Belarus is able to compete

The President of Belarus visited two large manufacturing enterprises of the Mogilev Region — Bobruiskagromash and Belshina company

Photo by BELTA

Aleksandr Lukashenko demanded the active involvement of all industrial enterprises of the country in the work on import substitution.

“Import substitution is a real chance. On the one hand, it is a chance. On the other hand, it is hard work. We are a high-tech, educated nation. We can compete with others, which we will. Furthermore, we have everything necessary for our economy to survive and keep going. Likewise, we have people, specialists, managers and the government,” said the President.

During the visit to Bobruiskagromash the President was shown a wide range of import-substituting products of the country’s industrial enterprises. They also talked about the implementation of promising import-substituting investment projects and the latest developments of the Industry Ministry. For example, the electric truck of Belkommunmash was presented among samples of such forward-looking equipment.
Then Aleksandr Lukashenko talked to the staff of the Belshina company.
The Head of State noted that the situation in the world is not easy and one can regret this, but on the other hand, this is a time of opportunity, and it has prompted us to produce more Belarusian. According to him, a lot has already been done to address this issue. Co-operation with friendly countries will be scaled up. Aleksandr Lukashenko also mentioned his recent meeting with the Indian ambassador and emphasised, “Co-operation with India should advance to a brand-new level and reach such indicators as co-operation with China. China, Russia, India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Asian countries are where we can work and feel confidently.”
The Head of State pointed to the ongoing redivision of the world that began during the coronavirus pandemic. Belarus has successfully overcome the pandemic by following its own COVID-19 response strategy. This strategy proved to be right, unlike strategies of many countries that introduced massive lockdowns.
Coronavirus, strict quarantine and increased healthcare costs delivered a serious blow to the economies of a number of countries, and they did not come up with anything better than starting to print new banknotes. 
“Remember, I warned you that it would end up bad. Dollars were printed in trillions, which resulted in rampant inflation on all sides. Of course, we were also affected by this. We have been resisting, we are trying to keep prices as low as possible, because it is impossible to freeze prices… 

We will hold our ground, we will survive, we are not alone in this world. Everyone is already sick and tired of this dictate by the Americans and other Westerners. Therefore, the world is starting to change. The world will be completely different, even within two years,”  highlighted Aleksandr Lukashenko.

The Head of State is sure that the West uses all kinds of things as a reason for pressure and sanctions, human rights issues too. 

As for the impact of the sanctions on the supply of raw materials and components, settlements, the President acknowledged that there are difficulties, but they are absolutely surmountable. For example, the sanctions have fuelled prices for potash fertilisers. Even with smaller exports, Belarus will receive the necessary funds this year. 

Aleksandr Lukashenko also mentioned the problem with the supply of Ukrainian grain, “It turns out that the cheapest way is through Belarus. Nevertheless, we quickly figured out what they had in mind. Putin and I discussed this issue. I told him that they do not have grain in the volumes they claim. However, it is not about the grain. They want to blame Putin and me for starving the world.”
The President also spoke about the situation in Ukraine.
“As for the forecast, no one knows for sure. Nobody knows how the situation will end there. Nobody knows how the situation will develop… This is just the beginning. What is happening in Ukraine is just the beginning. This is one of the elements of a major redivision of the world. They will break and crumble. Small and medium countries will find themselves on the receiving end. Such as we are, the Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland. They’re not going anywhere. They will also be crushed. The world will be different,” said Aleksandr Lukashenko. 
Belarusian leader added, “What I know for sure is that Russia is committed to the negotiation process”. The Head of State also assured that Belarus is not going to fight in Ukraine. 
Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasised that the situation in Ukraine is extremely difficult, but he had always cared about the Ukrainians. This is due to a number of reasons, including the Ukrainian roots of the Belarusian Head of State, the fact that he did military service in this country, and personal experience.
“You cannot even imagine how hardworking these people are. The Ukrainians, ordinary people, the people of Ukraine are candid, strong, courageous, good people,” said the Head of State.
During the conversation with the staff of the enterprise, the President emphasised that more housing will be built in Bobruisk and less in Minsk for the sake of more evenly distributing human resources.
Meanwhile, residents of the city themselves should endeavour to develop and beautify their place of residence, Belarusian leader is convinced. 
Aleksandr Lukashenko added, “It is necessary to anchor our people, young people so that they wouldn’t go anywhere but would work in Bobruisk. It is necessary to enable conditions for that but young people should contribute, too. Nobody will bring you happiness without you doing anything. We have to understand that we have to create it on our own, with our own hands. I will not be found wanting — I will do everything to help somehow.”
During the conversation, the Head of State expressed the opinion that little attention was paid to patriotic education of young people and preservation of the memory of the Great Patriotic War in Belarus, which was, probably, one of the reasons for the events, which took place in 2020. 
The President is convinced that the people of Western European countries that were liberated from Nazism should be reminded of this victory more often.
In addition, Aleksandr Lukashenko believes that Poles should have been reminded more regularly of how many hundreds of thousands of Soviet people died during the liberation of their country, and the Germans should have been reminded of the fact that the genocide was not only against the Jews, but also against the Belarusians. 
The Head of State is convinced that it is also necessary to speak more about all these facts, the events of the Great Patriotic War and the heroism of the people inside Belarus, especially with the younger generation.

“We need to talk about it. We need to teach our children to love their land. Only then we will be able to keep this memory. Everyone must understand that the Victory in the Great Patriotic War is our legacy. We lost too many (every third resident) then, and we cannot betray them. If we betray them, we will be betrayed ourselves. If only we bury it in oblivion, our grandchildren and children will do the same to us. Let us cherish this legacy — the Great Victory and the fact that we did not become slaves then and that we have this piece of land today,” emphasised the President.

Based on materials of sb.by and belta.by