Report of Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin

Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko heard a report from Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin on 12 May.

The head of state mentioned personnel issues in the Armed Forces as the main reason for the meeting and suggested that he and the defense minister should discuss this topic. "As we know from experience, if the right person is in a particular position, then the situation will be normal over there. If it is the wrong person, then it will be a disaster. You and I agreed that you would give serious thought to who you would continue serving with later on. It is the reason for our meeting and conversation. After that we will think together about how I will talk to the generals and officers who serve in our Armed Forces and, first of all, in our army," Aleksandr Lukashenko told Viktor Khrenin.

Another topic that the head of state discussed with the defense minister was the recent massive inspection of the Armed Forces. As the Belarusian leader noted, a serious discussion took place in the Belarusian Defense Ministry as a result of this inspection.

"You looked into things over there in a principled manner somewhere and not so much somewhere else. I've been waiting for you to sort out good things and shortcomings on your own. There are always plenty of the latter. But we have never tried hard to hide the army's shortcomings. I decided that we do not need to hide these shortcomings. At the same time, we did not draw attention to them either," the President emphasized. "They don't say bad things about an army anywhere. But we have done this more openly than the leadership of other countries. I guess it is the right approach: people have to see that we are not going to hide anything."

The Belarusian leader expects that the work to eliminate and correct the shortcomings identified during the army inspection will not end. "I very much hope that this process will not end, that the army leadership, and first of all the minister, will pay the most serious attention to the shortcomings that were revealed by this inspection."

Aleksandr Lukashenko once again recalled his thesis that although Belarus is focused on peace, the army exists for the sake of being ready to conduct military operations if the need arises. "Later on, as I've promised, we will selectively mobilize army units in order to prepare them for war. God willing, it will be possible to avoid it," Aleksandr Lukashenko added.