MINSK, 22 May (BelTA) – Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko has outlined the priorities for new heads of some local authorities, BelTA learned.
First, the head of state mentioned a meeting with Liu Guozhong, Vice Premier of the State Council of China that preceded the conversation with representatives of the local authorities. The president drew attention to the nature of relations with China and emphasized that such high-level cooperation required years, or even decades of painstaking work. And local leaders, among others, are contributing to this. "You understand that this is an empire. The fact that such a high-level delegation has come to Belarus shows that they are interested in relations with us. This is the result of decades-long work (not even years) with China. This is a very interesting, wise, serious nation. Before they decide to do anything, they make sure it is worth it," Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
"At the heart of all this is you. You interact face-to-face with Belarusian people, with our workers, especially in agriculture, and you create this basis for my contacts and negotiations at the highest level. Everything starts with you," the president said. “This is why I always meet with the newly-appointed chairmen of the district executive committees so that they understand that they are in the center of our attention now.”
On the comprehensive development of territories
The head of state expects the local authorities to take decisive and effective actions not only in specific areas, such as the manufacturing sector or agribusiness, but also in the overall development of communities. The examples of Shklov District and Kopys District that the president visited recently show what exactly should be done in this regard. All conditions must be created or living and employment of people. These must include local services, construction organizations, bakeries, larger enterprises, for example, processing industry, and other facilities that are set up within the framework of the One District, One Project program.
“We need to act,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said. “Standards have been set for agro-towns and large villages. They should also be landscaped. The president urged to gradually move away from the concept of ‘unpromising villages’ widely used in the past. People are growing interested in having a land plot. As an example, he cited Minsk Oblast and the settlements located in its northern part, which the head of state had recently toured. "I saw that things are beginning to look up for these ‘unpromising’ villages as people come, settle, start building houses. Act more decisively, put the districts you are in charge in good order," Aleksandr Lukashenko said. According to him, instead of tidying up abandoned parcels of land at the state expense it is better to give them to people. "Let's take an economic approach to it. I really hope that you will act in this regard," said the head of state.
The president drew attention to the need to involve people more widely in socially useful labor. "People sit at home and think that we, the authorities, should pay money and come to clean up the homestead, vegetable garden, adjacent territories. Encourage people to get involved," Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
On attracting migrants
In his conversation with the new heads of the local authorities, the head of state touched upon the problem of labor shortage. "As many countries around world, except, perhaps, for some countries in Asia and Africa, we are facing the shortage of labor resources. Thank God, it is not critical yet. But we should not make sure it never becomes critical," the president said. “This is why a decision has been made to attract labor resources, primarily from the former republics of the Soviet Union.” At the same time, Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized that the country is not sending ‘emissaries’ abroad to persistently invite people to work in Belarus. There are people who want to come here themselves.
The head of state recently signed a decree on employer responsibilities when hiring foreign workers. The president noted that, first of all, local enterprises and the district administrations should be interested in attracting personnel. It is they who should be engaged in their recruitment. "If some industrial enterprise, a paper factory or any other facility needs workers, then they should hire these people who come to Belarus from different countries. We do not hamper anyone. Hire them, sign a contract with them, and work," the head of state said.
At the same time, if foreign workers violate the order in any way, measures should be taken immediately, Aleksandr Lukashenko said. "If they violate the contract, inform the police instantly. The police will communicate this information to the center, and these people will be deported," the president said.
"But those who come here to work (to earn a living because things are hard where they come from), with children, we should treat them as Belarusians," the head of state said.
On impact of bad weather on crops
Addressing the new heads of the local governments, the head of state commented on the challenges facing agricultural workers this year in view of abnormal weather conditions in May. As the president put it, the frosts 'did their dirty work' causing some damage to the crops. However, the situation is not critical at the moment. “There is no disaster,” Aleksandr Lukashenko noted. As the head of state was told, it is necessary to replant a relatively small amount of crops. And this work has essentially been done already.
Surprisingly, adverse weather conditions affected grain crops the most, not rapeseed. According to the president, the affected areas were replanted with corn, due to which the grain harvest in total weight may even be bigger than expected.
In addition, more potatoes were planted this year. According to the president, this crop was sown even by those who had never grown it before. “I recommend you to do this, you still have time. There are seeds. This needs to be communicated to everyone. The demand for potatoes will be colossal, as our main sales market, Russia, has also experienced serious frosts that led to the huge loss of potatoes,” explained Aleksandr Lukashenko.
The head of state told farmers to increase the area under onions and other traditional Belarusian vegetables (beetroots, carrots, etc.). The country has enough seeds for this. “This needs to be sown. They can be sold at a good price both in the neighboring countries and domestically. There is an opportunity to earn some money,” the president remarked.
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