OREANDA-NEWS. April 28, 2010. In the next five-year term the Pripyat Polesie area will acquire a totally different look, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko told residents of the area.

“In the next five-year term we will certainly make Polesie more beautiful. We will make a pearl out of it. We have completely changed the look of this piece of land and are resolute to carry it through,” said the head of state. The President stressed that the government will only aid while Polesie residents will have to take care of the main work.

The head of state reminded that a program had been adopted to list all the efforts to revive Polesie, with the required finance allocated.

Speaking about reclaiming Polesie lands, the President stressed that the financing of the relevant state program will not be curtailed. “I’ve said already that land improvement will become the main program starting from the next five-year term. There will be money because the rural development program will be complete, we will be done with agro-towns, too, this is why there will be no expensive projects and there will be money to spend,” he said. Alexander Lukashenko also reminded that the larger part of land improvement efforts should be completed within the next three years. He also added that new lands will not be improved, only the systems that have been uncared for since the Soviet times will be restored. He also pointed out that businesslike approach to all projects is needed. In addition, the reclaimed lands will be monitored to prevent them from falling to desolation again.

The President visited the reclamation facility Doroshevichi of the agricultural company Lyaskovichi, got familiar with the technological process of land reclamation and other kinds of work. The head of state was also demonstrated reclamation machines of today. Alexander Lukashenko pointed out the quality of their assembly and instructed heads of relevant enterprises to make 70 machines by April 2011, with the design improved to match requirements of ameliorators.

The President talked to local residents. He said that he had known the land and all its problems for a long time. Alexander Lukashenko said that Belarus is successfully dealing with consequences of the global crisis. “We’ve just begun recovering from the most severe crisis. The world’s leading countries went down. It is their fault. They dragged the entire world economy with them, including Belarus. We’ve managed to get a grip on the edge of the abyss and are starting to pull ourselves out,” he said. According to the President, all branches of the national economy are on their way to recovery. “It means there is hope that in half a year we will return to the pre-crisis level, including salaries,” he said.

Next year agribusiness proceeds will reach USD 3 billion. “On the one hand, it is good, on the other, it doesn’t benefit us. Because many are envious now: they don’t have oil and gas but they are better off, probably at our expense,” remarked Alexander Lukashenko. “We earn our living with our callused hands like people across Belarus are accustomed to”.

Despite economy success the President warned that it is not the time to relax. “We should revive and renew this land so that it would be a pleasant place to live for you and your children,” concluded the President.