Peace and security to be ensured in Belarus

President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko convened a meeting of the Security Council of the Republic of Belarus, and its agenda included the assessment of the work done with relation to national security in 2024 and the measures to strengthen it

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At the beginning of the meeting, the Head of State recalled that the procedure for assessing the state of national security had been revised, and the relevant decree had been signed. 

“Taking into account the dynamics of the situation and the approved priorities of socio-economic development, the indicators, their thresholds, the subjects of this process and other issues have been clarified. In this regard, it is necessary to discuss in detail the situation in each of the nine areas of national security — doing that for the first time in the format of a Security Council meeting,” he said.

According to Aleksandr Lukashenko, these issues are fully envisaged by the National Security Concept approved by the decision of the Belarusian People’s Congress last April. “The concept is the most important document of strategic planning, and it affects the main interests of people and their life priorities, primarily, the guarantees of peace and security — not only today, but also in the future,” he stated. “Meanwhile, in some countries, the work with documents that reveal the essence of the ongoing processes in the state and the world is strictly classified.”
The meeting gathered the Security Council members and invited officials who, within their competence, are directly responsible for specific areas of national security and monitor the dynamics of each indicator. The President informed that he had read the report, a comprehensive document with a systematic analysis of the situation, and aimed the participants of the event at serious work.
“I would like each of you to share a real assessment of the situation, clearly and objectively report on the problems that exist. We must definitely take into account all the issues discussed today in the preparation of the Address of the President of Belarus to the Belarusian People and the National Assembly. It is very important to speak out, to outline the unsettled issues and, most importantly, agree on what else needs to be done to solve these problems,” the Head of State stressed.

‘State of national security seen as positive’

The state of Belarus’ national security is generally assessed positively — as noted by State Secretary of Belarus’ Security Council Aleksandr Volfovich after the meeting of the Security Council with the participation of President Aleksandr Lukashenko

The State Secretary of the Security Council noted that this year, for the first time, the state of national security was considered in nine areas, “This is laid down in the new National Security Concept. It is important not only to understand what is happening, but also to understand what needs to be done and what measures need to be developed in order to counter the risks and challenges in each sphere of national security that today can threaten the stable life of our citizens.”

“On the whole, the situation is assessed positively. Of course, there are moments, some areas that do not entirely depend on the President’s activities, on the leadership and members of the Security Council. There are factors that are above us. First of all, the foreign policy situation is tense, with a tendency towards aggravation,” the State Secretary of the Security Council underlined.

Speaking about specific areas of work, Mr. Volfovich highlighted a number of them.

MILITARY SECURITY

Commenting on the situation in this area, Mr. Volfovich noted, “In general, the situation is assessed positively. Of course, there are factors that are above us. First of all, the foreign policy situation is tense. The situation in the world is tense, with a tendency towards aggravation. We see what is happening today in the neighbouring territories, near our borders in the western direction. We see our nearest neighbours — Poland and the Baltic States — militarising and increasing their aggressive rhetoric. We have just recently received information that Poles are deploying new operational units and reconnaissance battalions in the Suwalki Corridor area and are bringing in military equipment to defend against an imaginary threat from the east.”
It all looks ridiculous. After all, unlike our enemies, we are not increasing our military budget or the number of exercises. Our Military Doctrine is defensive in nature, but in order to be able to defend ourselves, the army is being supplied with new weapons and military equipment.

SOCIAL SECURITY

The social orientation of our policy is already a Belarusian brand, and that is why issues related to the improvement of social guarantees for citizens are high on the agenda. A lot has been done in this area, said Mr. Volfovich, “Today, the level of wages of our population is rising, working conditions are improving, various social guarantees are in place, with housing being built and made available to various categories of citizens.”

ECONOMIC SECURITY

The economy is the foundation, the Belarusian leader often repeats. Indeed, the country’s tranquillity is ensured, among other things, by sustainable economic development.
According to the State Secretary of the Security Council, financial and economic issues are currently being affected by Western sanctions, but the Belarusian economy is now developing steadily.
“Most importantly, macroeconomic balance has been ensured. The economy is growing faster than the world average. The situation in the currency and deposit markets is also stable and does not worry our population. A lot has been done in the country today, but, of course, the President’s demand is that we should not become complacent,” Mr. Volfovich emphasised.

DEMOGRAPHIC SECURITY

Mr. Volfovich stated that demography is not only a problem for our country, “Today the birth rate in almost all European countries is below the threshold, while mortality partly exceeds the birth rate. This is also evidenced by the demographic pits of the 1990s and early 2000s, which was primarily due to the collapse of the Soviet Union, when people were uncertain about the future. But taking into account what is being done in our country, even in comparison with Europe, we are far ahead of European countries. Belarus knows this problem, thinks about this problem. Both the President and the Government are concerned about it. We are working in this direction.”

BIOSECURITY

Indicators in this sphere are safety of human life, safety of flora and fauna development. These and other indicators are analysed on a substantive and qualitative basis.
“All these indicators show that there is no threat to the population 
of Belarus,” Mr. Volfovich noted.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY SECURITY

The State Secretary of the Security Council highlighted the need to set up work in this area. The signing of Decree No. 135 On Priority Directions of Scientific, Sci-Tech and Innovation Activities for 2026-2030 by the President on April 1st shows that the Government is aware of this problem,” Aleksandr Volfovich stressed.
According to him, the emphasis is on the development of scientific technologies to ensure that production develops in accordance with scientific thought.

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WHAT THE PRESIDENT INSTRUCTED 

The President has given specific instructions in each of the nine areas of the country’s national security, Aleksandr Volfovich added, “The most important thing is to ensure peace and security. Everything that is being done today is aimed at improving the quality of life of our people.”
All the issues discussed at the meeting are included in the Security Council resolution and will be adopted for implementation.
As explained in the State Secretariat of Belarus’ Security Council, assessments in all nine areas of national security are based on the approved system of indicators, analysis of the current situation, dynamics of its development and conclusions of the responsible state bodies in the relevant areas.

KEY INDICATORS OF THE STATE OF NATIONAL SECURITY INCLUDE:

• the share of gross fixed capital formation;
• the extent to which norms of international law and the political and legal mechanisms outlined therein are considered in resolving issues affecting the interests of international relations actors;
• the presence and effectiveness of international legal and political guarantees of Belarus’ security and sovereignty;
• the level of trust in government institutions;
• domestic expenditures on research and development;
• the level of development of information technology and telecommunications;
• the state of the military and political situation;
• the readiness of defence institutions of the state to fulfil tasks to ensure military security;
• the level of military strength of the state, and others.

Based on materials of sb.by and belta.by