MOSCOW, April 18 (Xinhua) -- Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko appointed Sergei Sidorsky as prime minister for a new term on Tuesday, according to reports from Minsk.

    Sidorsky submitted his resignation according to the constitution after Lukashenko was re-elected for a third term on March 19. Last week, the president nominated Sidorsky as prime minister. This was approved by the lower house of parliament on Monday.

    The new Belarussian government will "accurately follow the course announced by President Alexander Lukashenko: to make a state for (the) people," Sidorsky said on Monday in Belarussian parliament.

    He said the new government would focus on helping small cities and on implementing plans to revitalize Belarus' rural areas in a bid to nurture the country's economic development.

    Sidorsky, 52, graduated from the Belarussian Institute of Engineers of Railway Transport in 1976 with a degree in technical sciences. He became prime minister in December 2003, replacing Gennady Novitskyin. Enditem