Keep calm and trade with West: Lukashenka urges officials to stop talking about reforms


Alyaksandr Lukashenka ordered Belarusian officials to stop talking about the need for reforms and focus on effective work and fulfillment of the current tasks.

“Without order and discipline, especially now, we will not be able to make progress. We need to stop talking about some reforms. We need to work with what we have. Reforming means improving. When you see that something is not right and can be made better, please make it better. But do not ruin anything,” state-run news agency BelTA quotes Lukashenka as saying.

“At a time of crisis, we need to focus on what we have. Enterprises should work. Stop thinking that we should split, divide, and privatize, and all will be fine. It will not be fine if we do not work efficiently,” the Belarusian leader warned when appointing the heads of the local authorities.

Interestingly, it is Belarus’ European partners and international organisations that want our country to carry out reforms in return of loans and investments. Belarus has been trying to get a new IMF program over the past years, but the negotiations repeatedly failed, because Minsk did not agree on market reforms recommended by the IMF in return of a vital economic lifeline.

At the same time, Lukashenka urges Belarusian diplomats to improve relations with Western Europe. The embassies and the Foreign Ministry should  do their best to promote trade and economic cooperation between Belarus and other countries, he said when appointing new ambassadors to Germany and Romania on Tuesday.

“The trade turnover is the main thing. You will represent your country and will be responsible for a certain trade volume because it brings foreign currency to the country. This is a priority for our state,” Lukashenka stressed.

belsat.eu, following BelTA

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