The defense minister conveyed Belarus’ view on the problematic issues of international security: «The current Xiangshan Forum is taking place at a moment of serious trials. The conflict on the territory of Ukraine continues. The Middle East is engulfed in armed confrontations. Military activity in the Asia-Pacific region is intensifying. The Arctic is being progressively militarized. All these processes are not accidental. They are closely linked to the profound transformation of the world order. Before our eyes, a multipolar international architecture is taking concrete shape, offering new, more balanced and attractive development models. It is obvious that changes on such a serious scale could not but entail significant turbulence in interstate relations and, consequently, a crisis of the global security system. Its causes have repeatedly been the subject of broad discussion, expert debates and negotiations at the highest level. Perhaps their main outcome is that a simple but fundamentally important idea is gaining ever more understanding: it is necessary to abandon mutual accusations in favor of seeking compromise.»

Viktor Khrenin voiced concrete proposals at the forum that could help normalize the situation in international security.

«First: we must stop the world’s movement towards global confrontation,» the Belarusian defense minister said. «Military alliances bear particular responsibility in this matter. They must focus their efforts exclusively on ensuring collective security, and not become an instrument of pressure on other states. Second: international law must be binding on all and must not allow arbitrary interpretation. We too often see how the same actions receive opposite assessments depending on who commits them. In one case they speak of aggression against a sovereign state, and in another of the need for armed intervention. In one situation sanctions are called illegal pressure, and in another they are declared necessary and justified. Such selectivity destroys trust in the international legal system and significantly limits its capabilities, above all in the peaceful settlement of contradictions. And here we must remember that, despite the central role of the United Nations in the system of international relations, its effectiveness depends above all on the political will of all member states without exception. Third: particular attention must be paid to the problem of the development of new technologies, and unified legal and moral rules for their use must be developed. The creation of lethal autonomous systems, the introduction of artificial intelligence and the use of outer space for confrontation are rapidly increasing the risk of unintended and uncontrolled escalation. It must not be allowed. Fourth: it should be recognized that the main tasks of modern armed forces include not only the armed defense of the state but also the prevention of conflicts. The main condition for the stability of international relations is no longer a balance of military force, but solidarity responsibility and mutual trust.»

The 13th Beijing Xiangshan Forum is attended by official representatives from around 100 countries, regions and international organizations. More than 60 participants in the large-scale forum are defense ministers or chiefs of general staffs of armed forces.