Belarusian products will compete with the best world samples

2024 has been declared the Year of Quality in Belarus. It is symbolic that the President’s first working meeting of the coming year was devoted to this very topic.

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Before the start of the event, the Head of State got acquainted with the special exhibition Quality Mark: Tradition of the Past and the Present. Directly at the Palace of Independence, heads of Belarusian enterprises and production veterans presented domestic products, which in Soviet times were awarded the USSR Quality Mark, as well as goods applying for the State Quality Mark of Belarus in 2024. The range of exhibits is very wide — from the food industry to mechanical engineering.
For example, MAZ and MTZ vehicles were among the first to receive the quality mark in Soviet times — the MAZ-53352 truck and the Belarus tractor. Now these enterprises have also offered their products to be designated with the quality mark of modern Belarus. Among the contenders are engines from the Minsk Motor Plant, Horizont TV sets, Gomselmash combines, Kommunarka confectionery, and Kamvol fabrics.
Aleksandr Lukashenko carefully examined the exhibition, talked with the leadership of the government and the enterprises represented at the exhibition. As noted, the list of products that can qualify for the State Quality Mark is not closed, but both current and future applicants will first need to confirm that their products are truly worthy of such an assessment. The Head of State has repeatedly emphasised this requirement. 

“BELAZ, MTZ, MAZ and so on — they have no choice but should have a quality mark for some of their products. But this product must be unique, it must be competitive in international markets. The technique must be impeccable. We will check. We will not simply stamp a quality mark on your cab, hood or glass, otherwise we will disgrace the country,” the President said.

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During the meeting, Aleksandr Lukashenko warned officials about the inadmissibility of formalism and sloppiness.
“I have already said that this year will be special for us. It is clear that the tension will be incredible: everyone is preparing for the presidential elections in Belarus — both in the East and in the West. The goals are different. But we must surpass ourselves. To do this, there should be no formalism and sloppiness. With all the positive things that we have and that cannot be taken away from us, there should be no sloppiness and formalism [they did something for show, noted it]. And it won’t, I promise you that. Therefore, from the first days of this year, prepare yourself for difficult, hard work,” the President warned.

The Head of State noted, “Our first working meeting this year at the Presidential level concerns the main topic — the Year of Quality. We have set a very ambitious goal: to bring quality control of goods and services produced and the country’s quality of life to a higher level. Belarus can be proud of its quality goods, but in order to be in trend, to compete with the best world standards, you need to add a little, you need to earn this quality mark.”

In this endeavour, Belarusians have something to build on, Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasised. Firstly, from traditions — the republic has preserved the continuity of the Soviet era.
“This historical period gave rise to our national development. Now you understand why (as I was criticised) I ‘cling’ to that Soviet time: if there had not been that Soviet time, there would not have been the most modern and new samples. It’s easier to ruin everything, but on what basis would we create new, progressive models? This base would not exist. Smart people preserve and develop everything that has been accumulated by previous generations. We did it,” the Head of State noted.
Aleksandr Lukashenko recalled that the economy of the BSSR was one of the most technologically advanced and developed among other union republics. 
“Having survived the devastation of the 1990s, it was not easy for us to preserve the quality standards created by the labour of Soviet people, but we were able to do it. People were in such trouble that there was simply nowhere to go. We got out. Today we create the most modern models of technology. But I say frankly: the quality is still not enough. Our competitors are breathing in our backs. And everything that we produce in Belarus is manufactured in dozens of countries around the world,” the President said.
Secondly, Belarus has formed the image of a successor to the best Soviet achievements. And the way Belarusians cope with modern challenges demonstrates the reasonableness and foresight of the people’s choice, the President noted.

“Thirdly, we see an increasing demand for the values of the welfare state. And not only in the post-Soviet space — all over the world. A return to these values is a matter of people’s quality of life: the spiritual sphere, economic well-being, social justice. Everything here is interconnected. Therefore, when we talk about quality and what to do, we are waiting for something (there will, of course, be a program), there is no need to wait for anything. If someone doesn’t know where to start, start with yourself: show up to your job on time and do your job very well. Everyone here knows how to do it,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

The list of participants at the meeting is wide; there are two issues on the agenda. The government has prepared a republican action plan for the Year of Quality.
“There will be no run-of-the-mill events for show this year. And not just this year. We have come to a situation where we need to rise one step higher, or maybe two. Firstly, we are being pressed from all sides, it won’t get any easier, this is objective. And secondly, you can’t stop. If we stop, decay will begin, as has often happened in the history of our state (and not only ours). Therefore, there should be no events to ‘show off’, for show,” the President demanded.
The Head of State underlined that all planned events should lead to concrete results.
“The plan should reflect the main idea of the coming year. It contains a whole range of directions — from careful treatment of resources to personal responsibility for the results of one’s work,” noted Aleksandr Lukashenko.
The second issue on the meeting agenda is the establishment of the State Quality Mark. Here they will rely on experience and traditions.
“I think today we will be able to discuss image options, the concept of assigning a mark and the procedure for confirming compliance with it on the part of manufacturers of goods and services,” the President added.
At the meeting, Prime Minister of Belarus Roman Golovchenko presented the republican action plan for the Year of Quality.

To whom and for what will the State Quality Mark be awarded in Belarus?
The Belarusian Head of Government, Roman Golovchenko, later told reporters that at the meeting, among other things, the issue of establishing a State Quality Mark was discussed, “As a result of the discussion, we agreed that there is no need to greatly modify the sign that existed in Soviet times. Naturally, the letters of the USSR will be replaced with the name of our country, but the stylisation itself, including the pentagon as a symbol of reliability, accessibility, safety, aesthetics and innovation and the inverted letter ‘K’, will be the simplest and most understandable option for perception.”
The State Quality Mark will be approved by Presidential decree and should be the highest mark that the products have been thoroughly tested.
“It will be awarded not to the enterprise as a whole, or even to a group of products, but to a specific product from a specific manufacturer. Therefore, the decision-making procedure must be very precise,” Roman Golovchenko explained.
It is planned that the decision on awarding the mark will be made by the republican certification commission. And its first owners will appear at the end of this year.

Quality must become a way of life
Belarusians should strive to ensure that quality becomes the way of their work and life — as stated by Head of the Belarus President Administration Igor Sergeyenko during the meeting.
“A high quality of human life is achieved by solving his social problems. A number of measures are envisaged to improve the quality of medical care for the population, the level of education, create conditions for self-realisation of young people, and improve a comfortable living environment,” Head of the Belarus President Administration noted. 
He emphasised that the social sphere is, first of all, work with people, and based on its results, the population evaluates the effectiveness of government.
Igor Sergeyenko added that every citizen should realise: the well-being of the country, on which personal satisfaction with the quality of life depends, is primarily ensured by the efficiency of his work. 

Based on materials of sb.by and belta.by