Lukashenka Decries Social Stratification While Supporting Sustainable Growth; Calls For Increased Births To Support His Bi-National Socialist Ideals

... “The Republic of Belarus has approached a new stage of its historical path and that by joint efforts Belarusians have laid a solid basis inspiring confidence that the goals will be met.”

"Belarus will not deviate from its 10-year-long development course which has proved effective."

“We have achieved a lot but without revolutions and upheavals. We have not let [capitalists and foreigners] tear the country into pieces and pilfer it, nor have we let any critical stratification and discord in the society to set in.”

"Belarus is continuing to follow its own course. The country will modify it if a necessity arises."

"The core of the course is the socio-economic program approved by the Third All-Belarus People’s Congress. The program is designed to allow not only for a sustainable economic growth but also for a better quality of life."

“Ambitious goals have been mapped out. But we are able to meet them in case each of us, whatever he is – a company chief executive, serviceman, businessman, teacher, doctor, industrialist or an agrarian – is not indifferent to the future of the country."

“We should be in the lead in terms of up-to-date research, technologies and ideas. The state will provide all-round encouragement to people’s initiatives."

"The peculiarity of the Belarusian development policy is its commitment to social targets. Over the recent five years the amounts of salaries, pensions and scholarships have soared. The health care branch has been reaching a qualitatively new level. Life in rural areas is becoming more comfortable. Special attention will be paid to forging socio-economic conditions to push up the birth rate."

“I will not try to please powers that be either on this or the other side of the ocean. My every effort will be aimed to serve the Belarusian people and make their life better”

“You have entrusted your lives, the future of your relatives, beloved ones and your children to me. I kneel before you for this and this is something I appreciate most of all. This obliges me to stay devoted to you, to be a decent, just and sincere leader”

"The pivotal task for the upcoming period is to fully realize the potential of the Belarusian-Russian integration and tackle the issues of building up the Union State"

“We are against any kind of aggression. We would like to have only friends and allies in the international arena. We are ready help all who seek to strengthen their positions using peaceful means and hope other countries will follow the same pattern”

"As newly-elected president I want to assure you that we will not back away from the country's development strategy which has been elaborated over the past 10 years," he said.

Televised inaugural speech transcript by Reuters via 'The Being Had Times'

http://bhtimes.blogspot.com/2006/04/lukashenka-inauguration-by-scoffs-at.html














Lukashenka aspires to be the beloved father figure of well over one hundred million Slavs in a revived, truncated, and formerly deeply humiliated neo-Soviet Slavonic Union State. His poll numbers are rising in Russia. Will he be challenged in his next rigged election -- that for the Presidency of the Russian - Belarusian [and Kazakhstan and Ukraine?] Union State - by Vladimir Putin?

Photo credit: Associated Press With thanks.