Roman Golovchenko
MINSK, 16 October (BelTA) – We will have to work hard to fulfill the key economic tasks for 2026, Chairman of the Board of the National Bank of Belarus Roman Golovchenko said following a meeting with Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko to discuss draft forecast documents for 2026, BelTA has learned.
According to Roman Golovchenko, the key social and economic development indicators specified in the draft decree of the head of state discussed at the meeting may seem at first glance not very demanding, as they are lower than in previous years. “But there are reasons for this: the difficult international situation, trade wars, and a significant slowdown in the Russian economy, our main trading partner. Against this background, the tasks look quite challenging,” he said.
“We will have to work hard to fulfill the set tasks, even if it may not seem that difficult. But in fact, even the most advanced economies grow at almost the same pace,” Roman Golovchenko stressed.
At the same time, while setting long-term goals, it is important not to lower the bar by citing difficult external circumstances or, for example, a downturn in the Russian market, Roman Golovchenko believes. “We need to continue working with full commitment in the Russian market. There is still plenty of potential in the Russian regions, so we simply need to engage with them more actively. The rest of the world is vast. We have good examples of how, within just a few years, we have developed strong connections with regions that we previously had limited contact with,” he remarked.
According to him, the National Bank was closely involved in the preparation of all forecast documents, defining not only monetary policy, but also key economic indicators, the budget, and tax policy. “There are no fundamental disagreements. We support the goals that are set out in the draft decree of the head of state,” Roman Golovchenko stressed.
As it was reported earlier, on 16 October Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized that the projections for the year 2026 should outline a realistic but ambitious scenario. The government proposes setting the economic growth target for next year at 102.8%, with inflation projected at up to 7%.
According to Roman Golovchenko, the key social and economic development indicators specified in the draft decree of the head of state discussed at the meeting may seem at first glance not very demanding, as they are lower than in previous years. “But there are reasons for this: the difficult international situation, trade wars, and a significant slowdown in the Russian economy, our main trading partner. Against this background, the tasks look quite challenging,” he said.
“We will have to work hard to fulfill the set tasks, even if it may not seem that difficult. But in fact, even the most advanced economies grow at almost the same pace,” Roman Golovchenko stressed.
At the same time, while setting long-term goals, it is important not to lower the bar by citing difficult external circumstances or, for example, a downturn in the Russian market, Roman Golovchenko believes. “We need to continue working with full commitment in the Russian market. There is still plenty of potential in the Russian regions, so we simply need to engage with them more actively. The rest of the world is vast. We have good examples of how, within just a few years, we have developed strong connections with regions that we previously had limited contact with,” he remarked.
According to him, the National Bank was closely involved in the preparation of all forecast documents, defining not only monetary policy, but also key economic indicators, the budget, and tax policy. “There are no fundamental disagreements. We support the goals that are set out in the draft decree of the head of state,” Roman Golovchenko stressed.
As it was reported earlier, on 16 October Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized that the projections for the year 2026 should outline a realistic but ambitious scenario. The government proposes setting the economic growth target for next year at 102.8%, with inflation projected at up to 7%.
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