MINSK, 16 July (BelTA) - Belarus has invited Poland to hold talks on security, Valery Revenko, Chief of the International Military Cooperation Department, Aide for International Military Cooperation to the Belarusian Defense Minister, told the media, BelTA learned.
“Amid the ongoing armed conflict in Ukraine, the accelerated militarization of the Republic of Poland, clearly exceeding defense sufficiency, is an additional factor contributing to the growth of tensions in the Eastern European region. The Republic of Belarus as a neighboring state cannot but respond to this trend,” Valery Revenko said. “In 2025, Poland’s military budget reached a record 4.7% of GDP. The country is actively purchasing foreign offensive weapons and building up the national military-industrial capacities, setting up joint ventures to manufacture hardware and ammunition and foreign defense products under license. Practical measures are being taken to form three mechanized divisions in the eastern regions of the country (at a distance of up to 200km from the state border of the Republic of Belarus). These measures not only have a negative impact on the regional balance of power, but are also perceived by us as part of a comprehensive unfriendly strategy towards the Republic of Belarus.”
The military measures carried out by the Republic of Poland in the immediate vicinity of our state are of even greater concern, Valery Revenko stressed. “As part of the large-scale long-term Eastern Shield project, Poland has been building a system of fences, fortifications and modern means to monitor Belarus’ airspace at an accelerated pace. In the border areas with our country Poland has additionally deployed about 11,000 soldiers, border guards and police. The Polish leadership also intends to withdraw from the Ottawa Convention and place anti-personnel mines on the border with Belarus,” he said. “The next step by the Polish military-political leadership escalating the situation in the region was the decision to conduct a series of Iron Defender divisional exercises in the eastern regions of the country in response to Zapad 2025, a scheduled joint strategic exercise of the armed forces of Belarus and Russia. It will be held despite the decision by the Belarusian side to reduce the number of participants in the Zapad 2025 exercise.”
“Nevertheless, to further emphasize our commitment to dialogue with the Polish military-political leadership, in order to reduce the potential risks of armed clashes amid the deployment of additional forces and means of the Polish army near the state border of the Republic of Belarus, on 16 June of this year, the Belarusian Defense Ministry sent an official proposal to the Republic of Poland via the communication network of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to hold negotiations between the verification agencies via telephone or video. In addition, the Belarusian side expressed readiness to organize direct contacts between representatives of the armed forces of the two states both on the territory of Belarus and Poland, and third countries at any time and to conduct mutual verification activities within the framework of the agreements,” Valery Revenko said.
The Belarusian side believes that the resumption of cooperation between the verification centers of both states can serve as a first, but very concrete and indicative step towards establishing contacts between our states and stabilizing the situation in the region as a whole.
“A month later, we received a formal response from the Polish side, which does not imply the restoration of good neighborly relations with our state. It shows that Warsaw continues to unconditionally follow the instructions of those who benefit from the unleashing of a new military conflict in Europe, the theater of which can be both the Republic of Belarus and the Republic of Poland,” Valery Revenko said. “Only the decision of the military-political leadership of the Republic of Poland will determine whether it will go down in history as a state that failed to prevent a new war in Europe, or as a country that used diplomatic methods to resolve the contradictions and thereby made a significant contribution to European security.”
“The Republic of Belarus is determined to follow the path of bringing peace and stability back to the Eastern European region. In this regard, we continue to call on the military-political leadership of the Republic of Poland to return to an equal and mutually respectful dialogue. We are ready to consider both a full return to the agreements concluded earlier and a possibility of expanding the toolkit of transparency, trust and security measures,” Valery Revenko said. “The Belarusian side hopes that the Polish leadership will make the right choice: the choice in favor of security, peaceful coexistence and cooperation.”
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