25 Mar, 15:15

Belarus builds military 'shield' against aggressors — Lukashenko

The Belarusian president also highlighted his commitment to ensuring national interests as well as the security of Belarus and its people

MINSK, March 25. /TASS/. Belarus stands for a just peace and believes that all conflicts should be resolved diplomatically, but in the case aggressors antagonize it, its military has been built up to serve as a "shield" to protect the country, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Tuesday.

"All these years, we have been building our state together making it stronger. Step by step we built a national security system literally from scratch," Lukashenko said at a ceremony where the military swore the oath of allegiance to the Belarusian people and the President of the Republic of Belarus at the State Flag Square in Minsk, where he arrived after the inauguration ceremony.

"Together, we turned our military forces into a reliable shield protecting the peaceful labor of the Belarusian people and an insurmountable barrier to any aggressor," he continued.

According to Lukashenko, "Belarusians are a peaceful nation, and Belarus is a peace-loving country. We stand for a fair world order and for resolving any issues through dialogue."

The Belarusian president also highlighted his commitment to ensuring national interests as well as the security of Belarus and its people.

"On assuming the office of the head of state, I take upon myself the greatest responsibility to serve faithfully and truthfully the Belarusian people. The heroic people," he said. "It is a great honor, responsibility and sacred duty. I pledge to you that the national interests and security of the country and people will always remain the main priorities in my work."

Earlier in the day, Lukashenko, 70, who was elected president of Belarus for a seventh term in the January 26 elections, officially took office.

More than 1,100 people were invited to the inauguration, including the country's top leaders representing all three branches of power, presidential confidants during the last elections, members of the National Assembly, representatives of political parties and public associations, religious organizations, and the media. Russia is represented by its ambassador to the Republic Boris Gryzlov.

According to the Central Election Commission of Belarus, Lukashenko won the January presidential election with 86.82% of the vote.

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