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Ambassador: Russia will not turn blind eye to NATO military buildup near Belarusian borders

Boris Gryzlov. Photo courtesy of TASS

MINSK, 18 January (BelTA) - Russia will not turn a blind eye to the NATO buildup near the borders of Belarus, Russian Ambassador to Belarus Boris Gryzlov said in an interview with the Russian news agency TASS.

"We are closely watching what is happening, including the actions of certain EU’s neighboring states that are members of NATO. The borders of the Republic of Belarus are the western borders of the Union State. Therefore, of course, we are interested in normalizing the situation," the ambassador said.

Touching upon the topic of refugees who have been stranded on the Belarusian-Polish border, Ambassador Boris Gryzlov noted that Belarus is doing everything possible to help these people. "In contrast to the Western countries that refused to help people in a difficult situation, the Republic of Belarus acted in a very humane manner," he stressed.

"We see that the buildup of NATO personnel and military equipment literally at our doorstep continues without cease. During the above-mentioned migrant crisis, Poland deployed additional forces, including hardware near the Belarusian border. Of course, we will not turn a blind to these developments," he said.

Ambassador Boris Gryzlov noted that new joint drills will begin in the Republic of Belarus in February 2022 and will be called "Allied Resolve 2022". "Of course, when we announce our plans to conduct any exercise, the Western propaganda machine goes into overdrive, delivering all sorts of fake news about various pseudo-threats. This has happened many times. The authors of these fake news have never had it right: the Russian and Belarusian military would conduct an exercise and then return to their permanent deployment locations."

The new Russian ambassador to Belarus also said that he considers the continuation of the multi-dimensional  integration within the framework of the Union State as his main priority in the new post.

"It is important for the Russian Federation to see the reliable conditions created in the Republic of Belarus for stable economic growth and comprehensive civil accord for the long term. I think that any sensible person would agree that the foundation of such development, the most important condition for the Belarusians to be confident in the future is the multifaceted support from Russia and the growing integration within the framework of the Union State. We are always there for the Belarusian people," Russian Ambassador Boris Gryzlov said.

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