Lukashenko signs law suspending Belarus’ role in European arms treaty
Belarus’ self-proclaimed President Alexander Lukashenko has
signed a law suspending the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, the
Russian state news agency Interfax reported on May 28.
The Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe was signed on Nov. 19, 1990.
In early April, Lukashenko agreed to submit a bill to the parliament to suspend the treaty. The document was later approved by the Belarusian parliament.
Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe
The Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe was signed on Nov. 19, 1990, in Paris by 16 NATO states and six Warsaw Pact states (Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, the USSR, and Czechoslovakia) and entered into force on Nov. 9, 1992.
The treaty provides for limitations on the total levels of conventional armaments and equipment in five main categories: tanks, armored combat vehicles, artillery, attack helicopters, and combat aircraft. It also includes mechanisms for verifying compliance, such as information exchange and inspections.
The Czech Republic suspended its obligations under the treaty with Belarus in August 2022, and Poland made a similar decision in March 2023.
Belarus adopted a law in October 2023 suspending the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe with respect to Poland and the Czech Republic.
Russia officially withdrew from the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe on Nov. 7. On the same day, NATO countries also suspended their participation in the treaty in response to Russia's move.
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