Muraveiko: US and its satellites seek to preserve unipolar world model, but this is no longer possible

Pavel Muraveiko, the First Deputy State Secretary of the Security Council of Belarus, discussed a range of national security issues at a meeting with activists of the Vitebsk Region

“The political situation in the world is developing in the context of an unprecedented aggravation of the geopolitical situation. We are witnessing a global crisis of confidence. The authority of such organisations as the UN, OSCE and others is steadily declining, and a number of them have turned into satellites that pursue the policies of the United States and the West. At the moment, the opportunity to jointly solve urgent problems of preserving peace – globally and regionally – is significantly impeded,” Mr. Muraveiko noted, also speaking of the trends in the development of the modern military-political situation, its impact on Belarus, the threats that are emerging around the country, and the measures taken to respond to challenges.

“The United States and its satellites strive to preserve the unipolar world model, although this is no longer possible in the current conditions,” Mr. Muraveiko said. “Today it is impossible not to reckon with Russia, China and other world centres of power. The series of revolutions that have taken place in Africa show that the countries of this continent also have the right and voice to shape the world system of relations.”

Speaking about the situation that is developing around Belarus, Mr. Muraveiko noted that it is not easy: the wave of militarisation along the perimeter of the country’s borders is constantly being increased, and the Baltic States and Poland are at the forefront of this policy. The First Deputy State Secretary gave a fresh example: Poles deployed two mechanised battalions near the border in the Grodno and Brest directions under the far-fetched pretext that Belarus was hosting the Wagner group.

The topic of a threat from the East in Poland is also actively used in the current election campaign to the Sejm in order to divert the attention of its citizens from the existing social and economic problems in the country.

“The migration crisis card is being actively played, and Poles are trying to force migrants into our territory virtually every day the. Many of these people were invited [by the EU], and some were even issued visas. This is openly talked about in Polish society as well,” Mr. Muraveiko added.

Lithuania has gone even further: it closed two checkpoints with Belarus, even against the wishes of its citizens who regularly visited Belarus without visas. As noted by Mr. Muraveiko, since the introduction of visa-free travels, more than 700 thousand citizens of the European Union have visited the republic, of which 440 thousand were representatives of Lithuania, 50 thousand – of Poland.

The First Deputy State Secretary noted that there is unrest on Belarus’ southern border as well. Ukraine continues to improve its defensive barriers, it has dismantled all border infrastructure, blown up and destroyed all roads and bridges, and it is currently equipping defensive structures and creating mine-explosive barriers on which civilians are also being blown up.

“This country [Ukraine] is now a bargaining chip in the policy of the West to influence the Russian Federation. Moreover, the West does not seek to somehow localise the existing crisis. It has already been stated that, literally this month, it [Ukraine] will receive American Abrams tanks. Norway, Sweden, and the Netherlands have announced that they will allocate F-16 aircraft to Ukraine, including nuclear weapons carriers. This will not contribute to the reduction of the escalation, but will rather lead to another round of tension in this region," Mr. Muraveiko is convinced.

Belarus is responding adequately to all the existing challenges and threats. Last week, the Combat Brotherhood large-scale exercises – which gathered military contingents from five member countries of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation – were completed. Representatives of the diplomatic corps were invited to attend them. Among them was also Poland, but it refused, which once again confirms – as Mr. Muraveiko stressed – that they do not really seek to establish friendly relations with Belarus.

All modern challenges and threats are reflected in a new edition of Belarus’ National Security Concept. Mr. Muraveiko commented on its provisions in his talk with the Vitebsk Region’s representatives and listened to proposals. The latter will be taken into account when finalising this strategically important document. Further, it will be submitted for discussion at the Belarusian People's Congress.