A Big Conversation with the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko. Key moments of the speech
More than two hundred people took part in the "Big Conversation with the President", including journalists, political scientists, economists, workers of the real sector of the economy, representatives of public associations and confessions.
The "Big Conversation with the President" began with a topic concerning the media. "I would very much like both the media, which position themselves as independent, and experts, who assess events and create a certain background for their perception, to feel the line of what is permissible. The line beyond which the balance in society is disturbed. To understand the responsibility for every word spoken. Because peace and order in the country are not worth professional ambitions," the head of state emphasized.
At the same time, Alexander Lukashenko expressed the opinion that, for the most part, today's reader and viewer is an educated person, capable of analysis. He has long learned to understand the intricacies of journalistic manipulation, to quickly read whose or what interests are behind a program announcement or a news headline.
The President called for objectivity in assessing information.
"Our people are used to taking a hit, we know for sure that strength lies in justice and truth. Therefore, meeting with you is an opportunity to convey it to the people. Experts occupy a special niche in the mass media. You are opinion leaders," he said. "Both journalists and their target audience look at many facts and events, figuratively speaking, through your eyes."
Alexander Lukashenko expressed the opinion that the participation of authoritative specialists in the "Big Conversation" will be useful and productive today as well.
"We have worked with you many times in a round table format. You know that in our communication there is no such concept as an inconvenient or inappropriate question. And I urge you, as before, to an open dialogue," the head of state emphasized.
Continuing the media topic, the President noted that despite the powerful development of the media space, there is a deficit of content that would enjoy absolute audience trust.
In his opinion, one of the reasons is fake news, which spreads instantly and captures the audience, exciting people, although later some, and perhaps many, are refuted.
"But the degree of tension in society does not decrease. And you know that where it comes to high politics, the danger from such information leaks increases many times over. The role of a restraining factor or a counterbalancing force here is assigned to authoritative publications and journalists who observe the laws of professional ethics and moral norms. They respect their audience, giving them the opportunity to draw their own conclusions from the news material. There are fewer and fewer of them, it's true, but we have them."
On the concept of information security
It will be revised at one of the Security Council meetings, the President reported. The head of state noted that an information war is underway in the world.
"God grant that it does not escalate into a hot one, that it is not a harbinger of dangerous clashes," said Alexander Lukashenko.
He stressed that Belarus must be able to resist this war using various methods.
"We will improve the concept of information security. We see the problem and are already solving it today. We will revise and tighten the concept, so that you understand the direction in which the authorities will act, especially on the eve of presidential and parliamentary elections," said Alexander Lukashenko.
According to the President, to counter information attacks from the West or the East, it is necessary, first of all, to unite within the country. The opposition must be constructive.
"Russia does not want to lose Belarus, to stage a coup here, to worsen the situation, the atmosphere. I am convinced of this," stated Alexander Lukashenko.
"There should be no one-sidedness. Perhaps there is a problem from the East, but it is even greater from the West. Russians are not deploying missiles west of Moscow to target Belarus. Why should Poland, other countries (I won't name them) do this? Let's be objective in this regard," the Belarusian leader urged.
In general, the head of state noted, ordinary Russians have a good attitude towards Belarusians, with soul.
"Why should we throw stones at them? It is clear that somewhere they want to put economic pressure on us, perhaps they are really concerned about the tax maneuver. God be with you, we will survive," the President said. "In November, we will complete the modernization of our plants and buy oil on the market. The processing depth will be 92-95%, like in European plants. So who will benefit from this? We will simply bring foreign oil to the Russian market."
Information security in Belarus should not be built at the expense of others or by attacking others, Alexander Lukashenko is convinced.
Belarus-Russia
Touching upon the issue of further development of relations between the two states, Alexander Lukashenko stated that Belarus and Russia need to be together.
"I was, as they call me in Russia, the main initiator of our union. I have always said in Russia and here that it is our destiny to live together. Looking back, I look forward to those who surround us, what policy they pursue. It is the same, both towards Russia and towards Belarus. Only the forms are different. Therefore, we need to be together," said the head of state, emphasizing that Belarus and Russia are not only two brotherly countries, they are economically linked.
At the same time, Russia and its leader Vladimir Putin have no intentions of absorbing Belarus. "I have never heard any ambitions from, at least, the President of Russia, that Belarus should be incorporated or included in Russia, not even such a mood existed," said Alexander Lukashenko. The President emphasized that during the time that has passed since the collapse of the Soviet Union, a generation has grown up accustomed to living in an independent state.
"If today the issue of uniting the two states were put to a referendum in Belarus, and, as many in Russia say, about incorporating Belarus into Russia, 90% would vote against it," said Alexander Lukashenko. "Not because our society is настроено against Russia. A new generation has grown up, and the old one has also understood that we can live and cooperate in a completely different form, as relatives, as close ones. And Belarusians today want to be with Russia, but live in their own apartment. What is wrong with that?"
However, the Russian side, unfortunately, is not always ready to follow the principle of equality in building allied relations, the President added. Therefore, Alexander Lukashenko considers it necessary, first of all, to establish more effective cooperation between the two countries within the framework of the Union State.
The Russian government must stop lobbying for the oligarchic clans that are blocking the supply of Belarusian products, the President emphasized. The Head of State noted that Belarus supplies its best food products to Russia. However, there is great pressure from certain groups in the Russian Federation, and supplies are blocked.
"The Russian government must stop lobbying for these clans, these groups, as they are called oligarchic, where big business has merged with power and pushes its own interests, blocking our relations in the union. Yet, all documents provide that we have a common market and we must trade freely," Alexander Lukashenko stressed.
"I often tell the Russian government: if you reach the level of purity of agricultural products, food products, as in Belarus, then you will be happy people. It should be noted that you admit that we have come a long way in this regard. Then why, under the pretext that it is dirty, do you block these supplies?" the President asked. "And it's because there is great pressure from certain groups."
As an example, the head of state cited the fact that the former Minister of Agriculture of Russia, Alexander Tkachev, is one of the largest agricultural barons of the Russian Federation. "I have good, friendly relations with him, almost friendly, but I say, this fact is known to everyone. And do you think he will let our sugar, the best in quality, into Russia, if over the last year he bought 7 or 10 more plants and produced this sugar?" – added Alexander Lukashenko.
According to him, people know that Belarusian sugar is good, high-quality, the enterprises are modernized and certified, including for supplies to Russia.
"But he understands (Alexander Tkachev. – Ed. BELTA) that this is a very strong competitor for his association of sugar factories," the head of state noted. Alexander Lukashenko stated with regret that such a situation exists for some enterprises even now.
Currently, 11 dairy enterprises and 7 state-owned meat processing plants are completely closed for supply to the Russian market, and 13 dairy enterprises are partially closed.
Meanwhile, the President emphasized that Belarus has never been a freeloader of Russia and will not be.
"Stop accusing us of freeloading. When people hear this, especially me, a proud person, I don't want any unions," said Alexander Lukashenko.
According to the President, Russia issued Belarus a loan for the construction of a nuclear power plant at 4.8%, while Vietnam received a loan at less than 3%, and Armenia also at less than 3%. "Why? – the head of state asked. – Recently, we repaid Gref (Chairman of the Board of Sberbank of Russia. – Ed. BELTA) a loan issued under the guarantee of Belaruskali at 9% for about $600 million. We tried to negotiate: time has passed, interest rates have fallen. Let's agree on the terms under which our Western 'enemies' issue us loans – at 2%, or the PRC – also at 2%. We were refused, then I instructed the government to immediately find funds, up to the gold and foreign exchange reserves, and return this money to the bank."
On Employment and Large Cities
A lot has been done in Belarus to enable people to earn for themselves and their families, said Alexander Lukashenko, responding to a question. "We have done a lot to enable people to get moving, to earn for themselves and their families," said Alexander Lukashenko. "We have created all the conditions, from small businesses to IT." In particular, unprecedented conditions have been created in the field of entrepreneurship and the creation of new enterprises, especially in rural areas. "It is difficult to find a country that would provide so many freedoms for entrepreneurship," the President noted. "You register within a day and start working. There have been no complaints about bureaucracy yet."
At the same time, according to the head of state, Belarusians should have an entrepreneurial spirit. In this regard, Alexander Lukashenko touched upon the development of Orsha and the Orsha district.
"Today, we are concerned not so much about Minsk and regional centers in terms of employment, job placement, or even population income... But rather about these cities, large ones, with about 100,000 people, where problems have accumulated. This is a huge number of people, and they need help. Therefore, it was decided to create such a project using Orsha as an example – a typical medium-sized city," the President said. "We have developed a unified model, and we are currently implementing it in Orsha. Work has begun in Borisov. Baranovichi, Molodechno, and so on, have certain problems, perhaps not as significant, but they exist. We want to test the path that such cities will follow." The head of state also commented on the reduction of housing construction in Minsk and the development of satellite cities.
"This year and next year, we will pay more attention to this," he said, adding that such decisions are not made or implemented all at once within a single year.
"Many have already paid for an apartment, many know where that apartment will be built, the foundation of the house has already been laid. Therefore, it is necessary to take time to leave Minsk with the builders and not make it a rubber city, but to develop satellite cities," Alexander Lukashenko noted.
On Elections
A decision on the dates of the parliamentary and presidential elections will be made in March-April, Alexander Lukashenko reported. "I swear to you: even if the situation is the most difficult, I will never manipulate public opinion to pick a moment and push myself into power," the head of state emphasized. At the same time, he noted that the election campaigns will be held within the next two years.
According to the President, these important political events will be an exam not only for him.
"We will all take the exam and report to the people," Alexander Lukashenko said.
As the head of state noted, he has reason to be confident that the authorities will withstand this exam with dignity. "The main thing is for us to conduct these campaigns in a businesslike manner. Let's conduct them with dignity," the President urged. "I promise that everything will be fair and competitive. But if I see that some politician bets on the destruction of the country and the existing stability, I will respond."
On the Annual Address
"The Big Conversation" will form the basis for the preparation of the President's annual Address to the people and parliament, Alexander Lukashenko stated.
"Everything that will be said in this hall today will form the basis for preparing an important event for the country - the annual Address of the President to the people and the parliament. We need to give an objective assessment of the most discussed topics that particularly concern people and society. This means they require clarification and open discussion," Alexander Lukashenko noted. "Therefore, we are meeting live to speak honestly and frankly, so that there will be fewer complaints from individual participants later, that something was allegedly cut or removed. And on certain issues, we need to fill the gap in reliable information, the flow of which daily overwhelms each of us." Along with this, the President stated that "if our community, experts, journalists, simply advanced, distinguished people need such a conversation, I am always ready for such a conversation." "Of course, without exaggeration, because I can turn into some kind of lecturer. Although I must say that this is sometimes useful for our people to know and understand the policy that the government, in plain language, is pursuing," the head of state remarked.
On questions from the people
On the eve of the "Big Conversation with the President," BelTA invited readers to ask the President a question. In 1.5 days of the "Your Question to the President" campaign, a total of over 2,000 questions were received. In general, the range of topics is wide – from issues of social security, job creation, housing acquisition, and measures to increase the welfare of the population to foreign policy, integration issues, border security, and anti-corruption measures. In particular, personal requests to the head of state for help in resolving certain problems are expressed. The head of state assured that all received questions will be analyzed and summarized. Where necessary, a decision will be made before the annual Address of the President to the people and the parliament.
"If we don't adopt it, I'll say directly when it will be done," he said. People from different regions of Belarus, large and small settlements, sent in questions. Most often, they are not just general questions, but point to specific life situations or problems, and shortcomings at the local level.
According to BelTA.