MINSK, 14 October (BelTA) – Belarus' initiative to adopt a declaration of responsible countries on the non-deployment of medium- and shorter-range missiles in Europe is timely and finds support among foreign colleagues, Belarus' Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei said in an interview with the ONT TV channel, BelTA has learned.
According to the minister, this initiative voiced by the Belarus president is very timely and constructive at the current turbulent stage. “Once it has been voiced, we have seen some interest. A number of colleagues has showed interest. They approached me at the UN, saying that this is a timely initiative and very important. Let's see how the situation will develop. Because, in our opinion, it makes no sense to sit idle doing nothing and waiting until this stage of confrontation is over. There will be no results,” Vladimir Makei said.
He believes that the world needs proposals to help ease tensions, even if they seem unusual at first glance, as it was the case with a number of initiatives aimed at disarmament, greater peace and security. “They, too, were initially treated with distrust. Therefore, we need to do something, to offer things that will help us to stop the period of confrontation that we are witnessing today," the minister said.
As BelTA reported earlier, Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko suggested adopting a declaration of non-deployment to reduce tension as he addressed the CIS summit in Ashgabat on 11 October. “After the termination of the relevant treaty [INF treaty], it is highly likely that such weapons will appear in the European part of the continent. This inevitably entails a threat of a new round of military confrontation,” said Aleksandr Lukashenko.
Being a full-fledged party to the treaty, Belarus has not withdrawn from it and does not intend to do so in the future if there are no threats to the security of the country, the president assured.
Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed Belarus' initiative.
