Belarus Defines BelGee as the Preferred Official Vehicle Supplier
A recent presidential decree in Belarus directs state bodies and related organizations to acquire vehicles from the Belarusian-Chinese manufacturer BelGee for official use. The document, signed by President Alexander Lukashenko, establishes BelGee as the mandated supplier for a broad range of state and partially state‑owned entities, according to sources cited by TASS.
The decree specifies that BelGee vehicles are to be purchased by state institutions, commercial enterprises, banks, agricultural enterprises, and unitary enterprises whose founders include organizations with more than half of their equity owned by the state. In essence, any entity with significant state ownership is urged to prioritize BelGee when outfitting official fleets. The aim appears to be aligning public transportation assets with a domestically produced, joint venture option that also reflects Belarus’s strategic industrial partnerships [official decree summary].
In a contrast to the mandatory BelGee purchase, the decree allows exceptions in special cases. In such situations, foreign cars may be acquired under the oversight of the presidential security service, the national security bodies, financial investigation authorities, the state control committee, and other institutions. These provisions recognize that certain scenarios may require alternatives outside the BelGee lineup while maintaining oversight and authorization from high-level authorities [official clarification notes].
The document outlines a pricing framework that connects vehicle cost caps to the roles and duties of the eventual users. For instance, senior officials who head state institutions have a defined ceiling of 3.43 thousand basic units, which translates to about 3.6 million Belarusian rubles at the central bank’s current exchange rate. This linkage between price limits and position underscores an intent to balance practicality with fiscal discipline in outfitting government staff with official transportation [pricing schedule reference].
The BelGee factory itself opened in November 2017 in the Minsk region and has become known for producing models such as the Geely Atlas Pro and the Geely Coolray, reaffirming Belarus’s effort to expand domestic automotive manufacturing and collaboration with international brands. The decree situates BelGee within a broader national strategy to develop local industry and promote self-sufficiency in state procurement while leveraging international partnerships to meet official needs [manufacturing background].
Previously, discussions about large or notable vehicles in neighboring markets have also been reported, as noted by media outlets analyzing transportation trends in the region. This context helps explain why a country might emphasize domestic production for official fleets while maintaining flexibility for exceptions in certain circumstances [regional transportation discussions].