Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 15 June (BelTA) – The forthcoming Belarusian-Russian army exercise will not pose a threat to someone’s territories, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said at the meeting with the secretaries of the security councils of the CSTO member states on 15 June, BelTA has learned.

Alexander Lukashenko remarked that the Belarusian and Russian armies act as a cohesive whole in the western direction. “We do not conceal it from NATO or anyone else. But since such a military force exists, it is clear that there should be military exercises. And we hold them,” the president said. “Our exercise will not pose a threat to someone’s territories. We have enough of our own. We are not going to conquer anyone. But we are building our policy taking into consideration the lessons of the past. We do not threaten anyone, we are not going to launch an offensive or wage a war on anyone. But we train our army to make sure that it is ready to ward off any attack and cause unacceptable damage to a potential enemy. This is our concept.”

“The curious thing is that they reproach us for something that is by far not as serious as what they themselves engage in. We do not form or deploy any new military units of foreign countries. But, we witness the active deployment of military units and troops, including foreign ones, near our borders,” the head of state stressed.

“Apart from the troops, they also deploy cutting-edge air drones. When I saw the photos of those drones… They are huge, like true planes. These are combat drones. Against whom? And they say to us: calm down, do not hold any exercises. No, we will because we cannot ignore the security of our states: neither Russia, Belarus, or the CSTO,” Alexander Lukashenko said.