Belarus’ Deputy Foreign Minister on CFE Treaty suspension

The draft law of the Republic of Belarus On the Suspension of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) – submitted to the House of Representatives by the Council of Ministers in agreement with the President – was adopted at first reading during the first session of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the eighth convocation. According to Belarus’ Deputy Foreign Minister Yuri Ambrazevich, the bill was developed at the Foreign Ministry’s initiative and agreed upon with the State Secretariat of Belarus’ Security Council, as well as the ministries for defence, finance and justice. The introduction of the bill to the House of Representatives was approved by the Head of State.

“The Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe envisages limits on conventional weapons and equipment across five main categories (battle tanks, armoured combat vehicles, artillery, combat aircraft and attack helicopters), as well as mechanisms for verifying compliance with obligations, information exchange and inspections. The document was one of the key agreements in the field of conventional arms control in Europe and the cornerstone of European security. The treaty played a landmark role in reducing military confrontation, creating a new security architecture on the European continent in the post-Cold War period through unprecedented reductions in arms, equipment and personnel. Belarus fully fulfilled its obligations under the CFE Treaty after it entered into force, destroying more than 3,000 units of conventional weapons and equipment. This was our significant contribution to strengthening pan-European security and the disarmament process,” underlined Mr. Ambrazevich.

He drew the attention of parliamentarians that on November 7th, 2023, the NATO North Atlantic Council announced that the alliance members that are party to the treaty would fully suspend its implementation. At present, the CFE Treaty has been suspended by 21 states out of 22 NATO members, as well as Georgia and Moldova.

“The suspension of the CFE Treaty by NATO members and their allies also means the de facto termination of the treaty. To ensure national security and to respond to the decision of NATO member states, the Head of State supported the proposal to suspend the CFE Treaty by the Republic of Belarus. In practical terms, this means the suspension of the provision of information on conventional weapons and equipment to other parties to the treaty, alongside the suspension of inspections in check the compliance with the quantitative restrictions on conventional weapons and equipment established by the provisions of the document. We will also not be obliged to adhere to the indicated quantitative restrictions,” the Deputy Foreign Minister asserted.