Image by kremlin.ru
President Lukashenko of Belarus, notoriously called ‘Europe’s last dictator,’ says his armed forces need to be modernized. It seems the American missile defense systems in Eastern Europe, and of course Moscow, is pressuring the president of ‘White Rus’ to spend money on his military.
“There is an increase in global instability, international security has been destroyed,” he said at the parade to mark the country’s Independence Day. “European countries have embarked on the path of militarization and are being drawn into the arms race and military preparations,” reports Russian state news agency TASS.
“Our answer is the modern Belarusian army…It is important to note that the domestic military-industrial complex makes a significant contribution to boosting Belarus’ combat readiness. The country is successfully developing its own missile industry. One could name more than one hundred samples of Belarusian military products, which are fundamentally new,” Lukashenko said.
“We have nothing to hide…Along with fraternal Russia, we are defending the borders of the Union State that we are creating.” Lukashenko added that Minsk’s strategic objective was developing relations with the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) member-countries. “These are our reliable partners and loyal friends. We share a common history, and today we protect the world from new threats together.”
He added that Belarus is committed to “resolving any international conflicts at the negotiating table solely.”
