Meeting to discuss the social and political situation in Belarus

Various forces, especially the ones from the outside, are set on exacerbating the situation in Belarus, President Aleksandr Lukashenko said at a meeting held on 29 March to discuss the social and political situation in the country.

Aleksandr Lukashenko said that he had invited the Security Council to the meeting to discuss the issue, first of all, to see how to act to ensure internal and external security and what to do with regard to the changing situation. “I have said more than once that we will not have a quiet life here. The situation in the country may be calmer or more acute, but there will never be absolute peace in the country. This is because various forces, especially from the outside, want to heat up the situation here,” the president said.

“You see that the supervisors abroad have changed. Some of the channels there, which used to lead protesters around Minsk, have given it up. More radical ones, like BYPOL, have emerged, that include a dozen or two former servicemen as they say. It is hard, of course, to call them servicemen. You see all those calls for radicalization,” the head of state said.

Aleksandr Lukashenko asked the defense minister to briefly report on the situation on the external borders of Belarus, and the KGB chairman and the interior minister to brief on the situation inside the country and the prospects for its further development.

This is why he mentioned the work of the law enforcement officers, who had prevented such accidents. The president was particularly grateful to personnel of the Central Organized Crime and Corruption Office of the Internal Affairs Ministry.

The head of state said: “They did just great: they have solved another crime of terrorist nature. All the guys, who participated in this operation, should be awarded. They deserve it by protecting a huge number of people, who could have been hurt. It is a good lesson for us: for the people responsible for domestic security and for the people who take care of our country’s defense.”

Speaking about the prospects and forecasts for the development of the situation, the head of state drew attention to the importance of ensuring economic security of the country. “We do not live in a closed world. We have to ensure our internal, economic security, first of all, by ourselves. We have absolutely no one to rely on,” he stressed.

“Protesters and fugitives are changing the way they are acting, we see it. I should say that we will never allow a situation when our people would be afraid of going out. We cannot and have no right to let this happen. This pertains, first of all, to the Minsk Hero City,” the Belarusian leader emphasized.

In this regard Aleksandr Lukashenko gave a separate instruction to Chair of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly Natalya Kochanova who is also the president’s authorized representative for the city of Minsk. “Keep order. We have to work every day, as you did throughout the winter. Therefore, there is a result. Our people are not idiots. They see perfectly well that some people are lining their pockets abroad. It is clear who benefits from these money flows. People do not want to be cannon fodder so that others can cash in on it. They feel that they are encouraged to put themselves on the line, we see that inside the country,” the president said.

“Indeed, it is necessary to crack down on those who take up arms, who bring explosives here or prepare these explosives and try to set them off in garbage containers or fire extinguishers. We will not even talk to them. We will not count to three either. However, there are many people with whom we should talk. It is up to them to decide whether they want to understand and hear us or not. Yet, we should talk to these people,” the head of state said.

Speaking about the prospects and forecasts for the development of the situation, the head of state drew attention to the importance of ensuring economic security of the country. “We do not live in a closed world. We have to ensure our internal, economic security, first of all, by ourselves. We have absolutely no one to rely on,” he stressed.