Belarus President approves resolution on state border protection in 2021

Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko has approved the resolution on the protection of the state border by the border services in 2021.

When receiving the report of Chairman of the State Border Committee Anatoly Lappo, the head of state said that last year was a test for all, especially for people in uniform, including for our border troops. “I should say that we have generally stood the test: border troops performed their major functions a bit better than other law enforcement agencies. It was okay in general,” the President stressed.

The head of state praised positive results in the fight against illegal migration, drug trafficking, illegal trade, terrorist threats. “The fact is that here, in the west, we protect not only Belarus but also the borders of the Union State. Therefore, we draw serious attention to the protection of the state border, the President emphasized.

He remarked that the situation with the pandemic has complicated work on the last frontier of our country, especially for border guards and customs officers. “But the situation was manageable, and border guards and customs officers worked together. The situation was manageable in a way that my instructions were transferred to the army and implemented better than ever. It means that the army and border troops realized that they should protect the country more efficiently and seriously. Therefore, there was a proper reaction,” the President said. “It is good that we are prepared and can respond when necessary.”

The efforts to step up the efficiency of the state border protection, to improve the border infrastructure and near-border territories were continued last year. “New frontier outposts were opened, maneuver groups were created. Please tell me if we have set up maneuver groups in all places where it was planned. You remember that they ceased to exist: we were so ‘smart’ to decide that they were unnecessary. As it turned out, we need them. They can be small, but they have been deployed at every frontier outpost. These maneuver groups can cover every part of the border and help frontier outposts if necessary,” the head of state said.

Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that in 2020 the state had to pay special attention to security matters. To some, this might have seemed like saber rattling. “Nothing of the kind. We have never done this and are not going to do it. We want to remain an island of security in Europe and a country that puts forward only peaceful initiatives. This is how we see it,” the President said.

The head of state emphasized that Belarus is forced to respond to challenges and threats. “History teaches us that we should always be ready to respond to any provocation,” he said. “I would like to reiterate that we are responsible not only for Belarus, but also for Russians. I must admit that our border guards protect their zone of responsibility like no one else in the world. We are fully aware that the border is a mirror, a face of any state. I insist that no other country protects its state border like Belarus does. We must keep it up,” the President said.