Russia suspends participation in Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe. Belarus remains its member

The State Duma unanimously voted to suspend Moscow's participation in the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE). 418 deputies present at the session, voted in support of the proposal.

"The current CFE Treaty suits the United States and NATO because it allows for the implementation NATO's strategy of eastward expansion without any limits," Yury Baluyevsky, chief of the General Staff, told the Duma. He said that Russia should withdraw the treaty because of the military threat from the Baltic States. “Today Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are taking up arms speedily!” he said.

The Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe was signed in 1990 by the then-16 NATO members, the United States and the then-six Warsaw Pact states. The CFE Treaty set equal ceilings for each bloc (the NATO and the Warsaw pact), from the Atlantic to the Urals, on key armaments essential for conducting surprise attacks and initiating large-scale offensive operations. In 1999 the treaty was amended after disintegration of the Warsaw Treaty Organization. For today 30 states are members of the CFE, though only 4 have ratified the treaty (Ukraine, Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan).

The US and the NATO have expressed concern over the State Duma’s decision.

The US do not believe that the Duma’s decision on suspension of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe suspension would contribute to settling this problem, said Sean McCormack, a U.S. Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs and Department Spokesman. However he noted that Bush Administration is still trying to find to some mutually acceptable solution.

NATO condemned the vote, calling the arms-reduction pact a cornerstone of Europe's post-Cold War security.

“It's a very important treaty for European security,” North Atlantic Treaty Organization spokesman James Appathurai said at a Brussels press conference. “NATO would regret it if Russia pulled out of the treaty.''

Russia promised to pull its forces out of Georgia and Moldova, in 1999 when the treaty was reviewed.

Russian forces are being withdrawn from Georgia. But Russia has so far been reluctant to pull out peacekeepers from Moldova's breakaway province of Transdniestria.

Yesterday evening Ukrainian Foreign Ministry made a statement in connection with the decision of the Russian State Duma. Kyiv has expressed concern over Russia’s actions. The Ministry has noted that this step could become a new beginning of mistrust on the continent. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has also expressed a supposition that after leaving the CFE Russia will strengthen its forces on the border with Ukraine. Therefore, Kyiv has called upon Russia and the NATO to return to the dialogue on ratification of the treaty. It should be noted that the law approved by the Duma yesterday allows renewal of Russia’s participation in the CFE. The requirement for that is ratification of the treaty by all NATO members, including the Baltic States.

As we have informed, Belqarusian leadership repeatedly stated its unwillingness to suspend from the treaty, and continues participation in the CFE.