Lukashenko on Foreign Ministry staff: careful attitude to personnel is number one issue

President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko has been reported today on some issues related to Foreign Ministry staffing, with Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko, Head of the President Administration Dmitry Krutoi, KGB Chief Ivan Tertel and Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov invited to the event

photo: www.president.gov.by

The President said that he would like to discuss issues related to Foreign Ministry staffing in order to co-ordinate the overall work in connection with the arrival of a new minister, “I am convinced there will be certain adjustments and reshuffles in the ministry itself. That’s why it is very important for us to decide on the plan. But I want to say right away that, like in no other department, the Foreign Ministry should be careful about its personnel. In general, this is how it should be in the country. But the Foreign Ministry is a special body, so careful attitude to personnel is the number one issue.”

Addressing Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov and Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko, Aleksandr Lukashenko also stressed that in no case should one proceed ‘from oneself’ when appointing people, “You know that I often avoid such a term as ‘team’. If Maxim Ryzhenkov plays basketball well, it doesn’t mean that he should recruit basketball players, for example… We must proceed from what we have. You can’t blame me for that. When I became president, I did not assume that I should appoint only ‘my’ people everywhere. Even those who supported alternative candidates and fought against me with all their might remained at their jobs. They held high positions and worked normally for the state. That is, I gave everyone a chance: work if you want and if you can. A year and a half later, some refused on their own in that difficult situation or I dismissed some of them. That’s why it is necessary to build your relationship with the team very carefully. It must be understood that normal employees are not something accidental.”

At the same time, Aleksandr Lukashenko added that the President Administration should be a ‘real filter’ before making personnel proposals to the Head of State.