MINSK, 5 December (BelTA) - Europe is effectively moving towards a self-fulfilling prophecy of escalating tensions, Belarus’ Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Igor Sekreta said at the plenary session of the OSCE Ministerial Council in Vienna on 4 December, BelTA has learned.
“We are meeting at a time when European security is experiencing perhaps its deepest crisis since Helsinki. In recent years, our region has transformed from a place of dialogue into a place of fear, barriers, and mutual accusations. Today it is important to move away from tired propaganda and call things as they are,” Igor Sekreta stated.
According to him, the security architecture that was built over decades through trial and error has effectively collapsed. Arms-control mechanisms have ceased to function. Previous negotiation formats are frozen. Trust has been reduced to zero.
“It is important to understand that this did not happen suddenly, and certainly not in 2022. The destruction had been growing for nearly three decades. It happened through the disregard for the principle of indivisible security, attempts to build security for oneself at the expense of others, the belief that force and pressure are the only means of achieving political goals,” the Belarusian diplomat noted. “Today states are increasingly speaking the language of ultimatums instead of compromise. Europe is effectively moving towards a self-fulfilling prophecy of escalating tensions. If we do not change this approach, global war could shift from a possibility to a reality.”
The deputy minister stated that Belarus is experiencing this crisis not theoretically but physically: new barriers are being erected along its borders, border checkpoints are being closed, and new dividing lines are being artificially created. Enormous amounts of money are being spent on militarization.
“At the same time, Belarus is accused of aggressive intentions that it has never had. We see how the politicization of illegal migration and cross-border smuggling is used to fuel fear. Meanwhile, it is completely ignored that these problems are a direct consequence of crises, collapsed states, and misguided foreign-policy decisions. Belarus is not responsible for and will not compensate for the consequences of others’ mistakes. But we remain open to contacts at the appropriate level to jointly seek solutions to existing problems,” Igor Sekreta emphasized.
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