MINSK, 28 November (BelTA) - Belarus’ delegation delivered a statement on the Helsinki Dialogue and the vision of the future of European and Eurasian security at the Joint Meeting of the Forum for Security Cooperation and the Permanent Council, BelTA learned from the Permanent Mission of Belarus to the OSCE in Vienna.
Belarus called on the OSCE participating states to rethink, in a creative and responsible way, taking into account the changes in the world, the ideas of the Helsinki Final Act regarding the ways and mechanisms for ensuring international and regional security.
"Signed in a difficult military-political situation in 1975, the Helsinki Final Act laid the progressive foundations of international relations in the Euro-Atlantic space, including in security, for decades to come. Its ideas and principles aimed at peaceful coexistence and building truly good-neighborly relations have not lost their relevance," the statement said.
Belarusian diplomats noted that the Helsinki Final Act was able to create a foundation for dialogue between East and West. It helped reduce tensions and establish military cooperation, despite all the contradictions of the Cold War period. This document made a significant contribution to the formation of a new security model, highlighting the indivisibility of security and an imperative for each state to strengthen international peace, security and stability.
“It was the Helsinki Final Act that envisaged that its member states notify each other of major military exercises of ground forces, send observers to military drills and exchange visits of military delegations in order to expand contacts between armed forces. These decisions, which represented a truly new, revolutionary vision of security, were subsequently successfully implemented,” the statement reads.
Along with this, the Belarusian delegation drew attention to the fact that at the present stage, dialogue and cooperation in the military and political sphere have completely given way to the unjustified unilateral militarization of the European continent. NATO member states continue to increase the number and combat potential of national armed forces and build up the military presence of the joint armed forces of the alliance, including at the border of Belarus.
“This process represents the deviation of a number of states from the principles of the Helsinki Final Act, including the principle of indivisibility of security that was solemnly proclaimed and subsequently enshrined in a number of fundamental OSCE documents. The question arises: why did these mechanisms fail? The answer, in our opinion, is obvious,” the statement reads. The existing architecture did not take into account the interests of all its participants, and therefore the existing military and political instruments could not prevent the crisis of the European security system, which resulted in an open armed confrontation in the region. Although the beginning of this was laid as early as 1999 - by bombing Yugoslavia in violation of UN Security Council resolutions and NATO's eastward expansion.”
“As a result, we have the deepest crisis of regional and international security,” the Belarusian diplomats said. “Against this background, the transformation of the world geopolitical landscape is underway. This is a painful but inevitable process. The breakdown of the existing world order marks the transition from a monopolar structure to multipolarity, the transition from the European security model, which has failed to prove its worthiness, to the construction of the Eurasian security architecture, which is being created on the basis of equality, justice and full consideration of the principle of indivisibility of security.”
“We would like to draw the attention of our distinguished colleagues to the fact that Eurasia is now actively developing its own structures, such as the SCO, the CSTO, ASEAN, CICA, dealing, among other things, with issues of security and stability. At the high-level international conference “Eurasian Security: Reality and Prospects in a Transforming World” last year in Minsk, Belarus launched a discussion on the prospects of building a new architecture of Eurasian collective security. In this regard, Belarus put forward an initiative to develop the Eurasian Charter of Diversity and Multipolarity in the 21st century,” the statement reads.
The Belarusian delegation emphasized that the charter will help build a fair order in Eurasia based on the principles of indivisible security, equality, mutual respect and cooperation. This document could outline the parameters and principles of the security architecture in the Eurasian space and define the strategic vision of multipolarity of the renewed system of international relations.
"The time has come for all of us to move away from political prejudices and destructive stereotypes and start building a dialogue, looking step by step for areas of common interest. Today we urgently need to create a common space of trust and cooperation, to bring states together not against anyone, but for the sake of a common goal, in order to avoid the fatal civilization fault. At the same time, we believe that the Helsinki Final Act has not lost its potential for Europe. Moreover, its provisions are so balanced, comprehensive and universal that they can be successfully used by other countries of the world and international organizations. Belarus urges the OSCE participating states to rethink, in a creative and responsible way, taking into account the changes in the world, the ideas of the Helsinki Final Act regarding the ways and mechanisms for ensuring international and regional security," the statement reads.
The Belarusian side is sure: "Building a new system of collective regional security that meets the requirements of the time would allow us to return to a depoliticized dialogue and constructive cooperation in military and political area."
