Lukashenka Shook Up Management In Big Way

He has appointed a number of new deputy ministers, rectors and the head of the oil company.

On December 7, Aliaksandr Lukashenka considered personnel issues, his press service reports, tut.by writes.

He appointed:

Uladzimir Astapenka – Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Belarus in the Argentine Republic and concurrently in the Eastern Republic of Uruguay;

Aliaksandr Sidaruk – Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Belarus to the Republic of South Africa and concurrently in the Republic of Angola, the Republic of Zimbabwe, the Republic of Mozambique and the Republic of Namibia.

Lukashenka also agreed with the following appointments:

Siarhei Radziuk – head of the Savietski district administration of Homel;

Dzmitry Lebedz – head of the Tsentralny district administration of Homel;

Siarhei Savitski – chairman of the Uzda District Executive Committee;

Siarhei Kulahin – chairman of the Horki District Executive Committee;

Leanid Batsianouski – Consul General of the Republic of Belarus in Guangzhou (People's Republic of China);

Alina Korbut – rector of the educational institution Belarusian State University of Culture and Arts;

Iryna Kiturka – rector of the educational institution Hrodna State University named after Yanka Kupala;

Andrei Kartun – Deputy Minister of Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade;

Andrei Khmel – Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection;

Ivan Smilhin – Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food – Director of the Department of Veterinary and Food Supervision;

Mikhail Mironchyk – Director of the Department for Quality Control of Education under the Ministry of Education;

Henadz Hrabniou – a member of the Vitsebsk Regional Executive Committee.

Besides, Lukashenka agreed upon Mikhail Puchyla as the general director of ZAO Belarusian Oil Company, which was reported by the press service of the Belarusian dictator.

43-year-old Puchyla has extensive experience in the gas sector. More than 10 years ago, he became deputy general director of Beltransgaz, and after the takeover by Gazprom, until recently worked as the deputy head of Gazprom Transgaz Belarus. Puchyla, together with Deputy Prime Minister Uladzimir Siamashka, took part in negotiations with the Russian side on resolving gas disputes and selling the Belarusian pipe.

The post of the head of the Belarusian Oil Company became vacant after Aliaksandr Dziamidau left for Naftan in March this year. In the autumn, market participants were saying that the uncertainty with the new CEO of the Belarusian Oil Company caused nervousness in the Ukrainian market regarding long-term contracts for 2018.

Several people were candidates for the role of the Belarusian Oil Company general director. "There is a wrangling between the stakeholders," – industry sources reported in October.

The Belarusian Oil Company is a special exporter of petroleum products from Belarus. Every month it exports up to 1 million tons of oil products. Its subsidiary companies have been opened in the UK, Ukraine, Poland, Latvia and Russia.