MINSK, 29 January (BelTA) - Belarus and Russia want to establish a framework for dialogue and security in the region, Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Maksim Ryzhenkov said in an interview with the Izvestia newspaper, BelTA has learned.
Earlier, Belarus and Russia invited Eurasian countries to join the effort to develop the Eurasian Charter of Diversity and Multipolarity. According to the minister, all countries without exception are showing interest in the development of this document.
“In general, this initiative from Belarus and Russia was a complete surprise for both the West and the East. This topic did not come out of the blue but out of frustration with the current situation in the Eurasian region in terms of security, stability, and the parties' trust in each other. This architecture was once created through the mechanisms of the Helsinki documents. At first it was proudly called the Security Conference but then the OSCE began to lose credibility as it grew biased,” Maksim Ryzhenkov said.
Since the accession of the former Eastern bloc countries, namely Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Bulgaria, and Romania, to the European Union, the OSCE, in fact, ceased its activities in these countries. “The task has been accomplished: those countries were taken away from Russia, from the East, from China, from Belarus, brought under the influence of the West, plundered, had their leaders replaced, and got firmly tied to the legal framework of the European Union. What is next? Their aspirations go further East,” the diplomat said.
“Belarus and Russia seek to establish a framework for dialogue and security in our region. We want to see the European Union to be part of regional security agreements. At least, the specialists who have come to us from major think tanks understand us: they openly speak about the lack of trust and the need for mechanisms. This is in line with our charter. Some people in Europe want to be involved in this, but the others are against it. They do not need this trust, they need a patronizing tone," the minister emphasized.
According to him, the development of the charter is still more interesting for specialists and officials who are concerned about the future of their country.
"For example, the Hungarian minister of foreign affairs took part in our conference on Eurasian security, because Hungary understands the importance of dialogue and the fragility of peace nowadays. They understand that we need to rebuild the trust that has been lost between the parties," Maksim Ryzhenkov stated.
Earlier, Belarus and Russia invited Eurasian countries to join the effort to develop the Eurasian Charter of Diversity and Multipolarity. According to the minister, all countries without exception are showing interest in the development of this document.
“In general, this initiative from Belarus and Russia was a complete surprise for both the West and the East. This topic did not come out of the blue but out of frustration with the current situation in the Eurasian region in terms of security, stability, and the parties' trust in each other. This architecture was once created through the mechanisms of the Helsinki documents. At first it was proudly called the Security Conference but then the OSCE began to lose credibility as it grew biased,” Maksim Ryzhenkov said.
Since the accession of the former Eastern bloc countries, namely Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Bulgaria, and Romania, to the European Union, the OSCE, in fact, ceased its activities in these countries. “The task has been accomplished: those countries were taken away from Russia, from the East, from China, from Belarus, brought under the influence of the West, plundered, had their leaders replaced, and got firmly tied to the legal framework of the European Union. What is next? Their aspirations go further East,” the diplomat said.
“Belarus and Russia seek to establish a framework for dialogue and security in our region. We want to see the European Union to be part of regional security agreements. At least, the specialists who have come to us from major think tanks understand us: they openly speak about the lack of trust and the need for mechanisms. This is in line with our charter. Some people in Europe want to be involved in this, but the others are against it. They do not need this trust, they need a patronizing tone," the minister emphasized.
According to him, the development of the charter is still more interesting for specialists and officials who are concerned about the future of their country.
"For example, the Hungarian minister of foreign affairs took part in our conference on Eurasian security, because Hungary understands the importance of dialogue and the fragility of peace nowadays. They understand that we need to rebuild the trust that has been lost between the parties," Maksim Ryzhenkov stated.
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