MINSK, 14 July (BelTA) – Belarus will never be a source of war or a threat of war, Belarus Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei said in an interview with El Pais. The Russian-language translation of the interview is available on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus, BelTA has learned.
El Pais said that the West is concerned over the forthcoming joint military exercise which Belarus and Russia are set to hold in September. “This is a planned event. These exercises are held every two years. We need to wait till they are over and see the absurdity of these accusations. Our neighbors have nothing to worry about because the territory of Belarus will never be a source of war or a threat of war. The exercise will be transparent. We will invite observers from the neighboring countries, representatives of OSCE and accredited embassies,” the minister said.
“Deploying new military forces will not contribute to the stability and security in the region. We are resolutely against the deployment of NATO's forces in the Baltic countries and Poland. This obliges the other side to take measure and contributes to the arms race, as it was during the cold war,” Vladimir Makei was quoted as saying. He also noted that it makes no sense to deploy a new foreign military base in Belarus because modern weaponry enables Russia to respond as quickly from within its own territory. “We do not want to be a new irritant factor in our region,” Vladimir Makei stressed.
