Meeting on military security

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko hosted a meeting on military security in the strategic control center of the Defense Ministry on 29 November.

“We have gathered together today to discuss issues connected with the national security of our country. Look at the map. All of you understand what is going on around our Belarus. I want those present at this meeting to realize one thing: we cannot consider the situation around Belarus in an autonomous way, regardless of the events in the Black Sea basin, regardless of the issues connected with Ukraine, Poland, the Baltic countries. Belarus is a link in this common chain,” Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed.

According to the President, the intentions of opponents or, if we put it bluntly, enemies of Belarus are still unknown. But they can be imagined. “The number of flights of scout aircraft above Kaliningrad Oblast has increased. Military events are being held in neighboring countries, and we already see it. Like the defense minister of Russia is saying, if dozens of aircraft are flying around the borders of Russia and have bombs dropping exercises (it was stated that they rehearsed a nuclear strike against Russia), if lateral communication lines are being built on adjacent territories (the military are well aware of it), if large-scale exercises with the transportation of troops closer to our borders are being held, it means that they must have certain intentions,” the head of state said.

“Once again our ‘partners’, as Russia calls them, our rivals, as I said, enemies are trying to make Russia toe the line. That was why they came up with an idea that Russia is going to attack Ukraine. If it is true – present evidence,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

The President believes, however, that the West will not bother to provide any convincing arguments in support of its statements. This, he says, can be seen in relation to Belarus, which has been accused of creating a migration crisis. “We can see it in their attitude to Belarus: They say Belarus has brought migrants from Somalia and pushing them through the border. I have already said that there are only a few Somalis in Belarus. They want neither to hear nor listen to this,” the head of state said.

“This is why they are starting an active campaign against the Russian Federation under the guise that it is ‘going to attack Ukraine’. I have no such information about Russia's plans to attack Ukraine. If there were such plans, the Belarusian military, including me, would know about it. We would have been informed. But I say again: you need to present evidence. They understand very well that if they again start a war in the Donbass or somewhere on the border with Russia, Belarus will not stand aside. It is clear whose side Belarus will be on. They understand it and this is why they began to reinforce their northern, Belarusian-Ukrainian border. Although, there is no reason to do this today. It is absolutely quiet there, it is even calmer than before. Nonetheless, they are deploying their military contingent there and announce it frankly. It is about 8,000 soldiers now. You know very well what is going on at the western border with Poland and the Baltics,” said Aleksandr Lukashenko.

The West uses migrants as a tool to hold back the Belarusian army in case of a conflict with Russia, the President said.

“They are, probably, concerned that the inflow of migrants has decreased because they are using these people (we already see it) to solve their internal problems and to put pressure on us. They understand very well that if Ukraine tries to initiate a conflict with Russia, Belarus will not stand aside. Therefore, it is necessary to hold back the Belarusian army, to put pressure on them in the western borders (Latvia, Lithuania, Poland) and in the south – by the strengthening of the Ukrainian border,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

The President is convinced that in the near future his words will be confirmed by the actions of the western side.

According to the head of state, he previously instructed the defense minister and the chairman of the State Border Committee not to rise to provocations, not to provoke conflicts and confrontation. At the same time, the defense minister and the head of the General Staff of the Armed Forces were instructed to prepare a plan of response to possible aggression and illegal actions against Belarus.