Belarus openly demonstrates the readiness and the ability to defend its national interests by all means, Belarusian President Aliaksandr Lukashenka said on Tuesday at the ceremony to honor graduates of higher military education institutions and high-ranking officers.
The head of state underlined that in modern complicated conditions Belarus protects its sovereignty by relying on its own forces and on cooperation in the Union State of Belarus and Russia, the Collective Security Treaty Organisation, and cooperation with friendly nations. “We openly demonstrate the readiness and the ability to defend our national interests by all means before the entire world. To do that, we have created a modern army, which is able to adequately respond to external and internal threats to the national security and able to reliably protect the peaceful work of the Belarusian nation,” state-run news agency BelTA quotes Lukashenka as saying.
The head of state also emphasized that bolstering the society's patriotism feelings, the readiness to protect national interests should become one of the priority avenues of efforts of Belarusian officers. “The crucial thing is that you will be the ones to train your subordinates, who have been born and have grown in the sovereign country,” he stressed.
It is not the first time when Lukashenka has made a point of national sovereignty after Russia's annexation of Crimea. For example, before his Russian counterpart’s arrival in Minsk in early July Lukashenka addressed to the Belarusian people in the language of the titular ethnic group, which happened to be a quite exceptional case. At the same time the Belarusian leader keeps promising to always be Russia's ally and supporter.
