President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko visited the urban settlement of Bolbasovo in the Orsha district

President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko draws attention to the role of citizens in maintaining order and developing settlements. He stated this on November 4, while visiting the urban-type settlement of Bolbasovo in the Orsha district.

The Head of State familiarized himself with the improvement and social development of Bolbasovo. Communicating with local residents, he said that in Belarus, order has been gradually established in the country, starting from the capital and ending with agro-towns. However, small settlements like Bolbasovo were somewhat left aside. "We have established cleanliness and order, but you will have to maintain it yourselves," the President noted.

Alexander Lukashenko drew attention to the need for further greening of the settlement, development of park areas, and in general, the creation of the most comfortable living conditions for people. Settlements like Bolbasovo or Kopys are a model for how similar settlements throughout the country will be put in order in the coming years.

The President urged citizens themselves to participate in this process to the best of their abilities and capabilities. "We need to get moving. Do not rely solely on the state. It will play its role," said Alexander Lukashenko. "Where the state must act, where you cannot, you should demand it from the state."

He also emphasized that he is not a supporter of an exclusively market-based approach and that the state will continue to play the necessary role in the development of territories – their improvement, and the creation of new jobs. "This beauty will be in demand by people only when they have a place to work. Therefore, we also need to create jobs," the President noted. To stimulate economic development, construction is currently underway near Bolbasovo, and the airport is being restored, near which a large industrial and logistics center will be located. "There is excellent logistics here – an international highway, a railway hub, and there will be an air harbor," added Alexander Lukashenko.

He called for a business-like approach to the use of vacant buildings and premises, as some of them can be repurposed instead of demolished, including for business development and the creation of organizations to serve the population.

"This settlement is a symbol of our inseparable friendship with the Russians for me. Many worked here (during the USSR era. - Ed.). Most of the Russian people. Belarusians, Russians, Ukrainians... Different nations lived and once operated this airfield. It was one of the strategic military airfields. And let this restored settlement be a symbol of our unbreakable friendship of the Slavic peoples, primarily Russians and Belarusians. It's like a monument," the President said.

"We will gradually help you where the state should lend a shoulder. And they say that the state is us (the people. - Ed.). So let's strengthen this state," Alexander Lukashenko urged. "Everything is up to you now. And to arrange our lives. No one from the outside will come and help. On the contrary, they will be envious and try to slow us down somewhere."

During his conversation with the residents of the urban settlement of Bolbasovo, the Head of State also touched upon the demographic issue, expressing a wish for families to have at least three children: "We really need people. For Belarus to exist. Belarus, sovereign and independent, is primarily people."

Alexander Lukashenko walked along the central street of the urban settlement, familiarizing himself with the improvement of the locality. Among other things, the road surface has been replaced and repaired, social facilities, house facades, and courtyards have been renovated, modern children's and sports grounds have been equipped, the issue of providing the population with quality drinking water has been resolved through the construction of an iron removal station, and attention has been paid to landscaping the territory.

Along the Head of State's route, local residents gathered, many of whom not only thanked for the positive changes that had occurred but also expressed wishes for the further development of the settlement. One of these directions concerns trade services. The President personally assessed the assortment in two grocery stores, one state-owned and the other private. It was noted that both are generally in demand among buyers, and prices for certain goods may differ, but on average, they are at approximately the same level.

During his visit to the private grocery store, the President emphasized that when pursuing a more flexible pricing policy, it is necessary to equalize the working conditions of state-owned and private trading organizations. "Therefore, create conditions so that they can work on equal terms - private stores and state-owned ones. The main thing for people is that the product is high-quality and inexpensive," the Belarusian leader remarked.

Alexander Lukashenko urged caution in approaching the issue of building large chain stores in this area so as not to destroy small, walkable stores. "I would not recommend you build chain stores here, because they will kill the small ones. We have 11 such stores, you can say, within walking distance. They compete with each other. And if we let a chain store in here now, it has the opportunity to halve prices, and it will destroy these (small stores - Ed.), and then it will raise prices. However, such tricks are unacceptable here. I warned them all. Be very careful with this. I don't want to recommend whether to ban it or not, but such small shops should not be destroyed," the Head of State believes.

In the process of communicating with local residents, the issue of improving services in the trade of industrial goods was also raised. The Head of State ordered that options be considered and this issue be resolved within a year.

The President inquired in detail about the use of certain facilities in the urban settlement, giving necessary instructions or advice along the way.

Alexander Lukashenko visited the renovated House of Culture in Bolbasovo and familiarized himself with the work of this institution, which offers opportunities not only in aesthetic areas such as dancing and singing but also for fitness activities, with a gym equipped. The Head of State communicated with the visitors of the House of Culture, among whom were many very young residents of the settlement, and listened with pleasure to songs performed by local ensembles. Both children and adults received sweet gifts from the Belarusian leader – specially prepared "President" chocolate bars were set aside for them.

During his conversation with the residents of Bolbasovo, Alexander Lukashenko also noted the historical significance of the October Revolution Day holiday, which is celebrated annually in the country.

"We have kept this holiday of the October Revolution as a day off. Of course, this is a slightly different approach. Many see this distant revolution from a distance – more than a hundred years have passed. But this is our history. You cannot cross it out, you cannot rewrite it. Those who tried to throw a stone at the past by rewriting it, received that stone in the present. We have kept this holiday. But, naturally, time moves on, and it (the holiday. – Ed.) needed to be filled with some other meaning," said the Head of State.

"On this day, it was customary to present gifts to the people in various spheres. We have kept this good tradition," emphasized the Belarusian leader.

According to the President, the agricultural year has been above average, there are certain gifts in industry and in the social sphere. Among them is a landmark construction project in the Zhytkavichy district, where a restored bridge over the Pripyat River will be opened soon. In turn, in the urban-type settlement of Bolbasovo and the Orsha district as a whole, one of the social construction projects was launched, during which the main attention was paid to landscaping and tidying up. Simultaneously, measures are being implemented for the economic development of these territories and the creation of new jobs. "We have done some things, and quite a lot. Everything else is up to you, and you will be held strictly accountable for it," said the Head of State. "Many of your children will live here. The social sphere – culture, sports, schools. But the most important thing is jobs."

During his conversation with local residents, the President noted the exceptionally peaceful policy of the Belarusian state and people.

"We are peaceful people, we do not want war. We are not rich, but we do not ask anyone for anything. We will earn our own happiness. If we put in the effort, we will do everything ourselves. I have already said that dozens and hundreds of years of negotiations are better than one day of war. God forbid. I know from these hot spots. For this (peaceful and prosperous life. - Ed.), we must be as one, see our goals, and live as we see fit," said the Head of State.

"We do not need what belongs to others. We are a state of average size by European standards. We are in the very center of Europe, and we cherish this," emphasized the Belarusian leader.

Alexander Lukashenko, in particular, drew attention to the transit significance of Belarus, which, with its transport infrastructure, has become very much in demand for transshipment of various goods in the current regional situation. However, this also creates additional risks. "Speaking to representatives of the West at the Munich Conference (meeting in Minsk of the main group of the Munich Security Conference. - Ed.), I told them: appreciate Belarus, do not impose sanctions against us. Drugs, banditry, nuclear materials, and illegal migration – everything goes to the West through us. We catch them, we detain them at our own expense," noted the Head of State.

"Today, they have finally understood the value of this piece of land in the center of Europe. Not only them. The Americans, who are very far away, have also appreciated it. I don't even mention our elder brother (referring to Russia. - Ed.)," said Alexander Lukashenko.

As for Belarus's foreign policy line, the President emphasized that it stems from life: "I haven't invented anything. We must live well with our neighbors; why should we quarrel with them." In this regard, he mentioned proposals to build an American military base in Poland. "I told the Minister of Foreign Affairs – he spoke at our place in Minsk: we are not going to fight with you. Therefore, there is no need to create extra bases. Otherwise, we, together with the Russians, will have to respond. This means we will be forced to deploy something to counteract you," stated the Head of State.

After inspecting the improved settlement and communicating with local residents, Alexander Lukashenko personally familiarized himself with the progress of construction of the multimodal industrial and logistics complex in Bolbasovo.

Official Internet portal of the President of the Republic of Belarus.