(VOVWORLD) - Belarus would suspend participation in the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty that once was a key security doctrine for the continent, said Belarus’s President Lukashenko on Friday.
 Belarus’s President Alexander Lukashenko. (Photo: AFP/VNA) |
He also introduced a bill calling parliament to suspend the participation.
Belarusian military analyst Alexander Alesin said the move will affect the balance of power and security in the entire Euro-Atlantic region and send a signal to Western countries that Minsk intends to become an active military player in the region,
The CFE Treaty was signed in 1990 between 16 NATO members and 6 members of the Warsaw Pact with the aim of reducing tensions between the two blocs. The treaty sets limits on the deployment of conventional armed forces in Europe and establishes inspection mechanisms. In 1999, an agreement was signed to revise the CFE, which set limits for certain countries and territories, rather than blocs.
However, NATO member states have not ratified this updated version of the CFE treaty. Due to the inability to agree on the terms of the CFE, in 2007 Russia suspended its participation in the treaty. By 2023, Russia had completely withdrawn from the treaty, leading NATO countries to respond by suspending their participation.