Belarusian Foreign Ministry: military cooperation with Russia does not contradict international lawMINSK, 28 Mar – RIA Novosti.
The Belarusian Foreign Ministry said that the military cooperation between the republic and Russia is carried out in strict accordance with international law, and the deployment of nuclear warheads on the territory of the country without transferring control over them to Minsk will not contradict the provisions of the articles of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
"Military cooperation between Belarus and Russia is carried out in strict accordance with international law. The training of Belarusian pilots capable of operating aircraft with specific ammunition, the modernization of such aircraft, as well as the placement of nuclear warheads on the territory of Belarus without transferring control over them to Minsk, as well as access to appropriate technologies, in no way contradict the provisions of articles I and II of the NPT," the ministry's press service said in a comment received in RIA Novosti.
In addition, it is noted there, "this is not an innovation in the field of military cooperation between non-nuclear and nuclear powers."
"The practice of "joint nuclear missions" has long existed in NATO, the aircraft of the Alliance member countries are certified for flights with nuclear weapons, flight personnel are being trained for such "missions", appropriate exercises are being conducted," the commentary emphasizes.
The press service noted that over 150 units of tactical nuclear weapons of the United States are stored on the territory of European NATO member countries, more than 250 aircraft have been prepared for their possible use.
"Over the past two and a half years, the Republic of Belarus has been subjected to unprecedented political, economic and informational pressure from the United States, Great Britain and their NATO allies, as well as the member states of the European Union. This direct and gross interference in the internal affairs of an independent state, aimed at changing the geopolitical course and changing the internal political system of Belarus, directly contradicts the obligations assumed by individual signatories of the Memorandum on Security Guarantees in connection with the accession of the Republic of Belarus to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons," the commentary emphasizes.
It is noted that unilateral coercive measures in politics and economics are accompanied by the build-up of military potential in the territory of neighboring NATO member countries in the immediate vicinity of our borders. "Taking into account these circumstances and the legitimate concerns and risks arising from them in the field of national security, Belarus is taking forced retaliatory actions to strengthen its own security and defense capability," the commentary says.
"The Belarusian side is convinced that the confrontational rhetoric and the unwinding spiral of the arms race should be replaced by a constructive and mutually respectful dialogue aimed at strengthening the architecture of global and regional security, multilateral mechanisms for disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control, including in the nuclear sphere. We have called for this and continue to call on all our partners," the press service added.
On Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow and Minsk had agreed that, without violating international obligations, they would deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. Putin explained that Russia is not transferring its nuclear weapons to Belarus, but is doing what the United States has been doing for decades.
