Council of the Republic approved draft law on CFE Treaty suspension

During a meeting of the first session of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus of the eighth convocation, members of the Council of the Republic approved the draft law On Suspension of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE). The upper house of Parliament noted that the CFE Treaty suspension does not mean Belarus’ withdrawal from it or the termination of the internal procedures carried out in the country’s Armed Forces related to its implementation.

In practical terms, this would mean the suspension of the provision of information on conventional weapons and equipment of the Republic of Belarus and the suspension of inspections to monitor compliance with quantitative restrictions on conventional weapons and equipment established by the document provisions.

“The CFE Treaty once played a very important role in disarmament and de-escalation,” Dmitry Zhuk, the Deputy Chairman of the Standing Commission on International Affairs and National Security of the Council of the Republic, noted. “However, it has actually lost its power by now. Out of the 29 countries that once signed it, 25 have either withdrawn from the treaty or are in the process of withdrawing. Moreover, if we are talking about 22 NATO members, then only Spain is left. Belarus suspends the CFE Treaty, although we have always adhered to and implemented it. During its existence, Belarus has destroyed over 3 thousand pieces of equipment – a serious figure. Meanwhile, the situation forces us to defend our interests.”

“Belarus does not withdraw from the CFE Treaty, but only suspends its participation,” the deputy underlined. “This demonstrates that our country adheres to the previous security architecture in Europe. We don’t close the door until the end.”