Belarusian People’s Congress to approve National Security Concept, Military Doctrine

On 24 April Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko was elected Chairman of the 7th Belarusian People’s Congress. Aleksandr Kosinets was elected Deputy Chairman. The delegates also elected the Presidium and made decisions on a number of other organizational issues. 

On the first day of the Belarusian People’s Congress Aleksandr Lukashenko made a speech, in which he elaborated on the role and place of the Belarusian People’s Congress in the country’s new political system, Belarus’ social and economic achievements over the years of its sovereign development and on the situation in the world and around the country.

The agenda for the second day of the meeting includes issues related to the approval of the National Security Concept and the Military Doctrine. These are fundamental documents regulating the approaches of the state to ensuring its own security in various sectors, taking into account geopolitical changes in the world, and the use of military force in responding to the existing challenges and threats.

The draft of the new National Security Concept was approved at the meeting of the Security Council of Belarus on 20 February 2023. Before submitting it to the Belarusian People's Congress for approval, the head of state instructed to hold a public discussion of it. During the year, more than 70 discussion platforms were organized to discuss the main novelties of the Concept in all regions of the country, in government bodies and organizations, labor collectives, educational institutions, trade unions and public associations with the involvement of representatives of the scientific and expert community, major religious denominations, and civil society. To maximize the coverage of the audience, the text of the new Concept was also posted on the National Legal Internet Portal of the Republic of Belarus.

At a meeting of the Security Council in January 2024 the head of state and members of the Security Council were presented with specific proposals that, as a result of public discussion, were proposed for inclusion in the updated Concept. First of all, they concerned additional protection of the institution of the traditional family, raising the level of social responsibility of business, overcoming imbalances in regional development, specifying the list of national security forces, the procedure for approving a system of indicative assessment of the state of national security, and others.

As for the new Military Doctrine, it does not provide for a radical revision of the provisions of the state's military policy. The actual provisions remain unchanged, and its defensive nature has been preserved. The document reveals the content of the military policy. In particular, it emphasizes that Belarus is a peace-loving country that does not threaten anyone, while attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of the state, the threat to use military force or aggression will be suppressed with the use of all available potential.

Both fundamental documents were approved by the Security Council in February 2024 and, in accordance with the Constitution of Belarus, submitted to the Belarusian People's Congress for approval.