MINSK (TASS): The goal of maintaining neutrality and nuclear-free status, fixed in the Constitution of Belarus, has been replaced in the draft of the new basic law of the country with a clause on the exclusion of military aggression from its territory.
In the current constitution, the article on foreign policy says that “the Republic of Belarus aims to make its territory a nuclear-free zone, and the state neutral.” Instead, the draft document, published on Monday on the portal of the National Center for Legal Information, notes that the country “excludes military aggression from its territory against other states.”
Also, according to the draft constitution, the All-Belarusian Assembly “at the suggestion of the president makes a decision on the possibility of sending military personnel, employees of paramilitary organizations, and other persons outside the Republic of Belarus to participate in ensuring collective security and activities to maintain international peace and security.”
Earlier, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus Vladimir Makei said that the republic is ready to deploy nuclear weapons in the event of a threat from NATO. The country’s President Alexander Lukashenko had previously noted that Minsk would offer Moscow to take such measures if the North Atlantic Alliance deployed nuclear weapons in Poland.
Against the background of protests in Belarus that began after the presidential elections on August 9, 2020, Alexander Lukashenko announced the need to amend the constitution and be ready to redistribute some of the presidential powers in favor of other branches of government.
The essence of the proposed changes is to preserve the presidential form of government, specifying the functions and powers of the head of state, parliament and government. In particular, it is proposed to expand the powers of the government and its independence in decision-making in the sphere of executive power.
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