MINSK, 7 October (BelTA) – The European region is rapidly entering an era of strategic instability, unpredictability and redistribution of political influence, Belarus Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei said as he addressed the Minsk Dialogue Forum "European Security: Stepping Back from the Brink" in the Belarusian capital on 7 October, BelTA has learned.
“Europe, including Belarus as its essential part, has always been particularly sensitive to any change in international security. In recent years, we have been living with a constant storm warning on. The times when a spirit of peace and healthy partnership prevailed on the European continent have been swept away by the gusts of geopolitical tension and confrontation. The European region is rapidly entering an era of strategic instability, unpredictability and redistribution of influence by world players,” said Vladimir Makei.
In his words, the existing rules of the game in the field of security are no longer able to prevent new and resolve existing frozen conflicts in Europe, which, in turn, inevitably lead to further confrontation and increase the likelihood of power scenarios.
“We, in Belarus, are convinced that the possibility of mutual deterrence through the build-up of military capabilities is a dangerous illusion of security, which has already led to tragedies more than once. It is a direct road to the Cold War, and maybe even to a hot war, to the exhausting arms race towards an uncontrollable military crisis at any time,” the minister stressed.
He emphasized that serious risks are associated with the segmentation of European security based on "this is not my problem" principle, while the steps taken to settle conflicts are reactive, not preventive, in nature in the overwhelming majority of cases. “This is the reality of today. In the conditions of interconnectivity, the defeat of any of the parties would entail irreversible consequences for the victorious party tomorrow,” the diplomat said.
According to the minister of foreign affairs, European security is a highly interdependent and calibrated mechanism, which would be counterproductive if any of its parts failed. “We cannot give up the INF Treaty without causing a crisis to other disarmament measures and military and political trust. We cannot build our influence to the detriment of the interests of other players. Values should win minds, not territories,” Vladimir Makei said.
