Military buildup along Belarus’ border is destabilising situation in the region
The source of destabilisation of the situation in our region is continuous and unjustified buildup of foreign military forces along the Belarusian border – as stated by the Foreign Ministry’s press service
As the RIA Novosti Agency noted in its address to the Ministry, an unnamed senior official of the US Department of State said that Ukraine could be attacked through the territory of Belarus, while changes of Belarus’ Constitution could lead to deployment of Russian nuclear forces on the territory of the country.
The Belarusian Foreign Ministry commented on this statement, confirming that it had read ‘this strange briefing’. “It combines a bewildering set of fantasies and horror stories. Moreover, it was done absolutely intentionally, and even an anonymous application form indicates this. Russian colleagues called this disinformation – which was a quite accurate though very diplomatic definition,” the Foreign Ministry said.
The Foreign Ministry added that ‘in recent weeks, the American side has been systematically throwing lies into the information space’. The diplomats explained the purpose of this policy, “It is absolutely clear that it [the American side] is doing this to escalate the situation, to introduce tension – including in areas where it is not observed. This has become commonplace. The United States needs this to justify a number of its illegal actions and revenge for all the outright failures of recent times. It is simply unclear why they think others are stupid enough to fall for these overused tricks.”
The Ministry noted that, this time, Belarus is being accused of destabilising the situation in the region, and the myths about ‘an attack’ on Ukraine from the north continue to be spread. “This hoax is being repeated year to year. This is absolutely absurd. We have many times said openly that there would never be a threat from our territory; this provision has even been included in the draft Constitution. We cannot be more specific about it. Therefore, we suggest that they should stop going from one extreme to the other, being afraid of everyone – but start clarifying all issues through a dialogue," the Foreign Ministry stressed, adding that the essence of the upcoming military exercises was explained publicly. In particular, a couple of days ago, the Defence Ministry organised a briefing for military diplomats accredited in Belarus.
"We are convinced that the source of destabilisation of the situation in the region is not Belarus or Russia but the continuous and unjustified buildup of foreign military presence along our borders," the Foreign Ministry said.
It was added that ‘this presence is being enhanced with active participation of those who are unable to comply even with the commitments they have signed up to’. Here is a quote from the Budapest Memorandum: ‘The United Kingdom and the United States reaffirm their commitment to Belarus… to refrain from economic coercion designed to subordinate to their own interests the exercise by the Republic of Belarus of the rights inherent in its sovereignty and thus to secure advantages of any kind’. “So maybe the American side should start with this?" the Foreign Ministry proposed.
"Our American colleagues have also got themselves concerned with potential deployment of armed forces and nuclear weapons on the territory of our country. If I am not mistaken, it is the United States and the European Union that have been recently zealously defending the sacred right of each state to independently choose an alliance or a union to join. Or is it about something else?" Anatoly Glaz, the press secretary of Belarus’ Foreign Ministry, noted.
"Accordingly, we are not obliged to report to the United States and we are not going to. In case of any concern, we are always ready to discuss it in a civilised manner – fortunately, there is a diplomatic presence in both countries," the Foreign Ministry summed up.
