Opinions & Interviews

The Belarusian head of state noted that some components of the military force will have to be reinforced in the near future. To be exact, decisions will be made with regard to the regional air defense systems and the peacekeeping forces.

“At present as we plan the future operation of the organization, we should bear in mind the available resources. We have to set extremely specific goals resulting from a real evaluation of foreign and domestic threats,” stressed the Belarusian leader.

According to the Belarus President, by accelerating the work on the Collective Security Strategy the CSTO will be able to ensure the development of common views on the protection of its interests. “The introduction of common standards for defense products, the equipment of CSTO military contingents with unified armaments and materiel will allow greatly bolstering the organization’s military potential,” said the Belarusian head of state. He noted with regret that lately “we’ve been talking a lot but have done little”. Alexander Lukashenko said he believes that the heads of state should honor their commitments in this field, particularly those relating to equipment.

The Belarus President emphasized that sophisticated diplomatic measures are also necessary. In his words, expanding interaction with leading regional and international security bodies should be one of the ways to enhance the CSTO’s potential as a respected organization, one of the ways to raise the level of trust and reduce tensions in the region and the world.

The Belarusian head of state pointed out that this year the work aimed at coordinating the organization’s foreign policy efforts has been rather effectively continued, primarily with regard to the operation of the Foreign Ministers Council. Apart from that, the deployment of the collective rapid response forces has been worked out. Military aid in the form of materiel and other resources has been provided to allies. Procedures for the joint counteraction of new challenges and threats are getting more attention at the interstate level.

The Belarus President wished success to Armenia, which is taking over the presidency in the organization. He confirmed Belarus’ dedication to goals and principles of the Collective Security Treaty. “We are ready to continue cooperation with the member states for the sake of developing allied relations in all the spheres relevant for international and regional security,” stressed the Belarusian leader.