Personnel day

Belarus’ President Aleksandr Lukashenko announced a number of personnel decisions

Pavel Muraveiko             belta 

The Head of State appointed:

Pavel Muraveiko — Deputy Head of the Belarus President Administration
Aleksandr Yakovchits — Minister of Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade
Dmitry Basko — Chairman of the State Committee for Standardisation
Oleg Dyachenko — Commissioner for Religious and Ethnic Affairs
Vladimir Bely — Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, First Deputy Defence Minister
Yaroslav Cherkassky — Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Belarus to the Syrian Arab Republic with concurrent accreditation to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
Andrei Kuntsevich — Director of the Belarusian Institute of Strategic Research
Viktor Selitsky — First Deputy Chairman of the State Control Committee of the Republic of Belarus

The Belarusian leader noted that there may be many different speculations and statements on this matter, including claims that allegedly ‘Lukashenko has yielded to the security forces’ and that this may be related to some kind of ‘strengthening of the security forces’. According to the President, one should be prepared for such talk, given that the ‘fugitives’ are also trying, as best they can, to earn a living.
At the same time, the Head of State noted that the security bloc and its strengthening are receiving a great deal of attention,

“This is being done as we see what is happening around our country — but that is not the main point. The main thing is that, as President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, it is very important for me to have several alternative points of view on the situation in our law enforcement and security agencies.”

Addressing Pavel Muraveiko, the President noted that he is suitable for this position because he is a competent law enforcement officer, with the required ‘administrative approach’. “It is not just that you were a proxy [of the President during the election campaign], that is important, of course, but that is not the key. Those saying that this man is almost like the President’s brother are wrong: I do not adhere to the approach of ‘ours and not ours’. Everyone present here is not a stranger to me. You have passed a serious test, you have walked the path together with me,” he said.
The Head of State emphasised once again, “We need to have a somewhat different point of view, from a different angle (from the President Administration) on how our Armed Forces system is developing.”
Aleksandr Lukashenko admitted that no one had recommended Pavel Muraveiko to him; it was his own proposal. At the same time, the State Secretary of the Security Council was tasked with having a preliminary conversation with the future Deputy Head of the President Administration and conveying an important message.
“An alternative, competing point of view must exist at the highest level. I need this. I want our Armed Forces to be ready for the most serious measures — in order to avoid them, as I always say. You understand perfectly well that we have no intention of attacking anyone. Our goal is to protect the piece of land where we live,” Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed.

Peace — peace and nothing but peace — among different religious denominations is the main requirement for the Commissioner for Religious and Ethnic Affairs, President Aleksandr Lukashenko stated, while making personnel decisions.

The Head of State highlighted, “We are confronted with significant challenges ahead, and we need to address them correctly, not in the way others want us to do. Belarus is a mixture of faiths and nationalities. Try to determine whose blood runs through your veins or mine. Is that necessary? No, and we will never find out. Most importantly, there is no need to get involved in that.”
Therefore, the Belarusian leader encouraged Oleg Dyachenko by saying, “The Belarusian people are good, decent, intelligent and progressive. It does not matter who lived here in the past — we know that from history — so there is no need to create divisions. I sincerely hope that you will maintain a normal situation in this regard and build on the best of what has been done to work effectively.”

Based on materials of sb.by and belta.by