Opinions & Interviews
Lukashenko appoints new Security Council chief
MINSK, 26 January (BelTA) – Belarus will face further attempts to destabilize the situation, Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he appointed Aleksandr Volfovich State Secretary of the Security Council, BelTA has learned.
“Keep in mind that we are going through a difficult time. We will face more attempts to stir up tensions here. You can see this already happening in Russia. We were aware of it, as just like the Russian authorities, back in the middle of last year. There are no surprises for us and for them. Nevertheless in this difficult time we must learn to resist our internal enemies, and especially our external ones,” the Belarusian leader emphasized.
Until now Aleksandr Volfovich headed the General Staff of the Armed Forces. According to the head of state, he had discussed Aleksandr Volfovich's candidacy with interested parties, including with the defense minister before making this personnel decision. “As a dutiful general, he did not object, he responded appropriately to my comments and suggestions, but I felt that he was very unwilling to let you go to work at the Security Council. According to him, one cannot find a more prepared person in the General Staff today. I guess he is right. But I believe that we will find people who can be up to the job. We just have to do it,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
The head of state emphasized that the state secretary is actually the president's chief link with the security forces. “You know this system from within, otherwise you would not be able to work as the chief of the General Staff, you are an educated and knowledgeable person,” the president said about Aleksandr Volfovich.
The head of state added that it was Aleksandr Volfovich who was in the midst of all recent events and activities. “We planned, primarily using the General Staff forces, measures on the external border to protect our Fatherland, especially in the run-up to and after the election. Everyone remembers this. We deployed our military units and they reacted by suppressing possible hostile attacks on our country and attempts to create unnecessary problems for us. In other words, I have recently seen you very well in action,” the president said.
Aleksandr Volfovich told reporters that the country's legal framework allows responding to both external and internal threats. “This pertains not only to the Armed Forces, but also to other elements of the national security system and the military structure of the state,” he assured.
Aleksandr Volfovich said that the president set a number of tasks: “Taking into account the latest developments, it is necessary to think things through, analyze, fine-tune, perhaps introduce some changes to the legal framework.”
“My experience suggests that all structural elements of the national security system, the military, the entire power vertical successfully coped with their tasks. Of course, there is something to correct, something to think through. First of all, these are probably the issues related to the management of the entire power vertical whose duty is to ensure that we can localize and minimize all threats - both external and primarily internal ones. Of course, we faced internal threats recently, and it was necessary to make some new decisions,” Aleksandr Volfovich underlined.
The state secretary of the Security Council emphasized: “In my work I will be guided by these tasks. My efforts will be primarily aimed at coordinating the activities of the structural elements of the ministries of the power bloc, so that we can work calmly in a peaceful and prosperous Belarus and help maintain the security of our country and people.”
“Even taking into account the events that are beginning to take place in the Russian Federation, we will work ahead of the curve to preserve peace and calm in our country,” he said.
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