When appointing Sergei Maslyak to the post, the head of state outlined the range of tasks facing the new head of the department.
“As for the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, we recently held a serious meeting on this matter. I will say it straight: we need to dig and search. In addition, you need to make everyone work in this direction. I do not believe that our subsoil does not contain what we need. If you solve this problem to any extent, this monument can be erected anywhere,” the President said.
The head of state noted that mineral fertilizer deposits have been more or less explored in Belarus. “But I do not believe that we do not have large volumes of oil,” Alexander Lukashenko emphasized.
In this regard, he drew attention to the fact that only one company currently operates in the oil exploration and production sector in Belarus. Moreover, as the President noted, it works well and is managed by a good specialist. Nevertheless, there is no competition in this sector.
“We didn’t come up with it – there must be competition. We need more opinions, more impressions, etc.,” the Head of State instructed the new Minister.
As for the tasks in the field of environmental protection, the President said: “There is no place (larger in the world – Ed.) for people to live that nature has given us, Belarusians. And we need to preserve it. I am a very demanding person, who grew up in a village. You could say, almost in a forest. And I am used to treating not only animals, but also plants with care. There should be more of them, there should be a lot of them. Take control of tree planting. As I say, on road slopes, in wastelands, and so on. A tree can grow anywhere. And in 80 years, it will be good timber that our children will be able to use.”
In addition, Alexander Lukashenko emphasized the importance of forest plantations for the environment. “A tree is good air for people to breathe. This is important for us. After swamps, forests are the main generator of oxygen on our planet. Therefore, trees should be planted everywhere they can grow,” the President instructed. “There is a lot of work in this regard, and it has been neglected to some extent.”
As Sergey Maslyak told journalists, the Head of State, when making the decision on the appointment, focused the new Minister’s attention on the issues of restoring order on the land and improving settlements. “In this area, the role of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection is coordinating. It is our department that is responsible for this work,” said the head of the Ministry of Natural Resources. In addition, the President once again reminded about the need to green the slopes along the main highways, in particular along the Moscow Ring Road.
Before his appointment as Minister, Sergey Maslyak worked as the head of the administration of the Zavodskoy district of Minsk. In this regard, journalists asked if he had any worries, concerns about his new status and the need to perform a number of important tasks. “It is generally difficult to scare the Zavodskoy workers,” the Minister, whose life and a significant period of work were associated with the Zavodskoy district of Minsk, answered with a bit of humor. He emphasized with particular pride that in Belarus such career growth stories are possible, when a specialist is assessed by his professional qualities: “An ordinary guy who grew up in an ordinary area, in my case – Zavodskoy, after going through a certain stage in his life, can achieve results thanks to his work. And the assessment of my work is a matter for the higher management.”
Sergey Maslyak was born on September 8, 1980 in Minsk. He graduated from the Belarusian State Technological University, the Institute of Tourism of the Belarusian State University of Physical Culture and the Academy of Public Administration under the President of Belarus.
In 2002-2003, he worked as an assistant forester of the Volmyanskoye forestry under the Minsk forestry enterprise.
2003-2005 – first category engineer of the department of surveys and design of forestry facilities of the design and survey republican unitary enterprise “Belgiproles”.
2005-2006 – leading specialist of the urban economy department of the administration of the Zavodskoy district of Minsk.
2006-2012 – deputy director of the municipal unitary enterprise “Zelenstroy of the Zavodskoy district of Minsk”.
April 2012 – September 2012 – deputy director of OOO “Aleksandrinaremstroy”.
2012–2013 — Director of the municipal unitary enterprise “Zelenstroy of the Pervomaisky District of Minsk”.
2013–2015 — Deputy Head of the Zavodskoy District of Minsk.
2015–2019 — Chairman of the Minsk City Committee of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection.
2019–2024 — Head of the Administration of the Zavodskoy District of Minsk.
