MINSK, 15 March (BelTA) – Abroad they often call me a dictator but what is important is the achievements made in the history of sovereign Belarus, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said at a meeting timed to the 30th anniversary of the Constitution of Belarus on 15 March, BelTA has learned.
"We created our own history. We also wrote our own laws. For a third of a century we have been living under the informational, political and economic pressure. All this time, they have called Lukashenko a dictator and an authoritarian president. Okay, let them. The most important thing is what we have achieved as a result:
Unsquandered national wealth, sovereignty, security and peace in our native land, growing prosperity of our citizens. Peace, order and tranquility for people," the Belarusian leader stressed.
Aleksandr Lukashenko said: "We have been doing everything to deliver on what we promised 30 years ago. By and large, we have delivered on our promises. Because people in charge are held responsible. We have constitutionally enshrined the right of everyone to a decent standard of living. These are not declarations, but our real policy and real achievements."
The president cited specific facts:
Over three decades, people’s money incomes have increased more than nine times (over the mid-1990s), and wages have increased 12 times. "You remember the hyperinflation that we had after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Today, the inflation does not exceed 6%," the head of state said.
Provision of citizens with housing has increased: the number of square meters per capita has risen by 1.6 times.
Belarus has one of the lowest poverty rates, not only among the CIS countries but also among the states of the European Union. Since the beginning of the 1990s, the country has reduced this figure by 10 times and significantly cut the unemployment rate. "Today we are no longer talking about unemployment. We are facing a shortage of manpower," the head of state said.
Belarus is a country with a high level of human development. Belarusians are recognized as a highly intellectual nation. "All this data is not ours, but theirs, our opponents," the Belarusian leader stressed.
Belarus rationally invests in innovations and technologies of the future, thereby increasing the competitiveness of the national economy. We built a nuclear power plant and completed the first stage of the construction of Belarusian National Biotechnology Corporation. New products have been created and are being mass-produced. These are cars, electric buses and electric trains, unmanned mining dump trucks. New metro stations are being built and put into operation.
The country's public debt does not exceed 32% of GDP. "We are rational in financial matters. We do not allow our debts to accumulate and shifted to future generations. Our public debt does not exceed 32% of GDP. It is no secret that in a number of highly developed countries this figure is several times higher," the head of state stressed.
Belarus has a modern highly productive agricultural sector. "We are in the top 5 exporters of dairy products. We are among the world leaders in meat production per capita. In general, we export almost 65% of our industrial output. If everything was bad, these goods wouldn't sell abroad," Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
The president stressed that such dynamics of the development of sovereign Belarus hardly corresponds to the designs and expectations of those who call the country "not democratic enough".
"We now know what they understand as democracy. We know what it means to be a ‘democratic’ country in the eyes of the West. Like we were in the early 1990s - a weak, poor, humiliated country. Or like some of our neighbors who are protesting in squares and streets, changing governments like gloves, living according to signals from Washington. If we have to choose between the benevolent attitude of Western European politicians and the quality of life of Belarusians, our national dignity and sovereignty, then the choice is obvious," the head of state concluded.
"We created our own history. We also wrote our own laws. For a third of a century we have been living under the informational, political and economic pressure. All this time, they have called Lukashenko a dictator and an authoritarian president. Okay, let them. The most important thing is what we have achieved as a result:
Unsquandered national wealth, sovereignty, security and peace in our native land, growing prosperity of our citizens. Peace, order and tranquility for people," the Belarusian leader stressed.
Aleksandr Lukashenko said: "We have been doing everything to deliver on what we promised 30 years ago. By and large, we have delivered on our promises. Because people in charge are held responsible. We have constitutionally enshrined the right of everyone to a decent standard of living. These are not declarations, but our real policy and real achievements."
The president cited specific facts:
Over three decades, people’s money incomes have increased more than nine times (over the mid-1990s), and wages have increased 12 times. "You remember the hyperinflation that we had after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Today, the inflation does not exceed 6%," the head of state said.
Provision of citizens with housing has increased: the number of square meters per capita has risen by 1.6 times.
Belarus has one of the lowest poverty rates, not only among the CIS countries but also among the states of the European Union. Since the beginning of the 1990s, the country has reduced this figure by 10 times and significantly cut the unemployment rate. "Today we are no longer talking about unemployment. We are facing a shortage of manpower," the head of state said.
Belarus is a country with a high level of human development. Belarusians are recognized as a highly intellectual nation. "All this data is not ours, but theirs, our opponents," the Belarusian leader stressed.
Belarus rationally invests in innovations and technologies of the future, thereby increasing the competitiveness of the national economy. We built a nuclear power plant and completed the first stage of the construction of Belarusian National Biotechnology Corporation. New products have been created and are being mass-produced. These are cars, electric buses and electric trains, unmanned mining dump trucks. New metro stations are being built and put into operation.
The country's public debt does not exceed 32% of GDP. "We are rational in financial matters. We do not allow our debts to accumulate and shifted to future generations. Our public debt does not exceed 32% of GDP. It is no secret that in a number of highly developed countries this figure is several times higher," the head of state stressed.
Belarus has a modern highly productive agricultural sector. "We are in the top 5 exporters of dairy products. We are among the world leaders in meat production per capita. In general, we export almost 65% of our industrial output. If everything was bad, these goods wouldn't sell abroad," Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
The president stressed that such dynamics of the development of sovereign Belarus hardly corresponds to the designs and expectations of those who call the country "not democratic enough".
"We now know what they understand as democracy. We know what it means to be a ‘democratic’ country in the eyes of the West. Like we were in the early 1990s - a weak, poor, humiliated country. Or like some of our neighbors who are protesting in squares and streets, changing governments like gloves, living according to signals from Washington. If we have to choose between the benevolent attitude of Western European politicians and the quality of life of Belarusians, our national dignity and sovereignty, then the choice is obvious," the head of state concluded.
