Posted: 16.05.2022 18:05:00

CSTO lacks unity, Belarus’ President believes

The President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko, considers the Collective Security Treaty Organisation lacks unity, BelTA reports

PHOTO:WWW.ELORDA.INFO

As the Belarusian leader noted during today’s CSTO summit in Moscow, “In conditions of complete disregard for the norms and principles of international law, unity and solidarity of like-minded people are especially important. The CSTO member states showed solidarity of the kind, rendering help in difficult times this January. You remember the Kazakh events. The timeliness and efficiency of this step clearly demonstrated to the whole world the close allied ties, the efficiency and potential of the organisation to ensure its member states’ security. No one in the West even dared to think of getting involved in that situation: this is because we are strong together.”

Aleksandr Lukashenko wondered then whether it is possible to assert now that the CSTO members are together and are still bound by ties of solidarity and support. “As recent events show, from our point of view (maybe I am wrong), it seems not – just think over a ban of certain CSTO partners on flights of national airlines of other member states of this organisation to us. Against the background of the most severe, frenzied sanctions pressure of the consolidated West, the postulates of unity and solidarity have not always worked. Unfortunately, this can be seen in voting within international organisations. With a tacit consent of our partners, Belarus and Russia, contrary to all international laws, are being defrauded and excluded from international organisations at the whim of the West,” the President said.

Aleksandr Lukashenko agreed that a tough and unprincipled pressure is being exerted on the CSTO allies. “But collective mutual support exists precisely for such situations. We may stop to exist tomorrow if our countries fail to consolidate as soon as possible – strengthening their political, economic and military ties. On the part of our enemies and opponents, a systematic loosening of support points and allied ties is being observed – and we are partially ourselves assisting the West in this regard. I am confident that if we had immediately come out as a united group, there would not have been these infernal, as they say, sanctions,” he explained.

At the same time, the Head of State drew attention to a strong intra-bloc discipline within the European Union which can be taken as an example in this regard. “Look at how monolithic the European Union votes and acts, how strong their intra-bloc discipline is. It applies automatically even to those who disagree with the decisions taken. The question arises, who prevents us from using this block resource. We should take them as an example in this field. We will simply be crushed and torn apart if we act separately,” Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed.