MINSK, 3 April (BelTA) - The national security is viewed as stable, State Secretary of the Security Council of Belarus Aleksandr Volfovich told the media after the Security Council of Belarus considered the report on the state of national security and measures to strengthen it on 3 April, BelTA has learned.
“This year, we reviewed the state of national security in nine areas for the first time. A new area has been added - biological security. This area has stable performance in all five indicators of national security and does not cause concerns. Nevertheless, it is impossible to ignore the issues of biological security today,” Aleksandr Volfovich said. “In general, the situation remains positive. Of course, there are moments, there are some areas that do not quite depend on the activities of the president of our country, the leadership and members of the Security Council. There are some factors that are above us. First of all, it is a tense foreign policy situation. The situation in the world is very tense, with tendencies to aggravate.”
According to the state secretary of the Security Council, the situation in each of the nine areas of national security was discussed in detail as part of the Security Council meeting for the first time. Thus, a new practice has been established to consider the results of the assessment of the state of national security at such a high collegial level on the annual basis.
Aleksandr Volfovich added that it is important not only to know what is going on, but also to understand what needs to be done in order to counteract the risks and challenges in each of the areas. According to him, the issues related to social guarantees for citizens are at the top of the agenda. There is a positive trend in this area: the level of wages is growing, working conditions are improving, housing is built.
“Financial issues, of course, are influenced by sanctions directed against our economy. But the economy keeps developing steadily, moving forward. The most important thing - macroeconomic balance has been ensured. The economic growth goes above the global one. The situation in the currency and deposit market is also stable. A lot has been done in the country, but the president's requirement is that we should not feel complacent. Specific instructions have been given in each area of national security so that we would step up our work and ensure the peace and security our country has today,” the state secretary said. “Everything should be aimed at creating even better living and working conditions for our citizens. There should be a return from the citizens as well. The state provides guarantees, but citizens must work and give results for the benefit of our country.”
Speaking about specific directions, Aleksandr Volfovich noted that despite the steady development of the scientific and technological sector, it is worth strengthening work in this area. “Without science, development is impossible,” he said.
The state secretary recalled the recent presidential decree on priority directions of scientific, technical and innovation activity for 2026-2030. According to him, the document shows that the government sees the existing problems and takes measures for the development of technology.
Demography is a separate issue. “Today demography is a problematic issue of not only our country. The birth rate in almost all European countries is below the threshold, while mortality partly exceeds the birth rate. This is also evidenced by the demographic pits of the 1990s and early 2000s, which was primarily due to the collapse of the Soviet Union, when people were uncertain about the future. But taking into account what is being done in our country, even in comparison with Europe, those developed programs, we are far ahead of European countries. Belarus knows this problem, thinks about this problem. Both the president and the government are concerned are well aware of the problem. We are working in this area,” Aleksandr Volfovich said.
The state secretary added that demographic problems can't be solved in a snap. However, he believes that in the coming years, the situation in this area will get improved.
The assessments presented in the document across all nine areas of national security are based on an established system of indicators, an analysis of the current situation, the dynamics of its development and conclusions from state bodies in the respective areas.
The key indicators of the state of national security include:
- the share of gross fixed capital formation;
- the extent to which norms of international law and the political and legal mechanisms outlined therein are considered in resolving issues affecting the interests of international relations actors;
- the presence and effectiveness of international legal and political guarantees of Belarus' security and sovereignty;
- the level of trust in government institutions;
- domestic expenditures on research and development;
- the level of development of information technology and telecommunications;
- the state of the military and political situation;
- the readiness of defense institutions of the state to fulfill tasks to ensure military security;
- the level of military strength of the state, and others.
“All indicators are of a global nature, and we are not making any relaxations for our country. Of course, it is very difficult today to keep the overall state of national security at the current level. The political pressure exerted on our country, economic sanctions and the aggressive, militaristic orientation of our neighbors, and Europe as well, affect the state of national security. We envisage countermeasures, and they are included in the Security Council resolution. The most important thing is that everything that is being done in the country today is aimed at improving the quality of life of our people, ensuring peace and security of our country,” Aleksandr Volfovich said.
Follow us on:
