MINSK, 17 February (BelTA) – At a meeting with business owners, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko voiced a simple formula for interaction with business: bona fide companies can count on comprehensive support from the government and the president personally, BelTA has learned.
“Work in good faith. We care about you. I personally do. If someone goes astray, I want to know about it. Do not take what is not yours and we will get along. Do not try to get your hand’s on public funds. Let's build good relations. I am always ready to protect a decent, honest person, especially an entrepreneur. They work for us, for the country. And we must protect them and work for them. A simple formula for our relations,” the head of state said.
“Forgive my immodesty, but no other president cares more about production and business than the president of Belarus. No one even comes close and never will. You do not pay me. We do not have people who extort money from businesses, as was the case in Ukraine. I know this well. This will never happen. Please, do not take it for granted,” the Belarusian leader emphasized.
Aleksandr Lukashenko drew attention to the fact that the concepts of justice and integrity cannot be fully defined by the law. This applies, for example, to corporate social responsibility and charity.
“Help those who have found themselves in a difficult situation, sometimes not through their fault. Help them as a human being, if you can. I am not forcing you to do it. But if we see that you do charity and help others, we will appreciate it, we will treat you accordingly. Because you help my people. I am responsible for them. I am responsible for you and for them - for the society in Belarus. You are responsible for your enterprises, for your employees. And I am responsible for all of you. Therefore, if you help my people, why wouldn’t I help you? This is simple and this is the kind of relationships that we should have,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
At the same time, the president warned against using shady schemes to tap into the state coffers. Those responsible will be taken to task.
Speaking about complaints of excessive direct and covert inspections by regulatory authorities, Aleksandr Lukashenko called for more specifics.
“An inspector can no longer come to an entrepreneur for a cup of coffee. He/she must get a written warrant from their supervisor. And if someone comes to you and you suspect something, let us know. We will check who has sent this person. But so far there have not been cases like that. In other words, we have built a certain system. Find a way to inform us if something like that happens. We will take care of you so that his/her ‘buddies’ - a civil servant or an inspector - do not come to you later. I guarantee that I will get involved. I will personally study this case. You can write about it on the Internet – my aides keep track of this and submit reviews to me every morning. I respond,” the head of state said.
“In our country where such matters are high on the president’s list of concerns, you can always find support. Always. Especially those who are engaged in production. I want you to hear me. You can't regulate every single thing with laws and regulations. Therefore, certain things are regulated by human relations. I want to stay in the know. Believe me, I have enough power to put anyone in their place,” the Belarusian leader said.
“I want to make one thing abundantly clear: the president does not have any hard feelings towards private businesses. Quite the opposite. We help them whenever we can,” Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized.
He cited the example of technology parks. One of such parks, located in Minsk, has recently been visited by the president. It mostly accommodates small private enterprises that make products that are in demand in Belarus and abroad. And the task is to scale up such operations. “This matter is taking on new significance. We want a fledgling entrepreneur to start and grow their business there. All conditions are in place for this, including [discounted] rental fees,” the head of state noted.
At the same time, Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized that those wishing to do business should be clear-eyed about their responsibilities and abilities: “We will not be overprotective. Everyone today is eager to start a business thinking that this is big money. But before you get into it, think about whether you can handle it. It is not an easy thing.”
“Work in good faith. We care about you. I personally do. If someone goes astray, I want to know about it. Do not take what is not yours and we will get along. Do not try to get your hand’s on public funds. Let's build good relations. I am always ready to protect a decent, honest person, especially an entrepreneur. They work for us, for the country. And we must protect them and work for them. A simple formula for our relations,” the head of state said.
“Forgive my immodesty, but no other president cares more about production and business than the president of Belarus. No one even comes close and never will. You do not pay me. We do not have people who extort money from businesses, as was the case in Ukraine. I know this well. This will never happen. Please, do not take it for granted,” the Belarusian leader emphasized.
Aleksandr Lukashenko drew attention to the fact that the concepts of justice and integrity cannot be fully defined by the law. This applies, for example, to corporate social responsibility and charity.
“Help those who have found themselves in a difficult situation, sometimes not through their fault. Help them as a human being, if you can. I am not forcing you to do it. But if we see that you do charity and help others, we will appreciate it, we will treat you accordingly. Because you help my people. I am responsible for them. I am responsible for you and for them - for the society in Belarus. You are responsible for your enterprises, for your employees. And I am responsible for all of you. Therefore, if you help my people, why wouldn’t I help you? This is simple and this is the kind of relationships that we should have,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
At the same time, the president warned against using shady schemes to tap into the state coffers. Those responsible will be taken to task.
Speaking about complaints of excessive direct and covert inspections by regulatory authorities, Aleksandr Lukashenko called for more specifics.
“An inspector can no longer come to an entrepreneur for a cup of coffee. He/she must get a written warrant from their supervisor. And if someone comes to you and you suspect something, let us know. We will check who has sent this person. But so far there have not been cases like that. In other words, we have built a certain system. Find a way to inform us if something like that happens. We will take care of you so that his/her ‘buddies’ - a civil servant or an inspector - do not come to you later. I guarantee that I will get involved. I will personally study this case. You can write about it on the Internet – my aides keep track of this and submit reviews to me every morning. I respond,” the head of state said.
“In our country where such matters are high on the president’s list of concerns, you can always find support. Always. Especially those who are engaged in production. I want you to hear me. You can't regulate every single thing with laws and regulations. Therefore, certain things are regulated by human relations. I want to stay in the know. Believe me, I have enough power to put anyone in their place,” the Belarusian leader said.
“I want to make one thing abundantly clear: the president does not have any hard feelings towards private businesses. Quite the opposite. We help them whenever we can,” Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized.
He cited the example of technology parks. One of such parks, located in Minsk, has recently been visited by the president. It mostly accommodates small private enterprises that make products that are in demand in Belarus and abroad. And the task is to scale up such operations. “This matter is taking on new significance. We want a fledgling entrepreneur to start and grow their business there. All conditions are in place for this, including [discounted] rental fees,” the head of state noted.
At the same time, Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized that those wishing to do business should be clear-eyed about their responsibilities and abilities: “We will not be overprotective. Everyone today is eager to start a business thinking that this is big money. But before you get into it, think about whether you can handle it. It is not an easy thing.”
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