Head of the Belarus President Administration Natalya Kochanova introduced the new government to members of the Council of Ministers Office on 20 August.

Prime Minister Sergei Roumas thanked the president for his trust. “I view it as a great responsibility and challenge for me personally. Today is the start of probably the most important stage of my life that will demand utmost mobilization of all my energy, skills and experience that I obtained at my previous positions,” Sergei Rumas said.

Speaking about the tasks, the premier said that they are all known and were outlined by program documents. “One should not expect any revision of these decisions or revolutionary moves. While making personnel decisions, the head of state made an emphasis on discipline, integrity and teamwork. Another area of focus is improvement of the well-being of people. The head of state emphasized that this will be the main criteria for evaluating the work of the government,” he said.

Sergei Roumas graduated from Yaroslavl Higher Military Finance College and served in the army in the Far East. After the disintegration of the Soviet Union he returned home, worked at private and state-run banks. In December 2010 the head of state appointed him vice premier in the government of Mikhail Myasnikovich. According to Sergei Rumas, the year 2011 was quite a challenging period for the country; however the government managed to restore economic stability pretty fast. After that, Sergei Rumas was entrusted with establishing the country’s new financial institution - the Development Bank.