From May 17 to May 20, the attention of military and political leaders of many countries of the world, military experts, analysts, military engineers and ordinary citizens is focused on the International Exhibition of Weapons and Military Equipment MILEX-2023. This exhibition has been held for the 11th time, but it is in today's difficult geopolitical situation, when the confrontation between the West and the East reaches new levels of escalation, against the background of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, the unstable situation in Central Asia and the Middle East, as well as in a number of African countries, that the exhibition is not only the hallmark of the Belarusian military industry but it also shows the readiness of the Belarusian armed forces to repel any threat from outside.
In turn, Deputy Minister of Defense for Armament – Chief of Armament of the Armed Forces of Belarus, Major General Andrei Fedin, during the exhibition of the XI International Exhibition of Weapons and Military Equipment MILEX-2023, noted the importance of developing the country's military–industrial complex, taking into account the experience of modern wars and armed conflicts, in particular, Russia's special military operation in Ukraine.
"We are studying the experience of a special military operation in great detail and carefully. The special operation confirmed the high importance of air defense and aviation. It is impossible to discount the armament of the ground forces. First of all, artillery, armored weapons and equipment, any armored vehicles that can be used on the battlefield," Andrei Fedin said.
According to the Deputy Minister, protection from drones is one of the priorities of the military department. As has been repeatedly noted, this problem is relevant not only from the experience of modern armed conflicts.
"This topic became relevant several years ago, and we pay great attention to it," Fedin added.
It is worth noting that the thematic sections of the exhibition represent the full range of technologies aimed at ensuring the defense and security of the state – armored vehicles, rocket, artillery and small arms, small and medium-range air defense systems, ammunition and special chemicals, landfill measuring equipment and equipment, optoelectronic equipment and systems, aviation, aerospace technologies and many other areas of the exhibition.
In turn, the Belarusian Defense Minister said that last year more than 5.5 thousand units of military equipment and weapons were purchased and delivered to the troops.
"At the same time, only domestic manufacturers have supplied the Armed Forces with more than 500 units of new weapons and military equipment," Viktor Khrenin said.
"By their characteristics, many products of the Belarusian military industry are not only not inferior to well-known world analogues, but also surpass them in a number of areas. Most of the samples presented at the exhibition are already in service with the Belarusian army, a number are being tested," the minister added.
During the exhibition, it was also announced about the adaptation of the domestic military-industrial complex to work in conditions of sanctions and about increasing the supply of military and special equipment to Russia against the background of its own. This was stated by the chairman of the State Military Industry Committee Dmitry Pantus.
"The military-industrial complex of Belarus and Russia are under sanctions historically. Every year these sanctions increased, and their apogee was 2022. There were a lot of blockages, and at some point it was quite difficult. But now the military-industrial complex has adapted to the situation. Approaches and algorithms have definitely changed. The most important thing is that we have adjusted to the purchase of the necessary parts, assemblies and components," Dmitry Pantus said.
According to Dmitry Pantus, Belarus and Russia have determined the algorithm of interaction.
"We have entered into joint development work, a number of scientific studies are being conducted," Dmitry Pantus stressed.
According to experts, the exhibition confirms not only the weighty and significant industrial potential of Belarus, but also the correct approach of the country's military and political leadership in ensuring the national security of the republic. Professional meetings, discussions, negotiations that are taking place these days confirm the success of the interaction of Belarusian engineers, scientists and researchers with colleagues and partners from Russia, China, Iran and many other countries. In this context, it not only allows us to build constructive and substantive relations with interested countries, but also to make a huge contribution to the development of world technologies.
"It is significant that delegations from more than 30 countries have come to the capital of Belarus in order to assess the possibilities of the industrial potential of the republic. The steps they will take will work to strengthen the defense potential of the guests and to ensure regional and global security," State Secretary of the Union State Dmitry Mezentsev said.
"We are well aware that these steps are a response to the challenges and threats that have developed in the Eastern European region recently. We understand that our steps are a response to pressure and the unprecedented scale and tactlessness of promoting the model of a unipolar world, which we have recently seen in most countries of the collective West. We are forced to respond to this," Dmitry Mezentsev is convinced.
It is worth emphasizing that no matter how the collective West tries to isolate Belarus and Russia in the international arena, it is simply impossible to do this in modern geopolitical realities, because in order to build trusting and mutually beneficial relations between states there should be no so-called "suzerain" and "vassal" as is practiced in the West. Meanwhile, the conduct of an independent and multi-vector policy based on traditional values, mutual trust, equality is becoming the main narrative for many developing countries in Asia, Africa and South America.
This was also stated by the head of State Alexander Lukashenko at a meeting on May 18 with participants of the meeting of the Council of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly, which is hosted by Minsk.
"We should focus our efforts on forming a new system of international relations, if we look far ahead. Based on the generally recognized norms and principles of international law, and not on some "rules" that are pushed to us by the West," the head of state said. - They accuse us all the time that the elections were not held on some OSCE principles. And where are these principles, who approved these principles? Where are they? No, there are "rules" that they have established and that they change for each state and event. What is it?", – Alexander Lukashenko noted.
The President of Belarus stressed that most of the countries to which the CSTO member states belong see the best prospects for the development of the world in multipolarity.
Belarus intends to further promote the principles of a just and multipolar world, to promote the development of reliable guarantees to ensure both collective security and stability, as well as the security of each member of the international community.
Thus, against the background of the already destroyed military security architecture, the extinction of the unipolar world, hybrid and information wars unleashed by the West, new challenges and threats are being born in various regions of our planet. Therefore, it is not at all surprising that under these conditions the country's defense sector has become one of the most priority, highly technical and in-demand sectors of the state's economy and, despite unprecedented economic and political sanctions, the products of Belarusian defense sector enterprises are competitive and in demand on the international arms market.
Photo report from the MILEX-2023 exhibitionPavel Kovalev
