April 17, Pozirk. Belarusian MPs have approved the first reading of a bill suspending Belarus’ commitments under the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) in a move that was approved by Alaksandar Łukašenka on April 5, the lower chamber’s press office reports.
The legislation has yet to be approved by the National Assembly’s upper chamber and signed into law by the head of state.
Dating back to the last years of the Cold War, the CFE Treaty was designed to ensure transparency of conventional weapons and armed forces in Europe. Moscow withdrew from the treaty in 2023, citing a confrontation with the West, while Minsk remained a party.
Belarus may also consider terminating the CFE Treaty because it is outdated, said Deputy Foreign Minister Juryj Ambrazievič who presented the bill to the MPs.
His statement follows Łukašenka’s assurances that Belarus would not withdraw from the CFE Treaty completely. Minsk would not terminate internal procedures related to its implementation in the Armed Forces, adhering to the established limits on weapons and military personnel, he noted in early April.
In October 2023, the Belarusian ruler approved the suspension of Belarus’ commitments under the CFE Treaty with regard to Poland and the Czech Republic after both countries halted cooperation with Belarus over Minsk’s complicity in Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Belarus thus renounced its legal obligation to allow inspections of its conventional arms and equipment and to exchange information on military capabilities with Poland and the Czech Republic.
The CFE Treaty limited Belarus’ conventional weapons to no more than 1,800 main battle tanks, 2,800 armored vehicles, 1,615 artillery systems, 294 combat aircraft and 80 attack helicopters.
