If the West continues to pursue a policy of escalating tensions, Minsk reserves the right to take additional security measures, TASS reports, citing the press service of the Republic’s Defense Ministry.
“It has been reported that if the Western countries continue to escalate tensions, the Republic of Belarus reserves the right to take a number of additional steps in the field of national security in 2021,” the ultimatum statement says.
The aforementioned statement was published after a briefing by the head of the Department of International Military Cooperation of the Defense Ministry, Major General Oleg Voinov. The event was attended by military attaches accredited by the defense department.
Earlier, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell expressed concern about the strengthening of repressive measures against human rights defenders and the opposition in Belarus. He urged supporters to discuss a possible response from Brussels.
In the past, the European Union has repeatedly criticized Minsk because of the situation with protests and the use of violence against its own citizens. So, on October 2 last year, the EU countries introduced sanctions against 40 Belarusian officials, and on November 6 – against the country’s President Alexander Lukashenko.
Protest actions began in the republic after the presidential elections, which took place on August 9. According to the Central Election Commission, Lukashenko won 80.23 percent of the vote. The rallies were suppressed with the use of tear gas, stun grenades, and smoke bombs. Citizens complained about violence from the security forces.