Belarus’ Defence Minister Aide on NATO's activity and Union State interaction in security
Valery Revenko, the Chief of the International Military Co-operation Department, Assistant to the Defence Minister for Foreign Military Co-operation, Valery Revenko, shared some results of the outgoing year in his talk with STV TV channel, sb.by reports
Photo: video screenshot
Answering the question of how the NATO countries behaved towards Belarus in 2024, Valery Revenko emphasised that the North Atlantic bloc has long been showing abnormal activity, which began before 2020, “The NATO countries have been increasing the combat readiness of their armed forces systematically, at a steady pace. There has been an arms build and concentration of the military equipment. Activity increased in conducting large-scale exercises, including against the background of concealing the true scale of such drills. This year, of course, there has been a new ‘round’ – primarily related to the conduct of the Defender exercise. In our opinion, it was not so much a training session, but a demonstration. That was a demonstration that they are ready for some decisive action in relation to Russia and Belarus.”
In 2024, the 25th anniversary of the Union State Treaty is celebrated. Relations between Belarus and Russia continue to develop taking into account the prevailing circumstances, and among the documents signed by both parties are the Treaty on Security Guarantees and the joint Security Concept.
“As for the Treaty on Security Guarantees, it takes into account the main points of guarantees in relation to the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation, including the issues of nuclear and conventional weapons. It guarantees us the protection of each other from encroachments on our sovereignty and territorial integrity. These are mutual guarantees. The West has already felt that the Russian Federation will not compromise its interests, and the same is true about the Republic of Belarus. We are conducting our own independent policy," the expert stated.
The process of modernisation of weapons and military equipment continues in Belarus, and Mr. Revenko noted, “At the same time, we are not increasing the number of personnel. We demonstrate to our neighbours that it is of the peacetime scales. This means that we do not pose a threat, do not plan to create offensive groups of troops, but we plan to live in peace, friendship and harmony.”
According to the Chief of the International Military Co-operation Department, Belarus acts peacefully, unlike Poland: here, the number of military personnel is planned to be increased to 300 thousand people – ‘almost as twice as much as it was five years ago’. “They do not keep it secret, they talk about it openly. Their statement is really interesting: we are preparing for war. Our question is whom they are planning to war with,” Mr. Revenko emphasised.
