Belarus Advocates for Strengthening Cooperation under Open Skies Treaty

Minsk remains firm in rejecting politicized narratives concerning Belarus from certain participating states of the Open Skies Treaty

Minsk remains firm in rejecting politicized narratives concerning Belarus from certain participating states of the Open Skies Treaty. All such accusations are categorically denied.

This statement was made by a representative of Belarus’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs during the fifth conference on the implementation of the Treaty. Vasily Pavlov emphasized that, for many years, the Open Skies Treaty has been a crucial element in ensuring European-wide security. Belarus has never abandoned its commitments, despite the current difficulties it faces in independently fulfilling its obligations—challenges largely attributable to Western actions.

Vasily Pavlov, Head of the Department of Multilateral Diplomacy at Belarus’s MFA:

"Let me remind everyone that Belarus has repeatedly approached certain Treaty participants—particularly Germany and Romania—with requests for information on the possibility of conducting observation flights, including details on aircraft usage, rental costs, and services for organizing and executing these flights. In response, we were informed that dialogue with Belarus on this matter is impossible given the current military-political situation. NATO member countries—most of which are Treaty participants—have frozen all cooperation with Belarus in arms control and military transparency, completely halted aviation contacts with Minsk, and imposed illegal restrictions on our airlines, effectively closing their airspace to Belarus."

The Belarusian diplomat posed a pertinent question to those present:

"How can we exercise our rights under the Open Skies Treaty to conduct observation flights when our skies are closed? When military contacts are completely severed? And when all our proposals for resuming dialogue and gestures of goodwill are ignored or outright rejected?"

Belarus once again called on Treaty participants to abandon rhetoric and actions that escalate tensions and undermine the security architecture within the OSCE region. Instead, it urged a return to professional, respectful dialogue grounded in mutual understanding.