Dear fellow countrymen!
The 4th All-Belarus People’s Congress is a landmark event in the life of our country. Time has proven the importance of this purely democratic Forum, which represents a true mechanism of the Belarusian nation’s direct participation in managing the state.
Today, on the threshold of the next five year plan, we — delegates of the 4th All-Belarus People’s Congress — have approved major guidelines for the 2011-2015 Programme for Socio-Economic Development of the Republic of Belarus. It’s vital that this document is guided by our citizens’ desires. Accordingly, we’ve approved a strategy and outlined the tasks which will construct our state over the coming years.
The essence of this strategy is the state’s care for each resident of Belarus.
Our goal — to build a state for the nation — remains unchanged. Such a policy, alongside ensuring the rights and freedoms of citizens and interaction between state authorities and civil society structures, promotes national and inter-confessional accord in Belarus, while providing stability and civil peace.
A Belarusian model of development has been created, under the guidance of the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko. It has proven its efficiency even under conditions of global financial crisis. Over the last five years, hundreds of new enterprises have been constructed and modernised, with large-scale social programmes implemented. Meanwhile, salaries, pensions and allowances have risen considerably.
Following its chosen socio-political course, Belarus, according to UN data, is ranked among those countries boasting a high Human Development Index. Over the past five years, it has strengthened its position, now occupying 61st place, ahead of other CIS states.
A State Programme of Rural Revival and Development is being actively implemented in the republic. Today, Belarus is one of the leading food suppliers among Eastern European states. Economic growth in sovereign Belarus strongly supports national security and the defence capacity of our country.
Liberalisation and structural economic reform will logically continue our Belarusian socio-economic course over the next five years. Red tape reduction in state authorities, the creation of an attractive investment climate and entrepreneurial promotion will be important areas, in addition to the development of high-tech manufactures and growing exports of goods and services. These should result in the appearance of comfortable (to the uttermost) conditions for revealing capabilities of the country’s each citizen.
This is the only way to raise the population’s prosperity and bring positive demographic change. It will also create conditions for worthy education for our new generations while raising standards of living for Belarusians towards those of Europe.
People are the country’s major treasure. People’s well-being, optimism and confidence in the future are the ultimate goals of state policy, which turns positive preconditions into reality. We completely support priorities in the demographic sphere, clearly defined by the President and aiming to increase life expectancy, birth rates and the size of the population.
The Belarusian nation clearly understands that our country can’t fully realise large-scale projects relating to socio-economic development without partnership and mutually beneficial relations with Russia and other CIS states, as well as China, Venezuela, the EU, the USA and other countries.
We confirm the multi-vector foreign policy of our state and hope for equal and good neighbourly relations with every country of the world, regardless of its political system or state structure. Belarus will continue to develop the principles of an open society, taking into account national interests while favouring trust and mutual support in its relations with other states.
We call on our foreign partners to activate and expand collaboration with Belarus in all areas of mutual interest.
Dear fellow countrymen!
We — delegates of the 4th All-Belarus People’s Congress — are convinced that the Belarusian nation, with its natural wisdom, talent and many years of experience, will again make the right democratic choice for the future.
The country is entering a new stage of development of Belarusian nationhood, which requires the unity and solidarity of the whole nation. We see Belarus as a strong, flourishing and economically powerful state, occupying a worthy place worldwide. We believe that the Belarusian nation will achieve its goals through purposefulness, inherent hard work, diligence, determination and tolerance.
