MINSK, 26 March (BelTA) – The inaugural speech of Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko was the speech of a very experienced, wise and seasoned statesman, former Ukrainian Prime Minister Nikolai Azarov said in the latest episode of the V Teme [On Point] project on BelTA's YouTube channel.
On 25 March, Aleksandr Lukashenko officially took office in the inauguration ceremony, which completed a long political election cycle. The inauguration speech of the Belarusian leader was quoted around the world.
“In my opinion, first of all, it was the speech of a very experienced, wise and seasoned statesman. In his speech the president made quite serious conceptual points. Unfortunately, people in power very often live only for their own interests, not state interests, but purely personal ones. The world has become very fragmented. But I want to draw attention to the fact that Belarus has been living well during this time, steadily developing. This is Aleksandr Lukashenko’s most important, in my opinion, achievement,” Nikolai Azarov said.
The former prime minister also cited some points from the inaugural address by the Belarusian president. “For many years I've been closely watching the development of Belarus, analyzing the figures and comparing them. But still I was surprised by two things voiced by Aleksandr Lukashenko: It is that every tenth tractor in the world is Belarusian-made, and that Belarus is among the top ten food exporting countries. These two indicators, along with many others, impressed me. Because this is an indicator of qualification and skill not only of Aleksandr Lukashenko himself, but also of the whole apparatus, ministers, MPs - the whole established vertical of power, which has been skillfully leading Belarus all these years.
“There are achievements that I was well aware of. These are achievements in the space industry, which is completely new for Belarus, as well as biotechnology, IT and many others. As Aleksandr Lukashenko was enumerating them, and one could feel his is proud for his country. And I am also proud of the successes of Belarusians, it is also extremely important for me,” Nikolai Azarov shared his feelings about the inaugural speech.
“Also, Aleksandr Lukashenko used such a concept as a five-year plans. In other words Belarus draws up plans for five years rather than a year. This is very important. No plans can be implemented in six months or a year. 5 to 15 years is a more feasible time. It is very good that Belarus plans everything long term and all these tasks have been fulfilled,” the former prime minister said.
According to Nikolai Azarov, the speech of the Belarusian leader was quite laconic and short, though he could talk real achievements and plans much longer. “But the speech highlighted the actual, necessary and important things, which are important to hear, and most importantly, to fulfill. I would like to wish Aleksandr Lukashenko to continue this policy of stability and development in his new presidential term. He paid a lot of attention to foreign policy issues. It is clear that the situation is not easy, that Belarus is working in the most difficult conditions. And the fact that the country has managed to achieve these results is a good performance,” he concluded.
