first positions are equipped for the "Oreshnik" missile system. It has been with us since yesterday and is taking up combat duty.
At the same time, I want to warn you. You know, many have started shouting: "Oh, Belarus has been put in the crosshairs, oh, nuclear weapons. It will primarily be attacked by foreigners. Or 'Oreshnik'. Russia demonstrated terrible weapons at one of the largest factories. 'What a disaster, brought it here.' Do not succumb to these conversations.
I'll draw a parallel. Do you remember when they started building the nuclear power plant? "What are you talking about? In the Chernobyl republic? Why do we need this nuclear power plant? No, we don't need it." Lithuania wants to build its own nuclear power plant. Poland wants to build two. Germany and France have completely decommissioned their nuclear power plants and acknowledged that this is clean electric energy. And Trump mocks all of Europe: "Idiots, fools. What are you doing? What green economy?" Well, it has gone further.
So do not succumb to these talks that there will be nuclear weapons, that strikes will be made on these facilities. And what if they fight against us? Are they going to pat us on the head? They will strike against us. And they will strike, as it is fashionable to say, at the centers of decision-making. At us with you. This is the main thing. Therefore, we are doing everything to prevent war. We are already fed up with this war. Another generation, as I said, has not died that fought. We do not need this war. Our happiness is in peaceful life. We do not want to sit in swamps and dugouts anymore.
(Applause.)
And to prevent this from happening, we must be strong. The world today is like this, it has always been like this. The strong have always been respected everywhere. Therefore, we must be strong.
We are negotiating with the Americans. I must say directly: never, except for the first meeting, did they raise the issue of Russia. I told them directly: Russia is sacred. These are our own people. It's all just talk, talk. I asked them: guys, will you replace Russia with Belarus tomorrow? No. So what are we talking about? Therefore, we have one support and hope for the preservation of our sovereignty, independence. This is a close, dear people to us - the Russians, who help us in everything.
(Applause.)
And remember: this is my policy. From the first to the last day of my presidency today. No matter how much I am sometimes criticized in Russia, for this and that, out of jealousy. I have always proceeded from the fact that we must be together.
Putin, Lukashenko, people come and go, but countries and nations remain forever. You know my policy and position. As long as I am President, we will not deviate from this policy. Our closest friends are them.
Thank you, Xi Jinping. It started with personal relationships to modern ones in the economy. They help us a lot. And if it weren't for these two countries, it would be very difficult for us, and we would always remember that we are under sanctions. They have helped us greatly. We must understand this. And today, enlightened Europe, this "paradise garden", has natural gas at 400 - 500 (more in winter) dollars, while we have 100 - 120 dollars. And this is the economy. These are our MAZs, BELAZs, this is "Kamvol" and other enterprises, leather, linen.
I emphasize once again: cherish this friendship. God forbid, we lean somewhere and fall for these foreign promises. This will mark the beginning of the demise of our state. Sanctions are not because of dictatorship, not because Lukashenko is like that. As if there are lesser dictators in the east than Lukashenko. But you know, there are plenty of them there. There are enough to fill a pond. But they are friends. The rich. They invest money in Americans. I recently confirmed these investments. They are building everything: from resorts to military facilities. And it doesn't matter that they have dictatorship, monarchy, and so on. That's not the point. Right now, there is a fierce struggle, fierce competition. Everyone understands that the economy comes first. And in this competition, a ruthless strangulation of their competitors has begun. If not with weapons. Well, how to fight against Belarusians or against Russians? It's like fighting against the main nuclear center of the world - Russia. No. They started to strangle with sanctions. And what about the small stuff? A tanker exploded with oil. Something else happened, they struck. Well, you know, it's like a mosquito biting an elephant. Yes, it's unpleasant. Yes, it's damaging. But we will survive.
But before you blow up the tanker with Russian oil, think about what will happen next. Therefore, the situation is difficult today. But we must endure. We have already learned a little over the 5 years since sanctions were imposed against us. I reminded you about this plane. Remember when they said: "They caught Roman Protasevich, arrested him, landed the plane to arrest him." I did everything I could to explain to them: "Guys, the plane was flying to Vilnius, it was over Vilnius. Land it in Vilnius." There was a threat of explosion. Why did you turn around from Vilnius, flew in from the south, and started landing this plane in Belarus? The military reports: "He is our man, he is sitting there."
It is now known that he is our man. But sanctions have been imposed against us. And I am being reported. I say: "Lord, what should we do? We don't need him to land in Minsk. We need him in Vilnius." I tell the military: "Raise all instructions and act according to the instructions."
Khrenin says: "We need to lift the fighter, escort it, what if something happens?" I say: "Lift it. Do we need two? Lift two, three, five, but everything must be according to the instructions." We escorted, at the tail, these are objective control materials. We landed in Minsk, did everything. And then I tell Tertely: "Arrest him as an enemy of the people."
Here is the operation, what was the point. Sanctions were imposed. Well, you should apologize now and lift them. Not because there is our person on the plane, whom we had to arrest, but because you were wrong. We did everything according to the instructions. But what was your intention? We still do not know.
It's like negotiations with the Americans: "Well, you lost, - this is the last time I tell John, - well, you lost. But admit that you lost. And we will continue to build relationships. I'm not a fool, I understand that you will constantly try to suffocate us." But we need to resist. We need to win in this struggle. Because we need to go out and cry out according to the Belarusian-Jewish scenario. Well, people are like that. We keep complaining, complaining. As the Jews told me in Israel when I went for the first time: "You know what our problem was? That when we were struck on the right cheek, we offered the left." Peacemakers. They are led to a lake, to a river, and they will perish - they go calmly, without resisting. Religion. The religion is that if you are hit, you must respond. And best of all, to avoid a fight. And we do everything for that, and our Armed Forces. Just think, Brussels allocated 44 billion dollars to Poland. The United States added 11 billion. 15 billion to the Baltic states. Listen, if you sell all the countries, there won't be 15 billion. They allocated. The military knows. And they are orienting me on this. Is this what defensive budgets are? They are purchasing a huge amount of weapons. And our fugitives scream that he brought nuclear weapons. Where are we going to get 50 billion dollars to arm ourselves like the Poles and the West? We don't have that kind of money. And we can't have it. Neither China nor even Russia can provide us with such support. So, we need to have a gun that can bang, and they should know that we will bang. So that they don't come here. That's the point.
(Applause.)
In short, regarding the situation that shapes this agenda today, it should be said this way: there is no peace, but there is a struggle for the peace prize.
(Applause.)
I conveyed to Trump and Melania, I tell both of them, I wrote to them and conveyed to the Americans: "Tell Trump, I say, let him not worry that he was not given this award. Next year they will give it." This is first. And second, if I were offered this award, I would go crazy. This is in that cabal that today gives the peace prize. You have to be in the same company with them…
What is the peace prize? It's a disgrace today. Where, where is Trump, I say, going? Why does he need this? He is a completely different person. No. They gave it to this woman from Venezuela. I inquired. This woman called on the smart collective West to strike Venezuela. A war against one's own people is today valued with a peace prize. What is this? I tell Trump: "Is this your place in this lineup?" It cannot be and should not be. Therefore, the main thing is war, war in the economy, trade wars. They achieved nothing with this global economy, they are already stepping back from it. Today, they want separate national economies. And just look at what will happen to the European Union.
We have our own path. It is without illusions. We have lived under political and economic pressure throughout our sovereign history. This is the price of independence.
As the USSR ceased to exist, we are enduring this blow, but we are working and finding our way out of this situation. We are focusing on external markets. Both China and India, Russia, countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. This is the global majority. And we are part of this global majority.
(Applause.)
The economic balance is completely shifting in favor of the Global East and South, and we are included in this system. The future belongs to countries and unions like BRICS, SCO, where we are awaited and gladly welcomed.
The Russian Federation is our main ally.
I am shortening here, I will not characterize all this, I said something, we will publish this especially for you…
(Here, in particular, is what was discussed further in the Address. - Note by BELTA)
We have increased the share of distant countries in our exports from 11 percent in 2021 to 20 percent in 2024. For us, these are intermediate figures. The goal is that one-third of Belarusian exports should find buyers in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
However, relations with Russia and China remain an unconditional priority. There can be no compromises here.
The Russian Federation is the main ally and partner of Belarus. Two-thirds of our exports are supplied to its market. And we buy about the same amount. Mutual supplies of goods and services will amount to a significant figure of 60 billion dollars by 2025. These volumes need to be increased, but already at the expense of production cooperation and joint productions.
Our task is to bring similar enterprises to full capacity and maximize the use of materials and components from the union market. A corresponding legal framework has been developed.
We have agreed on the criteria for classifying industrial products as goods of the Union State, with which we are obliged to protect our common market.
A new level of cooperation in the transport and logistics sector has been reached. We are actively developing the transshipment of Belarusian cargo through Russian ports. This year, its volume will reach 16 million tons. This means a complete restoration of the pre-sanction level.
There should be no administrative barriers or bureaucratic misunderstandings between our countries.
I believe that the Government and Parliament should pay special attention to systematic work with Russians on the formation of common sectoral markets, including the high-tech sector. We are not foreigners to Russia. We need to move away from empty accounting of who owes whom and how much. This is a relic of the old times.
All our exports to Russia are a drop in the ocean! We do not create any significant competition for any product. And our union should not be held back by ordinary clerks and bureaucrats.
China is the second largest trading partner after Russia and one of the leaders in direct investments in our economy. Over the past decade, our exports to China have increased almost threefold. The total trade volume already exceeds trade with the entire European Union by more than two times.
Serious projects are planned in new promising areas - from forest chemistry to unmanned transport.
The brightest example of industrial cooperation between our countries is the Belarusian people's car "BELGI", for which large-scale localization efforts have begun.
Today, the number one task for our exporters is the countries of the far arc.
As an example, a good growth rate of supplies to India has been achieved (from January to October 2025 - by 2.8 times to 493 million dollars). Today, it is the fifth largest economy in the world and has the largest population.
There is a significant potential for the development of trade and industrial cooperation with Iran, Pakistan, Algeria, Oman, and the Emirates - countries whose leadership speaks to us in a language we understand.
Confirmation of this is a whole series of the most important agreements at the highest level. There is demand for our food products, industrial goods, developments in information technology, security, and medicine.
The workload is enormous. And action is needed not only from the ministries. The role of ambassadors should be strengthened - key figures for gathering primary information and seeking options to promote our interests.
But the first priority should be the enterprises themselves: Belarusian businesses should more actively engage in building logistics chains and dealer networks in the Global South and East.
And the work of our parliamentarians in the field of integration associations, besides the political effect, should bring real economic results.
We are always open to dialogue and interaction at any level. We will find a common language with everyone. Belarusians have rich experience. But it must be a conversation on equal terms!
In our history, we Belarusians have built statehood together with different nations. First within the family of Eastern Slavs, later - with the peoples of the vast Soviet Union.
Everyone who has ever come to us from the former Soviet republics on an official visit, for a business trip, to relatives, or for vacation knows: here we are greeted like family. Our connections are more than friendship.
Almost a century of shared history cannot be erased from collective memory. Many Belarusians have found a second homeland in different corners of what was once a united country. Many have come to us. Here and there, truly international families live.
Yes, we, the heirs of the Soviet Union, are going through tough times. The West has thrown us an intra-Slavic conflict that has erupted into war in Ukraine.
I will not delve into the political backstage, but I will repeat what I said earlier: we are open to Ukrainians. You are not strangers!
Belarusians today are a large family: more than 150 ethnic groups and nationalities.
In just the last 5 years, more than 17 thousand people have obtained Belarusian citizenship. Geography - more than 60 countries, from the USA and Canada to Sri Lanka and Madagascar.
Now these are our people, Belarusians by passport. And by mentality.
The right to free development of the cultures of all national communities residing in the Republic of Belarus is enshrined in our Constitution. Every 2 years, we hold the Republican Festival of National Cultures in Grodno.
A good example of consensus in society has been the decision-making regarding the establishment of centers for our major religions.
I am convinced that over time all these objects will become a symbol of the national unity of the Belarusian people - open and peace-loving.
(Further on the President's speech. - Note. BELTA)
The questions of our union building are question number one. We will do everything to ensure that our union is strong. We will leave with Putin, young people will come, but they must have a foundation on which they will build this union. I believe that the Government and Parliament should pay special attention to this work, systematic, with the Russians, on the formation of common sectoral markets. We are not foreigners to Russia, just as they are not foreigners and not strangers to us. The Belarusian presidency in the EAEU has given us the opportunity to focus attention on the organization's agenda and to positively shake up this organization. Last year, the EAEU turned ten years old. Today we see a twofold turnover of trade among the member states of the union, an increase in GDP of almost 18 percent, and industrial production by 30 percent. That's all the sanctions.
Next year we will celebrate 35 years since the establishment of the CIS. And this is a good platform to outline prospects, to orient ourselves and look to the future. The People's Republic of China is the second trading partner after Russia. And today it is the absolute leader in the world. Meeting with Americans, in an interview, if you watched, I told the Americans long ago: "You are exactly 25 years late, and you cannot stop China today, you are unable to. With China, you can only negotiate." The Chinese are calm, not in a hurry, but they are moving towards their goal. This is an ancient civilization. It should be treated accordingly. No rockets, no military strikes will stop drugs or human trafficking. The same goes for the economy.
The world has become different. The world cannot be changed today. We need to adapt to this world.
And to us, dear friends, first of all. Yes, I am talking about some breakthrough directions, but I always keep in mind - to adapt. To survive this time. In Belarusian, "calmly", peacefully. We have more smart people than we need. We just need to shake ourselves up. We need to understand that no one will solve our problems for us.
A whole series of the most important agreements have been reached at the highest level. In many countries. There is an amazing demand for our products there. Both the Government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs must truly engage, especially our diplomatic missions abroad. We need to work.
But this conversation should not be about: "you are older, I am younger". This is a conversation among equals. There are no small and large nations, weak and strong ones. Every nation is a nation. For me, the Belarusian people are the strongest, most courageous people, because I am their President. And for me, the main thing is to defend these interests.
We have done a lot in the field of culture. I will not characterize this. Sometimes we may have an excess in the restoration of castles. Somewhere, perhaps, we need to act at a slower pace. They need to be revived. We cannot escape it, this is our history. Maybe we do not need so many of these "Slavic Bazaars", "Kupalle" in Alexandria, and so on, but they are already here. They have become familiar. Let's stop at this and make them of higher quality. This will be a question of questions for us.
In sports - we are still tumbling. My slogan is: beat the Russians. Well, no one is stopping you. Look, our biathletes are running as they should, shooting - winning. The Dynamo hockey players - sometimes they win, sometimes they lose, but it seems okay. And the others, besides the trampolinists? Well, we will sort it out with Kovalchuk (Minister of Sports Sergey Kovalchuk. - Ed.).
Dear compatriots, we do not know what the world will be like tomorrow. What Belarus will be like depends only on us.
(Applause.)
So let's at each of our workplaces, at each, at each place - what I ask is elementary - let's do our job. Let's do everything. If someone has retired but can still do something, come and say: "I can." We will gladly accept your help. Everyone today should think about how our country develops. But if, I repeat once again, we can't do much, let's add a little each year. The time is such now - not for global, tectonic shifts. The time is such that sometimes we just need to adapt and survive. Somewhere to wait it out, but to see our interest. I apologize for this banality, for this folk frankness. Let's do everything so that there is a place for our children to live. I remember that the resolution of strategic issues remains with the President. Well, you write there in your "TikToks" that I should mow your territory, chop wood. Thank God, I can do that - I will come and do it. But this is for two or three of these estates. But you remember that this is your task. My task is to resolve strategic issues. I have plenty of these issues. And negotiations on the external track, and not only control over law enforcement agencies - try to control this Khrenin (Minister of Defense Viktor Khrenin. - Ed.) with Kubrakov (Minister of Internal Affairs Ivan Kubrakov. - Ed.) - no, I mean it in a good way. I am already glad that the people have stopped criticizing and hammering you there, as it was once. This means they felt that the "bad" police are ours. The "bad" military are ours. And they are just like all of us. These are our children. So if you throw a stone into the garden of our police, remember that this is a reflection of our society. And that there are different people there: there are patriots, there are heroes. We did not disclose the detention of the scoundrel three days ago - well, how we called him, the bachebeshnik - eliminated. But he wounded three of our guys. All alive, Ivan? (The President asked the Minister of Internal Affairs Ivan Kubrakov. - Ed.). All alive. One is seriously wounded, two are lighter. But they defended us. Here it is, our youth. So, understand that if something is wrong somewhere - it is us with you. And there are 1200 of us for our compact country. We can solve any issue. We can make any revolution, not only in the minds of our people. Let's make these revolutions for the benefit of our society.
Time has chosen us. And this is the time for concrete actions.
Maybe I haven't convinced everyone that we absolutely need to do this. Perhaps I didn't find the right words. But as the youth say - here's what will resonate with you, I want to say in conclusion. I know what you should absolutely agree with and accept in your heart. We, our generation, cannot pass unresolved problems and issues onto the shoulders of our children. We have no right to do so.
(Applause.)
We do not have the right to this. I am convinced - not only I, who wrote these lines, but you as well - because we care about what will happen after us. What will happen to those who come after us, to our children. And you also care.
Time, the challenges are very tough. So let's do everything we need to do.
And they will come after us: if they want to use our experience, they will use it. No - they will build the country for themselves.
Thank you.
(Thunderous applause.)
