Belarus suspends Conventional Forces Treaty in Europe

According to the report of the international group Tasnim news agency quoting “Tass” news agency, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus announced this Wednesday that Minsk’s suspension of the Treaty of Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) by Minsk is a mandatory step that should be considered as the country’s reaction to similar actions by NATO countries. /p>

In the statement published in this regard, it is stated: The decision of the NATO member states to suspend the mentioned agreement left us no choice, and Belarus also took a mandatory reaction in order to ensure national security. This country will stop implementing the provisions of this agreement.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus noted that this decision is due to the fact that conventional arms control in Europe is being destroyed and in addition Therefore, the military-political tension in the region continues to increase. Minsk officials emphasized that taking such a decision does not mean Belarus’s complete withdrawal from the Treaty of Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, and if its provisions are implemented by NATO member states, this country will also return to it.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that Minsk has fulfilled its obligations in this international agreement in good faith and fully for more than 30 years and has also worked to preserve this agreement. Moreover, even after the suspension of this agreement, Belarus will continue to be committed to conventional arms control, as it considers this a necessary element to maintain security in the European region.  At the same time, Minsk authorities are still open to dialogue on this issue.

Yesterday, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko signed a law that would The obligations of this country in the framework of the Treaty of Conventional Armed Forces in Europe have been suspended. This document was published on the Internet portal of legal information of Belarus.

The Council of the National Assembly of Belarus (the highest parliament of this country) agreed to approve this bill earlier this month, and the House of Representatives of the Parliament also approved this document on May 17. The approval of this document means that this country no longer accepts or will not carry out inspections and monitoring of compliance with regulations related to quantitative restrictions on conventional weapons and equipment, as well as providing information about them to foreign partners within the framework of this agreement.

On May 29, 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law terminating the country’s participation in the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe. In the explanatory note when presenting this bill to the State Duma, the reason for this initiative is the hostile policy of the United States and its allies in dealing with Russia.

In November of the same year Britain, Canada and the United States also suspended their participation in this agreement. In March 2024, the Moldovan Parliament suspended the document. A similar decision was taken by Hungary and Turkey in April.

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