Belarus wants to stabilize relations with Moscow and seeks new partners

Minsk aims to preserve high levels of trust in security matters with Moscow and, simultaneously, to develop relations with other states. Amid a regional crisis, lower conflict levels in relations with Russia and effective cooperation with other external partners on security issues would strengthen stability in Belarus.

On October 15^th – 16^th, 2017, the eighth meeting of the Joint Belarusian-Emirates Committee for Military-Technical Cooperation was held in Abu Dhabi. During the meeting, the parties overviewed the implementation of previous decisions and discussed promising cooperation projects. The parties noted good cooperation levels and confirmed mutual interest in further military-technical cooperation between Belarus and the UAE. Earlier in Minsk, during the military parade on July 3^rd this year, a UAV-type aircraft BELAR YS-EX was demonstrated, which was a modification of the YABHON Flash 20 UAV produced by the ADCOM Systems company from the United Arab Emirates.

On October 17^th, Alexander Lukashenka met with Russian Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service Sergei Naryshkin, who is known for his consistent support for allied relations between Moscow and Minsk. The Belarusian leader noted the existence some issues between the special services of Belarus and Russia, which needed to be discussed. There is a complex interconnection and mutual influence in relations between special services and interstate political relations. Over the past year and a half, Russo-Belarusian relations have demonstrated a negative trend, which makes Minsk frankly unhappy.

The Belarusian leadership is likely to seek to stabilize political relations with Russia, using cooperation in the security field as a communication platform and using Russian security officials as potential lobbyists. However, such a tactic does not guarantee success. Simultaneously, Minsk is likely to continue to search for new partners in the security field and deepen cooperation with the existing ones.