MOSCOW, 16 May (BelTA) – Unity in the Collective Security Treaty Organization is in short supply. Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko made the statement at a meeting of leaders of the CSTO countries in Moscow on 16 May, BelTA has learned.
Aleksandr Lukashenko said: “Unity and solidarity of like-minded fellows are particularly important when norms and principles of international law are completely ignored. The CSTO member states demonstrated such solidarity and readiness to help at a difficult time in January 2022. You remember events in Kazakhstan. The timeliness and promptness of this step vividly demonstrated tight allied ties, efficiency, and the organization's potential for ensuring the security of its member states to the entire world. No one in the West even dared think about getting involved in that situation. Because together we are strong.”
Aleksandr Lukashenko wondered whether today one can state that the CSTO member states stand together and are still connected by ties of solidarity and support: “The latest events indicate that it seems one cannot from our point of view (I may be mistaken). The prohibition by individual partners in the Collective Security Treaty Organization of flights of aircraft of national air carriers of other CSTO member states to them comes to mind. Postulates of unity and solidarity do not always work against the background of the toughest, rabid sanctions-fuelled pressure on the part of the consolidated West. Regretfully, it can be concluded from voting in international organizations. With the tacit approval of our partners Belarus and Russia are being vilified and excluded from international organizations at whims of the West and contrary to all laws of international life.”
The president agreed that the allies in the Collective Security Treaty Organization face tough and unprincipled pressure. “But collective mutual support is designed for such situations,” he remarked. “We may no longer be around tomorrow without the tightest unity of our countries, without the enhancement of political, economic, and military ties. Our foes and opponents persistently undermine anchor points and allied relations. We partially help the West with that. I am convinced that if we had acted in lockstep right away, now there would be no hellish sanctions as they say.”
Aleksandr Lukashenko drew attention to the strong discipline inside the European Union and praised it as an example to follow. “Look at how monolithically the European Union votes and acts, how strong the discipline inside their bloc is. It automatically applies even to those, who disagree with the decisions being made. One wonders what prevents us from utilizing this bloc resource. We should follow their example. We will be simply squashed and torn apart if we don't stay together,” the Belarusian leader stressed.
