Opinions & Interviews

“If necessary, we should be able to protect the independence and sovereignty of our country but we will never get entangled in mindless confrontations with anyone. We will pursue a wise and restrained policy: we don’t need yours but we will not give away ours. It is the core of our policy. If we have to die for it, we will,” said the head of state.

“While some people used to say that Lukashenko whips up tensions, while some said five or seven years ago that we waste money on modernizing the weapons and improving our army, today particularly in view of Ukrainian events everyone understands that we have to feed our own soldiers and have to have a sufficient army in order to secure our own interests,” noted the President.

Alexander Lukashenko stated that in conditions of the complicated international situation and present economic difficulties the domestic political situation in Belarus remains stable. “Let me tell you frankly that our people treasure it. Notions like security and the government’s care for people are now more highly valued by the society. There are reasons to believe that accomplishments of the current government will be duly appreciated by the Belarusians,” noted the President.

At the same time, in his words, it is not the time to relax. “Nowadays nobody should think that everything is okay, that we are great peacemakers and mediators and someone will pay us for it and that we are going to enjoy peace and tranquility down the road. Don’t fool yourselves. I cannot stress it enough: nobody guarantees that we will live a calm life. We will do everything to live a calm life but we should have a combat-effective army,” stressed the head of state.

“Belarusians are peaceful people. It is no accident that the fact is stated in the first line of our national anthem. However, seeing the events going on in CIS and non-CIS states it is advisable to remember the timeworn truth about the need to keep powder dry,” noted the President.