Opinions & Interviews

Volfovich: Belarus is no threat to anyone; people's militia is meant to protect country

MOSCOW, 21 September (BelTA) - People's militia in Belarus is designed to protect the country, Belarus does not pose a threat to anyone, State Secretary of the Belarusian Security Council Aleksandr Volfovich told the media following his meeting with Secretary of the Russian Security Council Nikolai Patrushev in Moscow on 21 September, BelTA has learned.

"People's militia is a new thing for Belarus. It is meant to protect the country, its territory, if needed. Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko has repeatedly said that Belarus does not threaten anyone, it protects its national interests, its land, its territory," Aleksandr Volfovich said.

"Of course, we are reinforcing our borders, their protection, we see militarization and increased military activities on the territory of neighboring states today. We see a buildup in the military forces, an increase in the number of exercises, flights of reconnaissance aircraft - and not only from the West, but also from our southern neighbor, Ukraine, once a sisterly nation," the state secretary noted.

"Belarus does not pose a threat to anyone, but we are ready and are taking all steps to protect our western and southern borders. One of the tasks set by the president is to do everything possible so that aggressive neighbors do not strike in the back of our fraternal Russia from the west," he stressed.

"We are taking all measures to protect the country and defend its borders. The Armed Forces of Belarus are not going to attack anyone, but in the event our border is violated or some provocative actions are taken by our neighbors, we are ready to fight back. All law enforcement, defense and security bodies work smoothly in Belarus addressing problems in the field of security," Aleksandr Volfovich said.

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