Lukashenko: Reliable national security is still crucial to the wellbeing of any country

MINSK, 30 October (BelTA) – Reliable national security is still crucial to the wellbeing of any country. Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko made the statement during the conference for Belarusian army officers on 30 October, BelTA has learned.

The head of state underlined it was the first meeting of the kind after the latest presidential election. According to Alexander Lukashenko, results of the election confirmed the nation's trust in the current government and predetermined the strategic policy for Belarus' development in the near future.

“Reliable ways to ensure national security have ever been crucial to the wellbeing of any state. This point has never been more topical,” stressed the head of state. According to Alexander Lukashenko, spheres of influence are being re-divided on the global scale. The process inevitably leads to the transformation of the current international security system.

The President spoke about the foundation and development of the United Nations Organization, which was established after World War Two for the sake of maintaining and strengthening international peace and security, for promoting cooperation between nations.

“At that time the UN matched the situation as the supremacy of the system that evolved after the Great Patriotic War,” noted the head of state. “The Soviet Union was the main victor after the war. It seemed the United States and the UK didn't lose the war either. It was understandable that the Soviet Union was exhausted and there was no need to advance further along the way of the Great Victory. The West and other parties understood the Soviet Union was a very powerful force, no further clashes were supposed to happen. The forces were balanced. The sides started negotiations, came to terms and created the relevant security system, with the UN at its core. Back then the world was balanced as a result of the dreadful and bloody war.”

Alexander Lukashenko continued: “Today the situation is being unbalanced. The Soviet Union is no more. We saw everything happen firsthand. I remember standing here, in this hall virtually one year after winning the presidential election in the mid-1990s and stating that we have to be ready to protect our fatherland. We stated that violations of the international law and NATO's advance to the east were unacceptable. We were the first to start talking about it. Belarusian ‘dictatorship' is not the point. Someone not liking us is not the point either. The point is that for 20 years we have maintained a certain stance. Our stance has been unshakable unlike in all the other post-Soviet republics without an exception. We have been absolutely sincere and absolutely honest before our own nation, before our partners, and possibly before our probable adversary. Since then we have been accused of dictatorship and attempts to revive the Soviet Union. What do we see 20 years down the road? We see what was foretold in the mid-1990s.”

The President stressed that the system of checks and balances had gone haywire. “I would not like the new global security system to emerge as a result of a bloodbath. One of the reasons I wouldn't like it is that it won't be the kind of slaughter that we saw in the middle of the 20th century. The new war will involve nuclear weapons. We absolutely don't need that just like any other nation that lives on this planet,” stated Alexander Lukashenko.

The President reminded that during the latest UN summit on sustainable development Belarus' stance towards the policy of the so-called powers that be was clearly outlined. In their blind ambition to dominate by any means possible those powers often cross the line to embrace national egoism and permit actions able to put the world on the brink of a global armed conflict, believes Alexander Lukashenko.

Lukashenko: Neither Belarus nor Russia needs the Russian airbase from the military point of view

“I believe that all this hype in mass media has purely political reasons behind it,” said Alexander Lukashenko. In his opinion, the deployment of a Russian airbase in Belarus would bring more disadvantages than advantages to Belarus and Russia.

Lukashenko: No sense in getting involved in muscle flexing game of our western and eastern neighbors

“We have to primarily rely on our own forces as far as the counteraction of modern challenges and threats is concerned. Nobody will ever rock our boat if we don't create preconditions for it,” believes the head of state.

Belarus president: Double standards dominate global politics

“False slogans about the threats to the global community and ostensible reasons for imposing “democracy” were used to devastate Iraq and Libya, to plunge North Africa and the Middle East into chaos,” Alexander Lukashenko stressed.

Lukashenko: Belarus cannot but be affected by the crisis in Ukraine

"First and foremost, our country cannot but be affected by the crisis in Ukraine. We know the people who were behind and who participated in the coup and the war that began afterwards,” said Alexander Lukashenko.

Lukashenko: It is very important for Belarus to maintain balance in relations with Moscow, Kiev

The head of state underlined that Kiev's determination to continue confrontation with Moscow which is fueled from outside is of particular concern. “It has already been formalized at the legislative level. In particular, the new Ukrainian military doctrine names Russia a military adversary,” said Alexander Lukashenko.

Lukashenko demands higher quality of Belarusian military products

“It is unclear why we, for example, buy bulletproof vests in Russia if we can make them here,” the head of state remarked.

Lukashenko: U.S. desire to sustain global leadership undermines security in Europe

"It is in this context that we should consider the escalating militarization of the region. Examples of this are the deployment of the NATO command centers in the Baltic countries and Poland, military build-up, including the American nuclear weapons in European countries,” the head of state said.

Growing influence of destructive forces on geopolitical processes seen as alarming

According to the head of state, the increasing activity of terrorist groups, national and religious extremist organizations has become a real threat of global scale.

New draft military doctrine prepared in Belarus

The head of state remarked that this document is to be considered at the session of the Security Council by the end of the year.

President calls for continuous optimization of Belarusian army

“We have reached our optimal number. It is an answer to those, who come up with terrible proposals for reforming the economy these days. It was just like that back then,” noted the head of state.

Lukashenko: Confrontation in international media space is as intense as real combat

The head of state stressed that information expansion has made an integral part of the destructive impact on a state. "It is a powerful weapon to achieve political, economic and military superiority in any confrontation," said Alexander Lukashenko.

Belarus economy reform to focus on high-quality manufacturing

“This is a priority for the government, the economic sector and the military-industrial complex. It does not matter what we will produce and sell. It is important to sell at a good price. This is the essence of the reform,” Alexander Lukashenko said.

Lukashenko: Russia-West relations at an unprecedented low

The President noted that for the first time the new U.S. national military strategy adopted this year lists countering “revisionist states" as one of the priority tasks. Among such states they see Russia who persistently tries to make adjustments to the existing architecture of international security.