Alyaksandr Lukashenka described structures attached to ministries as “crony feeding troughs” with bloated staffing levels and ordered their liquidation. The Foreign Ministry came in for particularly sharp criticism.
“I instruct the government, in the first half of 2026, to fully review the role and functions of so-called development institutions. Why are we spending so much money on structures that cannot be seen or heard? The National Investment Agency under the Ministry of Economy, the National Center for Marketing and Price Conjuncture under the Foreign Ministry, the Foreign Economic Activity Agency under the Development Bank, the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and others.
You know, I look at the National Center for Marketing and Price Conjuncture under the Foreign Ministry. What kind of marketing? What kind of conjuncture? Yes, there are such issues, but the Foreign Ministry as a whole should be dealing with this. Why create additional structures? These are crony feeding troughs for officials with inflated staffs and salaries,” he said at a meeting of the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly on December 18.
He stated that such structures must disappear.
“Liquidate them within the first quarter of 2026,” Lukashenka ordered.
Lukashenka also once again criticized officials for their inability to sell goods and demanded that foreign trips not be turned into tourist outings.
“We produce a decent range of goods, but either they are not known in distant markets, or crowds of intermediaries profit from them, skimming the cream and making money. It is time to learn that sales are an art,” Lukashenka said.
He admitted that he felt embarrassed meeting the Sultan of Oman during a recent visit to the country.
“Returning from our traditional winter trips, once again I am convinced that we do not know how to trade at all. You know, I was ashamed to conduct negotiations with the Sultan of Oman and to ask him: help us, teach us how to trade,” Lukashenka complained.