Lukashenko deems Belarus, Russia reaction to NATO bolstering near Union State's borders to be appropriate
MINSK. June 7 (Interfax) - Belarus and Russia have been appropriately responding to bolstering of NATO contingents near the Union State's border, the state news agency BelTA quoted Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko as saying to heads of the delegations to the 16th session of the CIS Council of Heads of Supreme Financial Control Bodies on Tuesday.
"Russians often say that additional NATO contingents are being deployed near Russian borders. I should underline that this is happening near our, Belarusian borders, in the first turn. We can see that and we are taking appropriate measures without any uproar or noise," Lukashenko said.
"I know that the Russian administration has been acting accordingly in the Western sector; I mean, we have a joint group of forces in the West, providing security of our fatherland - Belarus and Russia. Belarusian army units are a core of this force. They will be the first to engage in the event of a conflict, and units stationed in the west of the Russian Federation will be moved here quickly," the president said.
"We do not conceal this from our Western colleagues or partners or rivals. We are perfectly aware of our agreements with Russia," Lukashenko said, adding, "I am saying this so that you understand my position on the CIS. Belarus has always been an initiator of integration processes in the post-Soviet space."
"We have always campaigned for the actual rapprochement of former Soviet republics and we will continue to do so," the Belarusian president said.
"If we follow other principles because of certain habits of heads of certain political forces in certain countries, we will never achieve cooperation between the republics but will have clashes or, God forbid, wars, which are now happening in Ukraine and in other parts of the CIS," Lukashenko said.
"Everything is in our hands, we should not lie to our people. If we want to be together, we always will," the Belarusian president said.
