The head of state noted that today, as during the first Belarusian People's Congress in 1996, the country is going through a difficult period, maybe even a more ambiguous one. After all, Belarus has never experienced such external pressure. “This is what sets the current period and the current Belarusian People's Congress apart from others. Then, as I said, it was not easy, but there was no such external pressure. All major powers were busy with their problems, and the European Union was not yet the European Union,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
Traditionally, the congress will sup up the results of the five-year period. “We need to have a candid conversation about what we have achieved and what we have not and why,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said. The delegates will also review the social and economic development program for 2021-2025, consider ways to ensure economic growth and to maintain the model of a welfare social state given the most difficult external context. “We are well aware that the geopolitical and economic confrontation will increase, and the pandemic will not go away in the near future,” the head of state noted.
Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed that all novel concepts that will be proposed at the upcoming Belarusian People's Congress need to serve one purpose - Belarusians and their well-being. There should be no decisions to please foreign "advisers" and their local advocates, he said.
“The concept of the main report and its discussion should be built around this main postulate,” the president said. “People should hear from the government where we are going in the the coming five years and what we have achieved in the past. The two issues - economic and socio-political ones - should be reflected. Our visions and proposals must be specific designed to tackle the real challenges and aspirations of the people. We don't need the theories detached from life. We need to meet the expectations of the society. We should examine the widest range of opinions of our citizens."
The head of state recalled that a wide-ranging public dialogue was organized in the country ahead of the Belarusian People's Congress to discuss the main areas of the country's development. Community liaison offices have been opened across the country so that everyone could offer their opinion and make suggestions on these issues.
“Everyone can voice their opinion. This is the pluralism of opinions that we need for making the right governance decisions and building an effective balance between the interests of the state and the society,” Aleksandr Lukashenko noted.
