The international seminar was organised by the Foreign Policy and Security Research Centre, in association with the International Relations Department of the Belarusian State University (BSU), with assistance from the NATO Public Diplomacy Division. Ms. Hartman reported at the seminar that NATO has so far conducted around 1,400 events in Belarus, including work with partners.
“We’re open to discussion on security issues but I’d like to emphasise that NATO won’t replace the United Nations regarding security discussions,” she added. “We want to co-operate in matters of interest to our partners and are ready to expand our co-operation in particular avenues if Belarus shows interest.”
Ms. Hartman underlined that NATO is ready to step up its military collaboration with Belarus, and sees the Science for Peace project as promising for co-operation, as it provides for organising seminars and conferences on issues of mutual interest.
During the seminar, it was emphasised that Belarus has been taking part in NATO’s Partnership for Peace initiative for 20 years. The initiative is a programme for NATO’s military co-operation with European countries and post-Soviet states that are not members of the alliance, and was launched in 1994.
By Vladimir Khromov
