Volfovich: state of national security seen as positive, but there’re factors above us
The state of Belarus’ national security is generally assessed positively – as noted by State Secretary of Belarus’ Security Council Aleksandr Volfovich after today’s 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.”
Military security
Commenting on the situation in this area, Aleksandr 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.”
In these conditions, Mr. Volfovich added, we do not rely on increasing the military budget, but on the quality of training of our solders.
Social security
Mr. Volfovich reminded that Belarus is a socially oriented state, and therefore issues related to improving social guarantees for citizens are high on the agenda, “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
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.
The Head of State has given specific instructions in each area of the country’s national security, Mr. Volfovich added, “The most important thing is that we ensure the peace and security that we have in the country, as well as even better living and working conditions for our citizens. There must also be a return from the citizens.”
Mr. Volfovich said that all the issues discussed at the meeting were included in the Security Council resolution and would be adopted for implementation. At the same time, the State Secretariat of the Security Council will monitor closely the implementation of the measures adopted today.
