Lukashenka promises to start “personnel purges” in government

The dictator announces significant dismissals in the government and among senior executives of big companies are possible.

He made the statement as he met with the personnel of OAO Belaruskali today, BelTA reports.

“In the near future we will reshuffle personnel: from the government to directors of big enterprises which ensure the wellbeing of our country if we do not see adequate results,” Lukashenka stated.

The dictator noted that this issue has been recently discussed at the session of the Security Council. “I told them if there are no results, they will be dismissed,” the Belarusian leader stressed.

“In the most difficult conditions Belaruskali showed how to work on international markets. Why cannot BelAZ, MTZ, MAZ do the same? They can! Perhaps, they do not want to or are exhausted,” Lukashenka added.

He also noted that “stability in Belarus could be disrupted only by economic factors”.

“Foreign journalists who interview me often start lamenting that there is dictatorship over there and Putin will enter Belarus on a tank after Ukraine. This is just ridiculous. No one will ever come to us on any tank and no one will make us leave the path we are following,” he said. “No one is able to throw the country into turmoil; only economic factors can do it. Our stability can be disrupted only by economy and only if our companies shut down and we fail to sell our products,” Lukashenka stressed. He added that Belarus should manufacture high quality products and sell them at a reasonable price.

The head of state reminded that Belarus buys natural gas and oil from Russia at lower prices than the neighboring countries. “What else would Belaruskali or other companies need? They need a whip, as I often tell our officials, and great pressure to make them work.” Alyaksandr Lukashenka added that there is nothing he or the government can be blamed for in this respect.