Belarus’ authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko has reassigned key positions within the country’s government and presidential administration with a view to increasing efficiency, state news agency BELTA reported on Thursday.
“Efficiency must be incredibly increased if we want to survive this mad battle,” BELTA quoted Lukashenko as saying.
He warned the new head of the presidential administration, former ambassador to Russia Dmitry Krutoi, that “ministers had to run around and get things done.”
Lukashenko said the reshuffle was aimed at cutting bureaucracy.
The new Minister of Foreign Affairs is Maxim Ryzhenkov. “The Foreign Ministry needs to be woken up so that it can get its affairs in order,” Lukashenko said. Anyone who does not want to work should be fired, he added.
Ryzhenkov, who effectively headed the presidential government, replaces Sergei Aleinik, who is moving to parliament.
Aleinik had only been in power since the end of 2022, after his predecessor, internationally respected Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei, died unexpectedly.
In addition to the top presidential office, the position of deputy head of the presidential administration is held by Natalya Petkevich, who praised Lukashenko as assertive.
In the government, Lukashenko appointed Yuri Shuleiko as deputy prime minister, Aleksandr Yefimov as minister of industry and Anatoly Linevich as minister of agriculture, an important sector in Belarus.
Belarus is Russia’s closest ally in the conflict with Ukraine and the West. The country is economically dependent on Moscow for its raw materials.
Like Russia, Belarus faces Western sanctions over human rights violations and support for Moscow’s war against Ukraine.
