Vladimir Karanik. An archive photo
MINSK, 3 March (BelTA) – Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko has appointed Vladimir Karanik Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus in charge of social security matters, BelTA has learned.
“First of all, I want to thank you for agreeing to lead this difficult line of work. Your consent made my decision much easier. You accepted my proposal. After all, I know what it means to be the governor of the country's best region where you can act practically at your discretion. And here the president is always nearby, you can unexpectedly get slapped down or something else. I know what it means to be a governor, and what it means to be a deputy prime minister. But the powers of deputy prime ministers will be significantly expanded. This is your area of work, so go ahead. I know that you will never shy away from sharing your thoughts, not only with the government, but also with the president. You are a good implementor. If a decision is made, you will certainly deliver,” said Aleksandr Lukashenko.
The president noted that he knows it from Vladimir Karanik's work as Healthcare Minister. “We had to go through the difficult political year of 2020, and also through the so-called pandemic. We had to take unorthodox decisions. We took them. No one in the world did that. We turned out to be right. You have vast experience. You are probably the most capable and talented manager in the healthcare system,” the head of state said.
As for the education sector that Vladimir Karanik will also oversee as Deputy Prime Minister, Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that Vladimir Karanik has gone through all the stages of education, from school to research and practice in healthcare. Therefore, he is well-versed in this matter, which is a big advantage.
The new vice-premier also knows how to communicate with mass media. “I think you even had a blog in some social media. And it was authoritative, especially in the region. In other words, you are advanced in this field,” the Belarusian leader remarked.
Vladimir Karanik also gained a wealth of experience in various matters during his work as the Grodno Oblast governor. “It's like small-scale presidency,” the head of state emphasized.
Aleksandr Lukashenko hopes that Vladimir Karanik will find common ground with the ministers responsible for the social sector. All of them have been reappointed to the new government. These are Information Minister Marat Markov, Education Minister Andrei Ivanets, Labor and Social Security Minister Natalya Pavlyuchenko, Sports and Tourism Minister Sergei Kovalchuk, Culture Minister Ruslan Chernetsky, and Healthcare Minister Aleksandr Khodzhayev.
“As for the officials who are in attendance today, you see that these ministers were appointed in the run-up to the election. They will retain their posts. I would like to reiterate that the future government will be divided into several teams. This does not mean that they [the teams] will be independent of each other. They will work in one government,” the president said.
He noted that the reappointed ministers got a chance, and their work should be assessed on the basis of their results. “If they work, fine. If not, submit proposals. Because this five-year period will not be easy. You cannot talk your way out of it. You need to deliver. That's it. And all the ministers, as far as I understand, are in their places,” the head of state said.
Vladimir Karanik was born in Grodno in 1973.
In 1996, he graduated from Grodno State Medical Institute (specializing in general medicine).
From 1990 to 2011, he worked his way up from a medical intern to Head of the Thoracic Department of the National Research and Treatment Center of Oncology and Medical Radiology.
He was Chief Physician of the Minsk City Cancer Center (2011-2019), Healthcare Minister (2019-2020), and Grodno Oblast Governor (2020 - 3 March 2025).
On 3 March 2025 he was promoted to Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus.
He has a PhD in Medicine. He was awarded the Order of the Fatherland 3rd Class.
Follow us on:
