President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko called the construction and improvement of roads and bridges the most important task of the state. He stated this at the grand opening ceremony of the renovated bridge in Mozyr over the Pripyat River, as reported by a BELTA correspondent.

"Bridges and roads are the most important task of the state. The state must deal with infrastructure," Alexander Lukashenko emphasized.

In other words, the state creates conditions and opportunities for people to develop, live, and work. Figuratively speaking, it provides a fishing rod, and people must "catch fish" themselves. "If there is a road, please drive your personal car or use public transport. Here is a piece of land – build a house, develop. If there is an opportunity, we will help a little with housing and so on," the President said.

Similarly, according to the head of state, enterprises and economic entities should act – rely primarily on their own strength, work, develop, and deliver results, rather than idling in anticipation of help or solutions to problematic issues from the state.
 
Alexander Lukashenko explained that the state faces more global tasks in general, including ensuring security and creating conditions for the effective functioning of the economy. The surrounding situation also adds complexity. "The situation is not simple. People must understand this. Moreover, the West, together with the Americans, has taken a firm grip on us. Sanctions, sanctions, sanctions. To build this bridge, we have to somehow manage, extract these pennies, gather them together, and build," the head of state noted.

The same applies to the agricultural sector. Local managers should resolve local issues independently, while the state is responsible for the overall infrastructure, land use control, and, for example, land reclamation, which is highly relevant for the Pripyat region.

"No private entity will build canals or structures on their own," said Alexander Lukashenko. "No one will, except the state. That's why we have focused heavily on land reclamation." This primarily concerns the restoration of land reclamation systems built during Soviet times. This work should have been started earlier, of course, but there were always some difficulties, including financial ones. "We have sometimes treated these issues disgracefully. And I see that the land is becoming unusable – overgrown with bushes, these (reclamation. - BELTA's note) canals are becoming overgrown. We had to tackle this issue forcefully. Therefore, land reclamation is a key issue," the President emphasized.

Alexander Lukashenko said that while traveling from Minsk to the Gomel region, he inspected from a helicopter the state of farming practices, the condition of lands and agricultural lands, and was generally pleased with what he saw. "I can't find fault with anything, except that in low-lying areas, fields have been abandoned and are not being plowed. This is bad," the head of state noted. He pointed out that even plots of 5-10 hectares remain unused, essentially abandoned, at a time when the state is investing significant funds in land reclamation to make lands suitable for agricultural activities.

The President warned that his "inspection" of the Gomel region districts is not yet complete: "I will still look at all the districts here. Both Yel'sky and Narovlyansky, and further south – Lelchitsy. I will see how people are working."

belta.by