A decision on Belarusians fighting in other CSTO countries taken in Moscow?

According to an item of the agreement, signed at a session of CSTO member states heads, Belarusian military forces may be sent to flash spots “if necessary”.

An agreement on creation of the collective response forces was signed by presidents of Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan on February 4. The response forces will be permanently based in two air-borne divisions in the Ivanovo and Ulyanovsk regions of Russia.

In time of peace, only Russian units are to be situated here, while Belarusian, Armenian and other detachments are to be deployed on the territories of their countries and subject to the local commandment, Vitaly Strugovets, spokesman of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), told in an interview to Euroradio.

“They will fall under sole command, created by the Collective Security Council, only if necessary, in some moments, in crisis situations. They will be sent to regional to perform the tasks set. In time of peace they will be located on national territories and serve under national command,” he said.

But this contradicts a statement of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affaires saying “real participation of Belarus in the CSTO collective rapid-response forces will be provided, as before, by the Belarusian-Russian joint military grouping at the western zone of responsibility of the CSTO.”

Participation of Belarusian soldiers in flash spots outside the republic is forbidden by Belarusian laws, MFA’s spokesman Andrei Papou stressed.

However, it appeared to a temporal obstacle. According to CSTO’s spokesman Vitaly Strugovets, item 7 of the agreement, signed in Moscow among others by Alyaksandr Lukashenka, says about possible changes in laws.

“The document is signed by Alyaksandr Lukashenka, and it says the national laws may be amended if necessary. We hope that this item will be fulfilled. As for today, the laws of the republic forbid this, Andrei Papou is absolutely right,” Vitaly Strugovets said.

By the way, the CSTO’s spokesman noted, the collective response forces would consist not only of military component, but also of special units. That is why Belarusian riot militia squad and other units, for example, the Ministry of Emergencies, can operate abroad without changes in the national laws.

Vyachaslau Ramenchyk, head of the press service of the Belarusian Ministry of Defense, allayed concerns – only a “political decision” was taken in Moscow, but all details will be confirmed by specialists. What concerns service of Belarusian soldiers abroad, Ramenchyk assures it won’t contradict the Belarusian laws.