It defines the country’s development strategy. Dmitry Zhuk - on the importance of the All-Belarusian People's Assembly

The third meeting of the VII All-Belarusian People’s Assembly will be held in Minsk on December 17-18, 2026. This year is an anniversary year for the WNC - it is 30 years since the date of the first meeting in October 1996. About how the state has changed over three decades and with what guidelines the country is preparing for the third meeting of the VII WNC, on the air of the talk show “Budni” on “SBTV” and “Alfa Radio” told the Minister of information of Belarus Dmitry Zhuk, writes sb.by.

Over 30 years, the Belarusian state has changed, because for three decades the history of the VNS is inextricably intertwined with the era of the formation of independence and sovereignty of the country under the leadership of the Head of State, said Dmitry Zhuk.

- If we recall the first WNC, there were participants, the term delegate was not used. Our people determined the political model, the structure of the state and endowed the elected Head of State with more weighty powers, which allowed him to pursue a consistent policy in the economy, social sphere, foreign relations and achieve tangible results. Today we live in a completely different country in terms of living standards, in terms of feeling like we are in this world. We understand our place, our position, feel like people who live in their own sovereign country, he said. Then, in the mid-90s, from my own experience, I can say that there was no such feeling. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the younger generation did not understand what the future would look like. Today, our young people clearly know that they have certain guarantees that they live in a legal paradigm of economic processes that they understand. They are educated and have the right to health care. What we say and what seems common to us, in many countries, even in our neighbors, alas, is absent. That's what makes us different. Look, strategic decisions were always made at the national assembly, the course and strategic directions of economic and social development were determined. Today we already have a constitutional body, unique for the political systems of Europe, which has matured in our society. The President very clearly grasped the request of society to create a national representative body that would determine the strategic development of the country.

Responding to the question about how strategic state guidelines are perceived in Belarusian society, the Minister of Information of Belarus pointed to the strong support of the course from citizens:

- Our government, and the Head of State above all, today has a lot of trust from people. And this is not only the figures at the polling stations, it is also the figures of the large-scale sociological studies that were published last week and are published this week. The numbers are very interesting, on the one hand. On the other hand, in many ways, for me, expected. First, a very broad sample across the country. People’s opinions, aspirations, desires, what can be traced through these sociological figures, on the peaceful and creative future of our country. That's important. No wonder the first thing we are proud of, and our main value is a peaceful sky above our heads. This is the basis for any further action and development. People have realized that if we are not strong, strong economically, defensively, united as a nation, we will be vulnerable.

The talk show “Budney” is released on weekdays on the morning air of “Alfa Radio”. Each issue discusses the most relevant topics from the life of the country and the world. Political scientists, scientists, public figures and journalists of leading media participate in the discussions. See the full version of the program on the VIDEOBEL.BY website and on the SBTV YouTube channel.