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Belarus does not view any country as enemy — defense minister

The new military doctrine of Belarus introduces such terms as "internal armed conflict" and "hybrid war"

Women wearing Belarusian national dresses with traditional bread-and-salt AP Photo/Sergey Grits

Women wearing Belarusian national dresses with traditional bread-and-salt

© AP Photo/Sergey Grits

MINSK, February 20. /TASS/. Belarus has no territorial claims to anyone and does not consider any country as its enemy, Defense Ministry’s press service said on Saturday.

"Our country never interfered into affairs of other countries. Our military doctrine clearly states that Belarus does not view any country as an enemy. This provision is also reflected in the new draft document," the press service quoted Defense Minister Andrey Ravkov as saying at Friday’s meeting with foreign military attaches.

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Ravkov said that "Belarus never has and never will threaten anyone, it has never had and will not have any territorial disputes with any county." He added that meetings with foreign military attaches allow to form an opinion about Belarus "as an open and reliable partner with predictable military policy."

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko approved on January 22 the new version of the military doctrine which has to be adopted by the country’s parliament. The document was already submitted to the lower house of parliament and will be reviewed at the spring session opening on April 2.

Minsk says that it was necessary to make amendments to the military doctrine due to changes in the military-political situation in the world, nature of armed struggle and modern tendencies of development of the Belarusian state. The document introduces such terms as "internal armed conflict" and "hybrid war." "This document also takes into account export of color revolutions," member of House of Representatives’ Commission on National Security Alexander Mezhuyev said.

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