Opposition council calls on IAEA to evaluate Russia, Belarus non-proliferation compliance

April 4, BPN. The Coordination Council (СС) called on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) “to evaluate the intentions of the Russian Federation and Łukašenka’s illegitimate government” in terms of their obligations under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

The CC said it is necessary “to continue efforts to reduce the risk of using nuclear weapons as a political tool.” It demanded that Russia “immediately withdraw” its troops from Belarus, stop the “illegal use” of its airspace, and halt the “financing and other support of Łukašenka’s illegitimate government against the will of the Belarusian people.”

The Coordination Council called on Belarusian officers “to keep their oath and not tolerate any threat to the safety of the Belarusian people.” It also called on all those who stayed in Belarus to join it “in opposing the placement of nuclear weapons in our homeland,” and on Belarusians abroad “to use their influence to oppose this threat.”

The CC called the upcoming placement of nuclear weapons in Belarus “a significant escalation of the conflict, which has serious consequences for the safety of citizens of the Republic of Belarus and neighboring countries. It violates international obligations and sovereignty of the Republic of Belarus, as well as international commitments of the Russian Federation.”

“The deployment of nuclear weapons in Belarus turns the country into a prime target for a nuclear strike in the event of a conflict between nuclear powers,” the CC said.