Lukashenka sells out sovereignty

The dictator agreed to give complete control over the defence of Belarus’ external air frontier for Russian aviators.

Besides, he has abandoned the entire air defence system, thus depriving himself of one of his key foreign political trump cards, and the country – of another part of its sovereignty.

By his Decree #65 as of February 13 he approved the agreement between Belarus and Russia on joint protection of the external border of the Union State in the air space and the creation of a united regional Belarusian-Russian air defense system, AFN writes.

The agreement has been signed by defense ministers of the both countries back on February 3, 2009, however up till now it was one of the dozens thousands of not working papers with signatures of Belarusian high-ranking officials.

From the practical point of view, the document has much more pluses than minuses. It’s true that an air threat on the part of Poland, Lithuania or Ukraine (the countries situated outside the external border) is unimaginable today. But if the border, including the air border, is defended as an independent state’s attribute, it should not be defended by Eurocopters by the State Border Commission certainly. There is almost no own combat aviation left in the country, and what is flying now, is at risk of crash any time. There have been quite a number of crashes over the last 3 years.

The agreement envisages equipping the troops of the united regional air defense system following a common military and technical policy. Common requirements for combat training, organization of operative and combat training of the troops will be worked out. The latter is even more important than deliveries of modern equipment. Belarus still has planes, but flight experience Belarusian military pilot leaves much to be desired. What’s the use to have modern equipment when no one knows how to use it?

From the political point of view, Lukashenka is stripped, though partially, one of the most important trump cards in his endless bargaining with Russia. Now he cannot say that Belarus is defending the western borders of the “union state”, that is of Russia, to the death. Only the land defence is done by Belarus now, that is, tanks heading for Smolensk. But everybody knows no one fights with the help of tanks now. So now to prove that Russia is dependant on Belarus, one needs new arguments, and they have almost come to an end.

Only moral satisfaction that Russian fighter aircrafts are going to make nervous Polish military, who have snuged under the NATO umbrella, can in some measure compensate for losing of such a bargaining chip.