Lukashenko appointed Muraveiko Chief of General Staff of Belarus’ Armed Forces
President Aleksandr Lukashenko has appointed today Pavel Muraveiko Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces – First Deputy Defence Minister of Belarus, who held the position of First Deputy State Secretary of the Security Council until recently
As previously reported, the Head of State signed a decree on May 10th on the dismissal of the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, First Deputy Defence Minister Viktor Gulevich. He was discharged from military service in the reserve due to reaching the age of retirement, but preserved the right to wear military uniforms and insignia.
After the State Secretary of the Security Council, Aleksandr Volfovich, presented a new candidate, Aleksandr Lukashenko said, “I understand that you have taken the managerial factor of working with the Defence Minister into account. Our system is not based on experiments. Our Defence Minister is the Defence Minister, and everyone in the Defence Ministry is subordinate to him. Nevertheless, the Chief of the General Staff has a certain independence. He is directly involved in the planning and implementation of various military activities, anything which our troops are engaged into. There is a very fine line between the Defence Minister and the Chief of the General Staff. Speaking openly, will the two of them manage to work together?”
"They will,” Mr. Volfovich replied. “Given the experience of the Defence Minister and the experience of Major General Muraveiko, their knowledge and, most importantly, their focus on the final result, given understanding that they are statesmen who are responsible for the military security of our country, I think this is the most appropriate decision in these conditions.”
“I would like to emphasise another time: Pavel Nikolaevich [Muraveiko] has a rather difficult temperament,” Aleksandr Lukashenko continued. “You know this better than me. He has a true masculine character, and he will not act obsequiously. He understands perfectly well that he is almost directly subordinate to the President. Their relationship would need to be formed with this in view, since our Defence Minister is also a man of character.”
“These people represent the state, and they understand what positions they have been appointed to, and what goals they should achieve,” Mr. Volfovich said. “As you have correctly said, the Chief of the General Staff is an independent figure. He is directly responsible for issues related to the building and development of the Armed Forces and their prospects. He is a member of the Security Council, the right hand of the President, the Commander-in-Chief in case of an aggravation of the situation, the imposition of martial law.”
“At the same time, the Defence Minister is not the left hand,” Aleksandr Lukashenko clarified. “Therefore, it is very important for us that you find understanding. After all, you served together, you know each other well.”
