Andrei Sannikov: “Bankruptcy of the regime became especially evident amid crisis”

The authorities are working out a new national security system. The opposition thinks the securities measures are measures to protect the current regime.

Alyaksandr Lukashenka and State Secretary of the Security Council Leanid Maltsau discussed changes in the national security system. The matter was that updating the nation security system of Belarus is caused by “new emerging challenges and threats “, Russian “Nezavisimaya Gazeta” writes. The concept is to become a “methodological guideline for the operation of all government agencies”. The Belarusian ruler emphasized that “every citizen” should see his or her role and place in the national safety system.

“The improved national security system should respond to possible threats and challenges in an adequate and forestalling manner,” the press service of Lukashenka notes.

The new concept of the national security of Belarus will hardly become a document able to bring sufficient changes in the foreign and home policy, Minsk experts suppose. “I do not clearly understand what this concept is needed for. Belarusian experts will scarcely be able to foresee new threats and means to counter them. What to the today’s realities, the decisions are taken as problems appear. National security is the sphere that cannot wait for a new concept to appear,” Belarusian politologist Andrei Fyodarau thinks. Another Minsk expert, Valery Karbalevich, says working out a new concept can be explained first of all by the recent changes in the Security Council leadership. “The new leadership finds it necessary to demonstrate their creativity and utility,” he thinks.

However, the experts do not deny that realities have changes a lot in the country and abroad since the time when the previous national security concept was adopted (in the late 1990s). Concepts of energy, demographic, and food security have been drawn up as responses to emerging challenges. There are grounds to suppose that the above mentioned areas will be reflected in s single document on national security.

In view of Andrei Fyodarau, a main novella of the document could be ways to achieve energy security. In any case, the politologist thinks diversification of energy resources is the main element of national security today. Demographic problems are not less important, the expert supposes. “The country is losing population,” Andrei Fyodarau said. In his opinion, the so called cultural security must be paid due attention, too, as the Belarusians have almost lost their language and national identity. What to a military aspect, it is less significant, the expert thinks, because “nobody threats Belarus”.

Belarus will have elections in a year. Opposition representatives link drawing up the new document to starting the presidential campaign and expect nothing good from it. “As experience shows, the security measures are measures to protect the current regime,” says Andrei Sannikov, a coordinator of the civil campaign “European Belarus”. “Bankruptcy of the acting authorities is visible, it has become especially evident amid crisis,” he told “NG”. The expert believes the concept will include new measures to restrict rights and freedoms in domestic policy and measures to limit influence of Europe on Belarus in foreign policy.