Army and security

"At all times the prosperity of any state has relied on efforts to maintain national security."

"If we are attacked, we will hit back very hard. I address these words to whom it may concern. In that case we will not be discussing the problem of a dirty or clean nuclear bomb. It will be no longer negotiable. Our response will be very hard. It will not be only Europe that will shudder. I am not talking about us only. I mean our agreements with Russia, our joint task force."

"If you want peace, you have to prepare for war. Always. All your life. In order to prevent all sorts of clashes and manifestations, we, the military, must have plans to counter all sorts of scoundrels who are trying to drag us into a fight. We must not let them drag us into a war. This is our main task. There should be no war on the territory of Belarus. We, the military, must take all measures to prevent it."

"I am absolutely opposed to nuclear weapons. They must be completely destroyed around the world. And the world will become a safer place then. Today, in addition to nuclear weapons, there are also biological weapons, cyber weapons. You know, this is even worse than nuclear weapons. Therefore, we [Belarus] do not need nuclear weapons."

"We will withstand any pressure, whatever it may be, be it in the form of a rebellion or some kind of hybrid wars, or even hot wars. We will survive."

"You have to win with ability, not with numbers as our prominent military leader once said. It is becoming seriously topical now. It means that even such a small country like Belarus is quite capable of resisting the largest countries."

"We are peaceful people, but do not even try to speak with us from a position of force. Your dreams of driving the Slavs into a new slavery, which you call globalism, are unrealistic."

"We should defend our own land, our state. And this will be our contribution to the security of our continent, and maybe the planet as a whole. We will fight and die in our land. If we have to, god forbid."

"We do not want scandals, conflicts or war. We are peaceful people. We want peace around us."

"Please, remember: the government and I, as President, will do everything possible to keep Belarus a peaceful island on this distressed planet. You may ask, what is the reason, what is our fault that we have always been affected by wars? The answer is simple: either as a curse or as a gift but the Lord gave our people the land here, in the center of Europe, at the crossroads of all roads."

"Those who sharpen their bayonets primarily in the west of our country, remember: we have never been and will never be traitors. You will not be able to shoot the Russians in the back through Belarus."

"For the first time in decades, we are on the verge of a conflict that can involve the entire continent. Today we see, in all its glory, the irresponsibility and, pardon my directness, lunacy of a number of Western politicians, the actions of the neighboring countries that defy logic and reasonable explanation, and their morbid desire to walk a tightrope."

"Peace is an absolute value for Belarusians, the most important one that defines the world outlook. All of us have to exert colossal efforts in order to preserve it."

"The national history has turned into an information battlefield. It didn't happen overnight. For us the historical policy today is a strategy of self-preservation at a time of the redistribution of the spheres of influence in the world. This is a factor of national security."

"We are not brandishing our weapons. We are fully aware what war is. Many of us went through the hardships of the post-war period [after the Great Patriotic War], when we had nothing to wear and lived in dugouts. If someone wants to talk to us as with peaceful people, please, go ahead and do it from today. We are ready to talk. But if someone comes to us with a sword or a gun, we have something to fight back with."

"We will not lay down shields but will protect the country and its citizens as long as possible."

"The biggest values are safety of people, defense capacity of the country and peace! The rest can be found and purchased. This is of secondary importance."

"We have always paid much attention to security and defense capacity of our country, the equipment status of our Armed Forces. The reality and the international situation prove that we are on the right track."

"The world has not become a safer place as it ushered in the third millennium. Violence continues to play a significant, or even a leading role in international politics. Every day we hear news about thousands of people who fell victim to armed conflicts and terrorist attacks across various parts of the world. Some have not learned the lessons of the past and keep dreaming of world domination."

"It is time to realize two simple things. First of all, terrorism cannot be eliminated purely by weapons. Second, the fight against this evil needs concerted efforts of the entire international community. Belarus has been doing and will do everything it can to combat this plague of the 21st century. However, we will not let anyone get us dragged into geopolitical games in disguise of fight against terrorism. We should think of our own country, our people, because every decision of politicians has consequences for people. After all, one human life is more valuable than millions of tonnes of oil."

"The Belarusian army has never threatened anyone, does not threaten and is not going to threaten. The army is a tool to prevent wars. If an aggression happens, the army should be capable not only of repulsing the aggression but also of delivering unacceptable damage to the enemy. The main purpose of the Armed Forces is to defend sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of the country."

"Belarus is not going to be drawn into an arms race, and engage in saber rattling. However, due to the current military and political situation, we cannot afford different proportions of public expenditure financing. We will spend as much as needed on our security. We should feed our own army."

"In this century the difference between war and peace is getting blurred. Wars are no longer declared and once they start, they no longer follow a conventional scenario. The experience of contemporary military conflicts has revealed that over the span of just several months a rather trouble-free country can turn into an arena of hostilities and fall victim to foreign intervention, plunge into chaos, humanitarian catastrophe and civil war."

"We have always said and I have been through that in full measure and have the right to say it: everyone must defend the motherland, the native country. Everyone, particularly men. We are now so brazen that we have started shifting the problem onto women, too. This must not happen in Belarus! The woman should be responsible for her own things while we should provide for the family and protect the motherland, our family, and our woman."

"Having established our own social and economic model, we have boosted our economic security – Belarus produces enough food to meet domestic needs and even sells foodstuffs abroad. Our industrial products are gaining a foothold on foreign markets despite a tough competition. The country lives in dignity, it earns its living by its hard work and innovation."

"Population growth and a higher performance potential are matters of national security, and they are as crucial for us as for developed countries."

"We have never made compromises in matters of sovereignty and security in our foreign and domestic policy. And we never will."

"Information wars have become the defining feature of the 21st century. Mass media have been turned into a weapon. In fact, this weapon is more powerful than the nuclear one, because a piece of news can sweep the whole world. It is far from certain that the destructive power of nuclear weapons is greater."