BREST, 22 June (BelTA) – Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko noted he has special recollections of the city of Brest. He made the statement as he met with the core group of the Brest Oblast administration in Brest on 22 June, BelTA has learned.
The head of state noted: “I should say I've been here before. It is my city. I know every little street of that Soviet city. I walked every square meter here, particularly in the last few years of the active military service when I had to take care of public and political work. My entire military life revolved around the protection of the city and of our huge country back then.”
In his words, back then Brest was quite heartwarming and parochial in his eyes, a city that did not look much like an oblast capital. “But look and see how beautiful our legendary city upon Bug has become. We decently celebrated its 1,000th anniversary last year. The fact that today's Brest is a genuine European city – clean, comfortable, and very convenient for life – has been noted not only by residents but also foreign guests,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
He noted that tourism in western parts of Belarus skyrocketed when visa-free travels were introduced although not all the neighboring countries were in favor of Belarus' decision. “But we are an open country. It is profitable for us. We will continue this practice,” the head of state stated.
The western bypass road was built ahead of Brest's anniversary. The new road allowed redistributing and reducing traffic in city streets. “It is a gift for Brest residents from the entire country. It is a pure ecology project driven by care for people's health. There is also beautification and housing construction to consider. Not only Brest. Other cities in the region have improved considerably – Baranovichi, Kobrin, Pinsk. Their looks changed a lot in the last few years,” the president pointed out.
