Belarus to update national security concept – Łukašenka

September 20, BPN. Belarus plans to update its national security concept, Alaksandr Łukašenka indicated at his meeting with the top security official in Minsk on September 20.

Łukašenka instructed Security Council head Alaksandr Valfovič to make the concept as transparent as possible, the Belarusian leader’s press office reported.

“We should not hide anything for political or even economic reasons… If we are with Russia, then we are with Russia,” he said. Belarus’ commitment is that Russian troops won’t be stabbed in the back, he added.

He went on to speak about information security. The Presidential Administration was not successful enough in this area and Valfovič’s secretariat should get involved, he said. But he indicated that disseminating fake news was not an effective solution.

“Fake news is for a day or two, and then it gets debunked. That is why, no need for fake news. You should not plant false, incorrect information. You should do a decent and nice-looking job so that you don’t have to apologize later.” 

The Belarusian leader also spoke about the need to “mobilize all government agencies to impose discipline and order on the country.” In particular, he authorized the licensing of schools: “We should make everything in the education system impossibly clean.”

Łukašenka said that exiled opposition members and their relatives were planning to organize unrest, and Ukraine was creating “either regiments or battalions not only to overthrow our government, but to flip Belarus, tear it off and join it to NATO.”

He urged Valfovič not to forget the 2020 protests: “We must not calm down. We are in this cauldron. They will not let us live in peace.”