President delivers Address to Belarusian people and Parliament

President Alexander Lukashenko has delivered an Address to the Belarusian people and the parliament today.

Alexander Lukashenko set the priorities for the development of the state in the near future and gave a number of clear instructions on how to preserve and increase what Belarus has already achieved.

In the hall, state-managers, leaders of the largest enterprises, universities and banks, diplomats, journalists, and the public listened to the speech. Our President was heard by millions of Belarusians in the country and abroad. The Address-2019 was broadcast on television, on radio and on the Internet.

The three pillars of the country's confident course are the well-being of the people, a peaceful foreign policy and national security. 

The Head of State emphasized that the foundation of a successful state is a strong economy. The economy will continue to be built on the basis of the development of large enterprises and industries. In the country, more than 500 industrial enterprises have been modernized in recent years. New high-tech jobs have been created. However, the implementation of individual projects is delayed.

The Head of State dwelled separately on salaries, prices, the opportunity to earn, as well as pensions. The government should not forget about the increase in pensions. It was instructed to prepare a draft of the necessary decisions in 2019 and keep wages of state employees in focus.

As for inflation, it must be kept within 5%. A rise in prices should cause an immediate response from the government and local authorities. 

Another key theme is the upcoming election campaigns. Elections to the House of Representatives and the Council of the Republic will be held this year, and presidential elections will be held in 2020 in strict accordance with the law.

The President expressed his attitude towards corruption. He instructed the General Prosecutor's Office to prepare a set of measures to eliminate the causes and conditions that give rise to it. 

The Belarusian leader gave a number of instructions for the development of various sectors of the economy, including the agro-industrial complex. The objectives were to bring order to agriculture and green Belarusian cities, as well as to improve the education system and personnel policy, attract young, experienced and qualified personnel to the key destinations for the country.

Talent, energy, intelligence are in demand in the country today! In all areas - from government and sports, to art and production.

The focus is also on the demographic security of the country, medicine and introduction of new technologies.

The society is disturbed by news in the education sector. Alexander Lukashenko spoke emotionally about the proposed ideas of the Ministry of Education on safety in schools.

As for social policy, support for large families remains the priority concerning housing issues and the family capital. All attention should be paid to the real problems of the family.

The block on foreign policy was very compact and restrained. The international situation is becoming more complex. Therefore, there are no innovations here: we have chosen the line of behavior and are trying to stick to it. We do everything not to be on the edge of a bloc confrontation between the East and the West.

Speaking about the prospects for the development of the country, the Head of State did not bypass the subject of the adjustment of the Basic Law. Work on the preparation of proposals for possible changes is underway. Alexander Lukashenko wants to hear the public on this issue.