Can Belarus pull out of OSCE?

Belarus has reacted to new sanctions of the US against Belneftekhim concern by a demand to the U.S. Ambassador Karen Stewart to leave Belarus and by a threat of pulling out of the OSCE in case this organization would not take “adequate” measures against the US.

Foreign Ministry of Belarus has made a special statement in connection with imposing additional sanctions by the US against the state-owned concern Belneftekhim. Foreign Ministry has recalled Belarusian Ambassador to the US Mikhail Khvastou for consultations and recommended the US Ambassador Karen Stewart to leave Belarus. It has been stated by the spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry of Belarus Andrei Papou who presented the statement of the Foreign Ministry. The reason for that were the US Department of State sanctions against the Belarusian state-owned concern Belneftekhim.

The statement also stresses that “over a rather long period of time in line with agreements reached with our Western partners a number of consistent and constructive steps have been taken by Belarus with the aim to normalize relations with the European Union and the US.

However, one of the participants of the dialogue, the United States, ignoring the agreements reached before, violated the agreed-upon algorithm of actions on normalization of relations and imposed additional economic restrictive measures against enterprises of Belneftekhim concern.

The Belarusian side states that retaliatory steps of Belarus would be harsh. The American side had been informed about these steps before. One of these steps is recalling Belarusian Ambassador Mikhail Khvastou from the US to Belarus for consultations. Simultaneously Belarus insists on U.S. Ambassador in Belarus Karen Stewart’s leaving Belarus with the same aim.

The Belarusian side separately underlines that by signing Helsinki Final Act, the US like other OSCE members, undertook a commitment “to refrain from any act of economic duress aimed at subordination another sovereign member country’s rights to one’s interests”. The recent steps of the US Administration towards Belarus directly contradict this commitment and challenge all the OSCE members.

We have to state again that the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, according to our earnest conviction should be an effective instrument of defending rights and interests of its member countries, in this situation does not execute its mandate and doesn’t react to gross violation of the fundamental principles of the Organization by the US Administration.

Belarus demands the OSCE immediate actions to make this member state follow the fundamental principles of the Organization and its international commitments effectively.

Otherwise, we would have to earnestly consider how we should shape our relations with this Organization in the future”.