Siarhei Kaliakin: Lukashenka's games have no relation to security

Lukashenka's order to set up a Russian air base in Belarus is another flirt with the Kremlin in an attempt to extort money.

Siarhei Kaliakin, the chair of the Fair World party, spoke to charter97.org about Lukashenka's decision to increase weapons sales and strengthen the air defence.

“Most countries in the world are engaged in arms trade. It's necessary to fulfil the existing international rules of arms trade. There's a ban on supplying weapons to certain countries. It cannot be violated. I think it is absolutely normal to upgrade weapons and sell military surplus if you have such an opportunity,” the politician is confident.

He added that it should be figured out when Belarusian Su-24 bombers had been sold to Sudan and whether they had been supplied to Belarus.

“This question needs a deeper look. If Belarus supplied weapons to Sudan in violation of the existing military sanctions, it is bad and the country will bear responsibility. Sanctions are imposed by special international institutions, such as the UN Security Council, but they have a difficult decision-making mechanism. Firstly, needs to be proved that Belarus violated the restrictive measures. I haven't seen official statements on the issue so far,” the chair of the Fair World party said.

He remarked that the implementation of Lukashenka's decision to open a Russian air base in Belarus depended on the geopolitical situation.

“The Russian air base and the air defence may defend our country or appear to be absolutely useless. I think they have no relation to the safety of Belarus. Lukashenka again flirts with Russia trying to get money to solve domestic problems. In today's world, setting up an air base 100 km closer to or farther from the border doesn't give a strategic advantage. In today's world, all words about someone's attack on someone don't have any sense as long as, in particular, Belarus remains a strategic partner of Russia. I don't imagine a country able to attack Belarus nor Belarus attacking a NATO member. It may be so only if someone wants to commit suicide or destroy the Earth. This is just games that have no relation to the military security,” Siarhei Kaliakin summed up.

The Belarusian ruler held a meeting today to discuss the further development of the country's armed forces and announced his plans to increase arms sales and strengthen the air defence. He ordered the Ministry of Defence to start implementation of the arrangements with Russia in the air forces and the air defence.