The Belarusian Foreign Ministry noted that NATO’s military buildup and technology near Belarus’ borders also added to the unilateral coercive measures in the political and economic spheres, BeltA reported.

Taking the resulting legitimate concerns and risks into account national security,Belarus has taken appropriate measures to strengthen its security and defense capabilities,” the Ministry stated.

Minsk noted that it considers the West’s actions to change the geopolitical course and the internal political system of Belarus, as a “direct and severe interference in its internal affairs as an independent State”.

These actions “directly contradict the commitments undertaken by the signatories of the Memorandum on Security Assurances in connection to Belarus’ Accession to the Nuclear Weapons Non-Proliferation Treaty,” it concluded.

jrr/iff/lam/gfa