Lukashenka ignores CSTO meeting in Moscow. Border control with Russia to be imposed (Updated)

On Sunday, Belarus sent a note to the Secretariat of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) saying the Belarusian delegation doesn’t take part in the CSTO summit.

The note says it is impossible to ensure the collective military security if one of the member-states is trying to destroy the foundation of security, in particular, the economic security.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus issued an official statement in this respect.

“In the current situation, Belarus, having been waiting for cancelation of the discriminating ban (on dairy products deliveries to Russia – note of Charter’97) and solving the issue in accordance with internationally established order, had to adopt a decision on non-participating in the CSTO summit in Moscow on June 14, 2009,” Andrei Papou, spokesman of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said.

An appropriate statement was also issued by Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s press service.

“There have recently appeared a number of salient facts of obvious undermining of economic security of the Organisation’s member states. Therefore, it would be but a mockery of common sense to attempt to combine the resolute steps to create military mechanisms for ensuring collective security with trade wars between the Organisation’s member states,” the press service emphasized.

“The underlying principle is that economy is the foundation of our common security. But if Belarus’ closest CSTO ally is trying – being well aware of what is happening – to destroy this foundation and virtually put the Belarusians on their knees – how is it possible to speak about strengthening the collective security of the entire Organisation is this situation?” the statement of Lukashenka’s press service says.

The decision taken at milk meeting

These decisions were taken by the Belarusian government after a meeting on milk and dairy products deliveries to Russia.

According to official information agency BelTA, on June 13, Alyaksandr Lukashenka was presented the current situation. According to the information presented, Belarus “faithfully follows all demands of the Russian legislation on milk and dairy products deliveries”. Lukashenka was said that “in spite of all efforts taken by Belarus to tackle the crisis, Russia demonstrates its unreadiness to solve the issue”.

In this respect Alyaksandr Lukashenka delayed his flight to Moscow for a session of the CSTO Collective Security Council till morning.

Lukashenka ordered the prime minister, the head of administration, the state secretary of the Security Council, heads of other governmental bodies to take measures to solve the problem. He also ordered to inform heads of other CSTO member-states about the situation.

Sidorski and Putin had two phone conversations

As BelTA learnt, Belarusian Prime Minister Syarhei Sidorski and head of the Russian Government Vladimir Putin had two telephone conversations and suggested to follow international agreements signed by Belarus and Russia to solve the situation with milk and dairy products deliveries.

Security Council of the both countries got involved in conflict

State secretary of the Security Council of Belarus Yury Zhadobin and secretary of the Security Council of Russia Nikolay Partushev had a telephone conversation. The Russian party was informed about the position of Belarus on milk and dairy products deliveries to Russia.

It was said in the conversation that unreadiness of Russia to solve the crisis situation put in doubt participation of a Belarusian delegation in the Collective Security CSTO session scheduled for June 14.

Belarus can introduce border control with Russia soon

Alyaksandr Lukashenka ordered the customs and border agencies of the republic to prepare a proposal on imposing customs and border registration similar to that implemented by Russia, a source from the Administration of Belarusian president told Interfax on Saturday.

“The Belarusian head of state ordered to State Custom Committee and the State Border Committee to propose imposing customs and border registration at the Belarusian¬-Russian border similar to that implemented by Russia,” the source told the information agency.

As we have already reported, Russia banned import and trade of 1200 types of Belarusian dairy products. Russian Agency for Health and Consumer Rights imposed a ban on import of 600 types of Belarusian dairy products last Saturday as the Belarusian producers violated the new Russian regulations on milk.

On Tuesday, the Russian Sanitary Board banned about 600 types of Belarusian dairy products explaining its decision by violations in sanitary and epidemiological documents.

Minsk disputes over decisions taken at CSTO summit

Though Lukashenka wasn’t present at the CSTO summit on June 14, an agreement on the CSTO Collective Rapid Response Forces was signed.

The Belarusian party said before the summit it hadn’t given consent on taking any decisions at CSTO sessions. Belarusian MFA’s spokesman Andrei Papou said commenting on the situation: “It’s evident that a decision can’t be adopted if all CSTO members don’t have a consensus. Belarus had to sent an appropriate note to the CSTO after, despite the obviousness, a CSTO member state had made a range of statement underlying that non-participating of another CSTO member in the session of the CSTO Collective Security Council must be ignored and documents introduced to the Moscow CSTO session can be approved if one of the member states is not present. It is an attempt to ignore not only a principal position of a CSTO member state, but an attempt to ignore the organization’s fundamental rule – the rule of reaching decisions by consensus, ensuring strict account of all members of the organization in such an important issue as security.