MINSK, 6 December (BelTA) - Tensions are being escalated on the western border of Belarus under the guise of the migrant crisis, Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei said in an interview with the Belarus 1 TV channel following a meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council in Stockholm, BelTA has learned.
“We see that they are escalating tensions on our western border under the pretext of the migrant crisis. The Belarusian president said that we should avoid the mistakes of the past when we were lulled by appeasing statements [the developments in the run-up to the beginning of the Great Patriotic War],” Vladimir Makei said. “Today, they also insist that they have deployed troops on a temporary basis, that the goal is only to guard the border. But in such situations, when the level of trust is very low, when a spark is enough to set the powder keg on fire, we must be very cautious and vigilant to avoid some kind of an armed conflict.”
The minister stressed that Belarus should be ready to respond adequately to such things. In his latest interviews the Belarusian head of state clearly spoke on this matter, the diplomat noted.
"A meeting to discuss this topic was held at the Defense Ministry. I think that the Defense Ministry and the relevant law enforcement and security agencies will be prepared to respond adequately if necessary. These may be the toughest extraordinary things, which the head of state also announced," Vladimir Makei warned.
