MINSK, 30 March (BelTA) – Belarus' military doctrine is defensive, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said as he met with U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Dr Michael Carpenter on 30 March, BelTA has learned.
“Our military doctrine is purely defensive,” Alexander Lukashenko said. “We will never ever attack anyone or use weapons against any country.
The head of state remarked that Belarus is a member of the CSTO. Alexander Lukashenko said that the position of Belarus in this organization is very simple: “We will never fight on someone else's territory because we are committed to a defensive military doctrine.” The President stressed that “if anyone attempts to attack Belarus, we will defend ourselves and fulfill our obligations as an ally of Russia.” “Our priorities are the protection of the integrity and sovereignty of our country, resistance to all kinds of threats,” the Belarusian leader said.
According to Alexander Lukashenko, Belarus values the international opinion regarding its role in the Ukraine settlement. The head of state assured that the Belarusian side will always be committed to the principles of peace because Belarus does not need a war in Ukraine. “There have never been any threats to Ukraine from our land, our territory and never will be. We pursue the peace-loving policy and will do our best to normalize the situation in Ukraine,” the President underlined.
Alexander Lukashenko said that 160,000 Ukrainian citizens moved to Belarus. According to the Belarusian head of state, these people have the same rights as Belarusian citizens. They have jobs, their children go to Belarusian kindergartens and schools.
