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Belarus calls for professional, depoliticized security dialogue with Europe

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 MINSK, 18 May (BelTA) – Belarus is calling on European countries to engage in a professional and depoliticized security dialogue, Belarusian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Igor Sekreta said in an interview with the German newspaper Berliner Zeitung, BelTA has learned.

The deputy foreign minister emphasized that Belarus is not building up its military arsenals, unlike Poland. Belarus is not drastically boosting its defense budget, but Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia are. In 2025, the aggregate military spending of these three states exceeded €52 billion. This is 25 times more than the amount allocated for defense purposes by Belarus. Already in 2026, these countries intend to set a new benchmark for military spending at 5% of GDP.

“Do countries that have genuine concerns refuse contacts and dialogue? Our western neighbors ignored Minsk’s invitation to observe the joint military exercise Zapad 2025. For several years now, Western countries have completely ignored existing military-political instruments that would allow these concerns to be addressed: the Vienna Document 2011 on Confidence- and Security-Building Measures and bilateral agreements in this field. Belarus urgently calls on all European countries, including Germany, to resume a professional and depoliticized dialogue on security issues,” the diplomat noted.

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