At the recent opening ceremony of the renovated bridge across the Pripyat River in Mozyr, President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko called the construction and improvement of roads and bridges one of the most important tasks of the state. In his talk with SB TV YouTube channel and Alfa Radio, Aleksei Avdonin, the Chairman of Belarus’ Znanie [Knowledge] Society and an expert of the Belarusian Institute for Strategic Studies, explained the Head of State’s words.
“That’s not propaganda, but purely the economy. After all, many studies confirm that the development of the road network, the creation of bridges and other transport related infrastructure significantly increase the economic growth pace: by 1.5 percent at once. In turn, the increase in speed of automobile and rail transport along these highways leads to another 1.5-2 percent economic growth,” Mr. Avdonin said. “For example, a key trend in advanced China now is to increase not only the number of roads and railways, but also the speed of movement along them. In this case, time losses for cargo delivery, turnover of raw materials, and components are reduced, making it possible to earn much more money and, accordingly, contribute to the increase in economic growth. The wealth and well-being of Belarusians will increase due to the growth of real wages.”
At the ceremony in Mozyr, the Head of State pointed out that Ukraine is very close, noting that Belarusians ‘are connecting the shores, including for them [Ukrainians]’. “We are open and ready to welcome Ukrainians. We will gladly receive you and ensure that your families and children enjoy the quality of life that Belarusians have, especially in education and healthcare,” the President emphasised then.
Pondering on whether it can be asserted that the Belarusian state and the Belarusian leader are doing their best to connect the shores between the countries, Mr. Avdonin said, “Thanks to our President, the ideology of good neighbourliness has been developed in Belarus, and it is expressed not in populism (saying something but further failing to do), but in real projects and assistance. Our country has already accepted so many refugees from Ukraine and other places, and these people have integrated into our life, routine and economy. Actually, the path to Belarus is very difficult for Ukrainian refugees.… In terms of infrastructure facilities, we are guided by an old belief that it is necessary to build bridges or dig ditches. After all, water will be collected in such ditches at some stage, and it can later be used by people. The same is here: it is necessary to build bridges, because no matter how the collective West tries to break us up, we will in any case come to the regime of good neighbourliness and restoration of relations – and bridges are necessary for this to happen.”