Events

Belarus suspends CFE Treaty with Poland, Czechia

MINSK, 19 September (BelTA) – Members of the House of Representatives of the seventh convocation passed a bill "On the suspension of the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty with the Republic of Poland and the Czech Republic" at a sitting of the tenth session in Minsk on 19 September, BelTA has learned.

The bill was drafted on the initiative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus and submitted to the House of Representatives by the Council of Ministers on 6 September. Prepared with an aim to ensure the national interests of the Republic of Belarus, it suspends the fulfillment by Belarus of its obligations under the CFE Treaty signed in Paris on 19 November 1990 with the Republic of Poland and the Czech Republic.

The CFE Treaty was ratified by the resolution of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Belarus on 21 October 1992 "On ratification of the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty of 19 November 1990 and the agreement on the principles and procedure to implement the treaty of 15 May 1992" and entered into force on 9 November 1992. It sets specific limits on conventional weapons and equipment in five main categories (tanks, armoured combat vehicles, artillery, attack helicopters and combat aircraft) and spells out mechanisms for verifying compliance with obligations (information exchange and inspections).

On 21 March, the Polish government decided not to comply with the CFE Treaty with respect to Belarus. The Czech Republic notified Minsk of the suspension of its obligations under the CFE Treaty via the OSCE Communication Network in August 2022. In accordance with the recommendations by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Republic of Belarus, in accordance with article 60, paragraph 2, subparagraph (b), of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties of 23 May 1969, has the right to suspend the CFE Treaty in respect of the Republic of Poland and the Czech Republic, which have decided not to fulfill their obligations under this treaty in respect of the Republic of Belarus.

In practical terms, this would mean that the Republic of Belarus will suspend the provision of notification and information regarding conventional arms and equipment to these States, and the receipt of inspections from Poland and the Czech Republic in order to verify compliance by Belarus with the quantitative restrictions on conventional arms and equipment established by the provisions of the CFE Treaty. With respect to other states parties, the Republic of Belarus will continue to implement the CFE Treaty.

Belarus has suspended the treaty in order to ensure its national security, said Evgeny Zaitsev, a member of the Standing Committee on National Security of the House of Representatives.

"This document suspends Belarus’ obligations in relation to Poland and the Czech Republic. The treaty sets a limit on conventional weapons of five categories: tanks, armored combat vehicles, artillery, attack helicopters, combat aircraft. Inspections and exchange of information are its verifying mechanisms," Evgeny Zaitsev said.

All these years, Belarus has honestly fulfilled its obligations under this treaty, the MP added. "In August 2022, Czechia notified us of the suspension of the treaty with Belarus. The Polish government suspended this treaty in March 2023. Today we are watching the militarization in Poland, near our state border. This bill is a response of our country to the unfriendly actions by these two states," the MP concluded.

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