MINSK, April 5. /TASS/. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko will submit a bill on the suspension of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE Treaty) to the House of Representatives of the National Assembly (lower house of parliament), the press service of the Belarusian leader reported.
According to it, the draft law provides for "suspension of the CFE Treaty, but does not mean Belarus is withdrawing from it or that internal procedures related to its implementation in the armed forces are being ceased."
The press service said that Belarus "fully fulfills its obligations under the treaty, including strict compliance with the established limits on the availability of weapons, military equipment and personnel of the armed forces." Nevertheless, in August 2022, the Czech Republic and in March 2023, Poland decided not to adhere to their obligations under the treaty with respect to Belarus. The press service also pointed out that in November 2023, the North Atlantic Council made a statement on the intention of the member states of the alliance participating in the treaty to suspend its operation. Russia has also withdrawn from it.
The press service emphasized that "the suspension of the treaty by NATO member states and their allies actually means the termination of its functioning."
The CFE Treaty was ratified by Belarus and entered into force in 1992. It provides for limitations on overall levels of conventional armaments and equipment in five main categories (tanks, armored combat vehicles, artillery, attack helicopters, and combat aircraft), as well as mechanisms for verifying compliance with commitments (information exchange and inspections).