MINSK, 26 February (BelTA) - Belarus has no intention to get involved in a mindless arms race, Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Maksim Ryzhenkov said as he addressed the high-level segment of the UN Conference on Disarmament in Geneva on 26 February, BelTA has learned.
Maksim Ryzhenkov pointed out that Belarus has been taking forced reciprocal steps to ensure national security and strengthen the country's defense capabilities, including with the support of its closest ally, Russia, consistently and transparently for its neighbors and the international community.
"Cooperation between Belarus and Russia poses no threat to third countries. Stop tossing around the 'Russians-are-coming' scare. The Russians are not coming anywhere: either to Berlin or to Paris. Do not play into the hands of military-industrial committees and related political circles. I address these words specifically to NATO. We carry out our cooperation within the framework of international law and in strict compliance with the provisions of the NPT [Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons],” he stated.
The minister recalled that Belarus and Russia signed the treaty on security guarantees within the framework of the Union State, which provides for the use of any kind of weapons, including nuclear weapons, for defense.
“Exclusively for defense purposes, Russian ballistic missiles "Oreshnik" will be deployed on the territory of Belarus. I emphasize, this is a forced measure. Once in the 1990s Belarus made a conscious choice in favor of giving up possession of its own nuclear weapons without any conditions and reservations. Yes, we received security guarantees in accordance with the Budapest Memorandum. However, its guarantees were trampled on by the West. Our arguments were not heard. As a result, we are back to the initial point,” Maksim Ryzhenkov said. “I would like to repeat once again: nuclear weapons deployed in Belarus to deter a possible military aggression turn our neighbors' billion-dollar armaments spending meaningless. There will be no winners in such a war."
Maksim Ryzhenkov pointed out that Belarus has been taking forced reciprocal steps to ensure national security and strengthen the country's defense capabilities, including with the support of its closest ally, Russia, consistently and transparently for its neighbors and the international community.
"Cooperation between Belarus and Russia poses no threat to third countries. Stop tossing around the 'Russians-are-coming' scare. The Russians are not coming anywhere: either to Berlin or to Paris. Do not play into the hands of military-industrial committees and related political circles. I address these words specifically to NATO. We carry out our cooperation within the framework of international law and in strict compliance with the provisions of the NPT [Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons],” he stated.
The minister recalled that Belarus and Russia signed the treaty on security guarantees within the framework of the Union State, which provides for the use of any kind of weapons, including nuclear weapons, for defense.
“Exclusively for defense purposes, Russian ballistic missiles "Oreshnik" will be deployed on the territory of Belarus. I emphasize, this is a forced measure. Once in the 1990s Belarus made a conscious choice in favor of giving up possession of its own nuclear weapons without any conditions and reservations. Yes, we received security guarantees in accordance with the Budapest Memorandum. However, its guarantees were trampled on by the West. Our arguments were not heard. As a result, we are back to the initial point,” Maksim Ryzhenkov said. “I would like to repeat once again: nuclear weapons deployed in Belarus to deter a possible military aggression turn our neighbors' billion-dollar armaments spending meaningless. There will be no winners in such a war."
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