The head of state admitted his special attitude to Minsk Oblast, the country's most populous region. “One of the most important criteria of assessing a region's success is population number. Minsk Oblast is experiencing a population growth, which drags up (though insignificantly) the number of workforce. There are nearly 700,000 of them today. Minsk Oblast compares very favorably to other regions. This deserves the highest praise,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

The head of state noted that the region does not have any critical problems. “However this makes it even more difficult for the new governor. You are fully aware of my demands – it is unacceptable to be satisfied with what you already have and to make no further effort. It means that the new administration will have to take the region to a higher level of growth. In order to achieve this, it is necessary to come to grips with the factors impeding the region's growth,” he emphasized.

“Mr Turchin, you know how to work with businesses of all forms of ownership. It is of paramount importance to step up business activities and increase the contribution of entrepreneurship into the regional economy,” the head of state said addressing the governor. If new businesses are distributed evenly all over the region, you will tackle the issue of even development of the region, not only the so-called ‘golden area' between the first and second ring roads,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.