Minsk, Aug 4 (IANS): Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has said one of the main tasks for the government now is to increase the population of the country to 15 million.
While hearing a report on the demographic situation, the Belarusian leader said on Thursday the country can feed 20 million people, but the main task is to increase the population to 15 million people, Xinhua news agency reported.
"People are important for the economic security of our country, are the strength of our country," Lukashenko said.
The head of state said the creation of conditions for promoting birth rate, providing people with jobs and increasing their wellbeing are the main tasks for the government. He promised that officials will be responsible for resolving these social issues.
As of January 1, 2017, the population of Belarus exceeded 9.5 million and increased by more than 6,000 over the past year.