Strategic projects are important for the future of Belarus

The President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko, convened a government conference to discuss the improvement of the system of planning and overseeing the implementation of strategic projects. The Head of State emphasised the importance of strategic projects,  “This is the future of not only a system but of a country in general. Strategic projects, if we talk about Belarus, are the future of our country.”

belta

The Head of State warned that control over the implementation of instructions will be the most serious.
“After we make a decision, we don’t always implement it. We deliver at the wrong time — this has already became the norm. But my biggest worry of late is when our government starts lying and misinforming the President instead of taking care of concrete things. In order to present itself in the best light. We will not hold on to the country if we look into a crooked mirror. And we will not give it new impulses whatever strategic plans we may have.”
According to the President, strategic projects can be implemented in various sectors. For example, to deepen existing technological processes in mechanical engineering and agriculture.

“In each of the areas there is an opportunity and need to go deeper. The technologies are clear, schools exist, personnel know in which direction to move,” Aleksandr Lukashenko noted.

Another area of work is the construction of production facilities from scratch. One of them was the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant and Belarusian National Biotechnology Corporation. The implementation of these projects began thanks to persistent urging of the President. In particular, the construction of the nuclear power plant has led to the emergence of a new industry.
“Two sites were chosen. One nuclear power plant was built. Today our ratio of consumption of electricity generated by nuclear energy to the total electricity generation is higher than that in the United States of America and even in Russia. We generate about a quarter of the total thanks to peaceful uses of nuclear energy. Today I am carefully leading you to the idea that it would be nice to have a second nuclear power plant in the country,” the President emphasised.
In his words, the relevant considerations are at the initial stage. “Either we add two units to the existing nuclear power plant or build two units in Mogilev Region where the second appropriate site is located. And then we will get more than half of electricity from a nuclear power plant. A clean and very profitable product,” the Belarusian leader stressed.

Aleksandr Kulevsky


Setting up car production should be considered as one of the largest projects in Belarus. During the solemn ceremony to open the BelGee car factory in November 2017 Aleksandr Lukashenko mentioned that his dream of seeing a Belarusian car made in the country had come true. The rate of manufacturing localisation has increased substantially since then. Output figures have gone up. Today one can say with confidence that Belarusian Geely cars are truly people’s cars.
“People line up to buy Geely cars now. The cars are pleasant to look at and are quality ones. Today we have ambitious plans of making 120,000 cars per annum instead of 30,000-40,000 cars,” Aleksandr Lukashenko stated.

Yury Mozolevsky


The President reminded that Belarus intends to start manufacturing automobiles together with the Chinese company FAW Group. The corporation’s most famous brand is Hongqi cars (red banner in Chinese).
“We will soon show them to the nation. We’ve started making a new automobile brand. You see how life has turned out: cars are in demand. And Geely is the top seller in Belarus already. Russians pray to buy these cars. People are lining up to buy them. When has it ever happened? It means that we should develop this kind of business. And we have to see prospects. These are the strategic projects that will elevate the country two or three levels above where it is now,” the Head of State noted.
According to the Head of State, the aim of the meeting is to discuss ways to improve the system of planning and overseeing the implementation of strategic projects. Everything is important in this area — from the idea to its implementation and guaranteed economic effect.

“The shock restructuring of the global political, economic and financial relations prompts every country to think beyond protective and compensatory measures. We need to calculate the strategic prospects for the development of the national economy (hence the state). We need to look to the future,” the President said.

The Head of State pointed out that an entire network of research institutes focusing on various areas has evolved in Belarus over the course of 30 years. However, among them there are those that need serious reform. This is why the President reminded the government of his demand to review the number and structure of research institutes in order ‘to get rid of those that do not produce results’. 
Aleksandr Lukashenko also mentioned the work of the State Committee on Science and Technology and the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus. By the way, the academy is in for a comprehensive inspection. “The Academy of Sciences should be subjected to most serious analysis in winter. I hope to god that everything is the way the head of the academy tells us: they make everything starting with drones and ending with milk powder products that they sell to China. They make everything. We will see whether it is true. I mean electric vehicles and so on,” the President said.
Continuing the conversation about the work of Belarusian scientists, Aleksandr Lukashenko
remarked that their studies, analytical work, projections concerning scientific and technological advance for decades to come are certainly necessary.
“But one has to admit that for some reason the real sector of the economy is not really eager to use works of the scientists in large numbers. Not all the new R&D products are assimilated by the manufacturing sector,” the President emphasised.
Aleksandr Lukashenko reminded that in spring 2023 he instructed the government, the Academy of Sciences and his aide Aleksandr Kosinets to consider the possibility of creating a so-called brain trust capable of assessing and supervising large-scale projects in the country. By the way, such projects have already been earmarked.
“We need a centre which will act on behalf of the President and will see what is going on in the country and make all of you implement these projects,” the Head of State explained.
The government presented to the Head of State a version with two main structures: a centre that develops ideas and calculates their economic effect, and a council which decides on the viability and relevance of such ideas. The final decision on the largest projects is expected to be made by the Head of State.
The President drew attention to the role of regional governors in the implementation of strategic projects, “Remember this: the failure of a project on your territory will mean your failure.”
Deputy Head of the Belarus President Administration Maksim Yermolovich said that all problematic issues arising in the planning and implementation of the largest investment projects had been analysed and foreign and Soviet experience in developing large-scale production facilities had been studied.
“Objectively, today there is no single centre in Belarus to determine large-scale investment projects and capital investments. The process is decentralised and is carried out according to the proposals from central government bodies, regional executive committees or investors,” Deputy Head of the Belarus President Administration noted.
At the meeting, they discussed the need to create and the features of the functioning of the centre and the Council for Strategic Investment Projects. There were many proposals on how to organise this work.
“In the end the following proposal was recognised as the basic one: the creation of the council for large-scale, strategic investment projects under the President of Belarus. It will be a powerful intellectual institution, which will be incorporated into the state administration system and will analyse and suggest such strategic projects to the President,” Maksim Yermolovich told reporters about the results of the meeting.
As far as the organisation of the centre for strategic projects is concerned, during the discussion it was noted that it is necessary to give an additional impulse to the Economy Ministry. The ministry has to streamline work in a way so as to make sure that the projects, which are worked out by scientists, are offered by enterprises and investors, pass the appropriate scientific and technical evaluation.
“The council will oversee the realisation of these projects among other things. Including by involving all the government agencies that have the relevant skill sets,” Deputy Head of the Belarus President Administration added.

Based on materials of sb.by and belta.by