Expert: Belarus’ strategy is to provide protection at no extra costs

Belarus is a unique country with maximum security guarantees — as stated by Vadim Gigin, a deputy of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly, the Director General of the National Library of Belarus, the Chairman of the Belarusian Znanie [Knowledge] Society, in his talk with Alfa Radio

History repeats itself

As the expert noted, the West is dragging Belarus into the confrontation for a number of reasons, “Western representatives believe that the Soviet Union exhausted its resources during the arms race of the 1970s and 1980s, which they believe they provoked by constantly creating an atmosphere of threats.”

According to the historian, today, based on this logic, the West seeks to draw Russia, and with it Belarus — Moscow’s main ally — into a new arms race.

“Russia is acting very competently in this respect, but this is a separate issue of the Russian policy. Thanks to President Aleksandr Lukashenko’s clear stance and well-developed strategy, we are able to protect our interests to the maximum extent at the minimum cost. Just look at the situation: we have a huge border with NATO, there is an increasing military presence along it and pressure is mounting from the south where the aggressive Kiev regime is operating. We can see the provocations they are staging, right down to their behaviour at the Istanbul negotiations. They are adventurers and provocateurs who are completely irresponsible. Moreover, they outnumber our armed forces in terms of both numbers and equipment,” Mr. Gigin explained.

Threat at the borders — answer is ready

The expert added that Belarus is coping with this external pressure, “What should be done in this situation? Should we double our army, buy weapons and spend the entire treasury, as Ukraine does, where up to 40 percent of GDP is spent on defence? No, we are following a different path, where precise and asymmetric steps make it possible to neutralise threats. At the same time, our country has not significantly increased the size of the army. Why? Because we have a Union State and significant potential to ensure security. We have tactical nuclear weapons that can be used in response to emerging threats. You could station a million soldiers on our borders, but the Iskander missile with a nuclear warhead that you saw at the parade solves this problem. Belarus also has air defence systems, including the S-400, as well as tactical missiles and the Iskander and Polonez systems. Do you want to create a provocation? Are you prepared for the possibility that, in the event of an attack, strikes will be launched at decision-making centres, i.e., at your capitals? If not, then don’t provoke us. We are not going to attack anyone. As the President made clear at the parade, Belarusians are not a threat, but our peaceful rhetoric should not be misunderstood. We will protect our peace, and we will do so without incurring unnecessary expenses.”

Security guarantees

According to Vadim Gigin, Belarus is a unique country.

“Among countries with comparable population and territory, Belarus has the strongest security guarantees. Currently, these are at their maximum. No other country with similar parameters, except for Israel, has such protection measures as Belarus.”