Aleksandr Lukashenko holds session on upgrade of Belarus' Armed Forces, State Border Committee

The national security system of Belarus should ensure adequate prompt response to any challenges and threats, President of the Republic of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko said at the government session held on 26 July to discuss the progress in bringing the Belarusian army and the State Border Committee into compliance with modern requirements.

The head of state reminded that at the beginning of the year an agreement was reached to consider reformation and upgrade of the national security forces within half a year. The President added that optimization of prosecution agencies and their cooperation with the Investigation Committee will soon be considered, too. Specific proposals are being developed on the reformation of the interior ministry and other agencies.

The agenda of the current meeting included military and border security.

“The great attention to the matter is necessitated, first of all, by the international situation. We are fully aware of the current issues. The emergence of new geopolitical challenges, economic and political security threats have become common in the modern world. In the time of globalization, any negative trends spread very fast across geographic borders,” the President said. According to the head of state, examples abound – the situation in the Middle East, Syria, pressure on Iran, etc.

“Traditional warfare methods are replaced by new ones, including informational and psychological ones, operations and subversive activities. They involve well-prepared extremist groups. Under the auspices of numerous organizations formally acting in the name of democracy, they nourish, consolidate and send destructive forces wherever their foreign bosses want,” the President said.

Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized that this situation makes the Belarusian authorities pay greater attention to the national security and make prompt decisions on key issues.

“This is particularly important during political campaigns when foreign and domestic ill-wishers become most active, to put it mildly,” the President said.

“We will conduct the parliamentary election in autumn. The election will be held against the backdrop of increased hatred against the situation in Belarus and the country per se both abroad and inside Belarus. All the people in attendance need to ensure free will of people in a calm atmosphere in strict compliance with Belarusian laws,” the head of state said.

The President ordered the Defense Minister to update him on the state of affairs in the Belarusian army. He ordered to examine whether the army meets modern-day requirements and how the issues facing the army can be addressed taking into consideration Belarus’ economic capacities. Aleksandr Lukashenko wanted to know how his instructions regarding the state border policy and border security for 2012 are implemented and whether they are fulfilled with due diligence and on time.

“A number of specific instructions were given to evaluate the Belarusian army that was reformed several years ago, because the situation, we see it by the example of the Arab countries, including Syria, is changing all the time and the army should be prepared to respond to whatever might happen,” the President said.

The President stressed today's situation is not an emergency, however, there are some things he was concerned about: “Crime rate is on the rise, including corruption crimes, corruption crimes in the same border service, which is inadmissible,” he said.

“How can you explain the provocation involving a single-engine aircraft that crossed the Belarusian border with impunity? Safety of our citizens is the primary concern. Moreover, the aircraft was detected in advance. Why was not it stopped? Who took pity on it? Was it errors performed by individuals or errors in the very air border defense system? I would like to hear answers to these questions,” the head of state said.

“I would like to honestly and sincerely tell those, who are very interested in the matter, and those, who are present here: the perpetrators must be made responsible,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said. “As you can see I did not rush to make decisions. You wanted to investigate the matter thoroughly. As far as I can see now, it has been investigated and the guilty ones should bear responsibility. On Monday at the latest I will make decisions, including personnel decisions,” the President added.

“The measures we will take should consistently enhance the national security system and ensure adequate prompt response to any challenges and threats whatever their source may be,” Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed.

Heads of the Defense Ministry and the State Border Committee informed the President about the progress in bringing the Belarusian army and the State Border Committee into compliance with modern requirements.

The government session defined concrete measures to effectively ensure the national security of the Republic of Belarus.