Tactical nuclear weapons were deployed in Belarus in response to the militarization of Eastern Europe, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said Tuesday (15/8).
“By deploying tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, we are responding appropriately to the rapid militarization of Eastern Europe and the increased military activity of the United States and NATO,” Lukashenko told participants of the 11th Moscow International Security Conference, according to a statement from the Belarus presidency.
The statement quoted him as saying that information warfare and cyber crime have become new types of weapons that undermine international trade and economic relations.
“Against this backdrop, there are still consistent advocates for ensuring peace and security, fulfilling international obligations previously assumed, the Republic of Belarus – together with its partners and within the framework of the Union State of Belarus and Russia – is making every effort to strengthen interaction in the fight against transnational challenges and various kinds of threats,” he said.
Lukashenko noted, however, that the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons does not invalidate Minsk’s proposed peace initiative “to relaunch dialogue on issues related to European and global security on an equal basis.”
He also said the current international situation remained “unprecedentedly tense,” adding that “virtually all known challenges and threats have escalated.”
“International law on arms control has been discredited. The risk is increasing that weapons of destruction will be used, especially for provocations involving nuclear and biological weapons,” he said.
He went on to express confidence that the meeting during the conference in Moscow would serve to “strengthen cooperation between states and peoples and be an important step towards building a new system of international security.”
In late May, the defense ministers of Russia and Belarus signed an agreement on the deployment of Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said the move was in response to growing security risks, stressing that Moscow was following the US, which has deployed its tactical nuclear weapons in European countries.
Source : Antara News
