Belarus cannot but be worried by the increasingly frequent use of "unilateral strength approaches," Belarusian Foreign Minister Uladzimir Makey said in an interview published by the Russian defense ministry`s newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda.
Mr. Makey, the former head of the Presidential Administration, expressed concern about the weakening of the "foundations of multilateral tools of ensuring international and regional security" and the United States` plans for a missile shield close to Belarus` borders.
He described intrusion on the "sovereignty, state independence, constitutional order and territorial integrity of the Republic of Belarus" as a major security threat. In particular, he said, foreign countries have put pressure on the Belarusian leadership for the purpose of receiving various concessions in the political and economic spheres, introduced a variety of sanctions and restrictions and worked to "weaken and discredit integration organizations of which our country is a member."
Mr. Makey said that key threats to Belarus` security were connected with "geopolitical competition on the ex-Soviet territory between large political players, including the USA and the European Union."
Belarus is also concerned about international terrorism, the spread of weapons of mass destruction, the escalation of regional conflicts, transborder crime, illegal migration, human trafficking, drug and weapons trade, according to the foreign minister. "We consider efforts to counter the use of information and communications technologies for the purpose of undermining the state`s political, economic and public security as much topical as never before," he was quoted as saying.
