The head of state delivered the annual State of the Nation Address to the Belarusian people and the Parliament

The head of state delivered the annual State of the Nation Address to the Belarusian people and the Parliament. The President voiced the country's development strategy for the near future. Alexander Lukashenko began his speech with the issues of stability and security in the modern world which became the central ones at the meeting. The earlier challenges and threats still linger, while fundamentally new ones appear at the same time.

The head of state paid much attention to the topic of economic development. The President named the creation of a strong and competitive economy in Belarus as the main priority. It is the basis of the sovereignty of the country. A colossal work needs to be done. But Belarus will no longer be doing it from scratch. For a quarter of a century of independence, many difficult problems have been solved. The potential that Belarus has today allows the country to demonstrate resilience even in the most unfavorable times.

Another topical issue was the integration of Belarus into the world economy. Alexander Lukashenko noted that fundamental changes are taking place in the global economy. Along with powerful social and economic challenges and imbalances, new global projects of cooperation with open architecture, such as the Silk Road Economic Belt, are emerging today. Alexander Lukashenko is convinced that Belarus should become one of the key platforms of the new Silk Road in the Eurasian region.

Separate parts of the President's speech were devoted to social policy, national security and Belarus' international relations.