Lukashenka: Retirement Age Should Be Raised

Minsk is discussing a $3 billion, 10-year loan at an interest rate of 2.28% with IMF.

That was stated on Tuesday by the Prime Minister of Belarus Andrei Kabiakou during the meeting with Lukashenka on negotiations on the IMF’s Extended Fund Facility program, BelTA informs.

“We need to invite the IMF to provide its financial resources under the most comfortable conditions concerning the terms and costs of the loan. It’s beneficial for us to take out a $3 billion, 10-year loan at an interest rate of 2.28%”, - the Prime Minister noted.

Lukashenka said in his turn that there were held meetings with the head of the IMF in New York. Also Minsk hosted meetings with the IMF representatives who negotiate with our government.

“We don’t see any problem in coordinating the program with the IMF. What is being proposed is reasonable and is to be implemented sooner or later. But there are some questions - when, in what terms, and most importantly, what the consequences of this program will be”, - the president noted.

He stated: “I want the government and the National Bank be well aware of my position. But I would like to stress it once again: I am not going to cut living ties for no reason, in order to please someone.” “We will go in for, as you call them, reforms (which are not really reforms, but a normal functioning of the state), so we will take only that measures which will improve what we already have. And we will take these measures only when we are sure, for example, that people will be able to pay the bills after the increase in tariffs for housing and communal services”, - assured the dictator.

He also addressed the question of privatization: “If we speak about privatization, then we must be sure that it is a fair, open, and, most importantly, competitive privatization, including the privatization of an enterprise”.

Concerning the issue of rising the retirement age, Lukashenka said: “Concerning the necessity to rise the retirement age (which is highly recommended by the IMF, by the way), I said before the elections and I am absolutely certain about that - we need to rise the retirement age and I mentioned the reasons for that. But I also said that we need to consult with the people to see what they think. I engaged the administration and I think that they have already worked out a certain algorithm on how to consult with the people”.

“We should serve the interests of our own people. Even if the IMF doesn’t support and doesn’t understand us, there will be no tragedy. We will continue to work with them, or will not work with them at all; our people and our state are most important. They announced the entire program and I haven’t told them "no" to any of the points – neither to tariffs, nor to age, nor to salary. We cannot do it on the spur of the moment – we will break down the country, hurt our people, destabilize the situation and, as a result, all sense will be lost”, - he said.