The Dubious Contribution of Minsk to Eurasian Security: A Second Attempt

Minsk hosted the Second International Conference on Eurasian Security, which was meant to be a political breakthrough for the official Minsk authorities but turned into a failure. Although the Lukashenka regime presented proposals for reforming the Eurasian security architecture, their resemblance to Russian initiatives and the low number of participants underscored the questionable value of the event.

Despite the announced 600 participants, the conference attracted only a few dozen people, mainly from Russia and Belarus’ allied countries. The only representative from the EU was Hungary’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Péter Szijjártó, while Serbia was represented by its Deputy Prime Minister, Aleksandar Vulin. Many invited officials, including Željka Cvijanović, a member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina from the Republika Srpska, declined to participate.

Instead of discussing the declared topics (such as “the contours of future Eurasian security” and “drawing attention to global problems”), the conference turned into a platform for criticizing the West and justifying the actions of the Lukashenka regime.

According to the dictator, the world is in a deep security crisis in all spheres — military, political, economic, and informational. He claims that this situation is primarily due to the inability of the United States to fulfill its role as a global leader and security guarantor after the collapse of the USSR. Lukashenka directed similar accusations at international institutions (such as the UN), which he believes are being replaced by alternative organizations and platforms like BRICS and the SCO.

Nevertheless, the Belarusian politician outlined four main measures that, in his view, could reduce global tensions and create conditions for stable international cooperation:

1. Removal of American Nuclear Weapons from Eurasia
   Lukashenka calls for the withdrawal of American nuclear weapons from Eurasian countries, labeling these weapons an “anachronism of the Cold War.” He argues that this step would symbolize genuine de-escalation and create conditions for more productive dialogue between nations. He noted that Belarus had recently transferred strategic nuclear weapons to Russia, an action that he claimed was taken under U.S. pressure. He explained that the deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus was a forced measure in response to Western pressure and the violation of the Budapest Memorandum.
2. Ban on Sanctions Without UN Security Council Approval
   Lukashenka advocates for prohibiting the imposition of unilateral economic sanctions without the approval of the UN Security Council, considering such sanctions illegal and harmful to national economies. He proposes establishing an international legal mechanism to prevent the use of economic sanctions as a tool of pressure on individual states. He cites the Budapest Memorandum as an example, noting that Belarus, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan were given assurances that they would not face economic sanctions in exchange for renouncing nuclear weapons. However, in his view, these promises were not kept. The creation of a mechanism to protect countries from sanction pressure aims to stabilize the global economy and strengthen international law.

3. Creation of Mechanisms for Controlling Deadly Technologies
   Lukashenka suggests developing a new treaty-based mechanism to ensure transparent control over emerging deadly technologies. He claims these technologies could destroy humanity even without the use of nuclear weapons. The list includes laser systems, hypersonic weapons, quantum and electromagnetic systems, and artificial intelligence (everything his advisers have briefed him on). He emphasized that many of these technologies are still poorly understood, and their unchecked development could have catastrophic consequences. The proposed mechanism would regulate the development and use of such technologies to prevent their military application and ensure global security.
4. Adoption of an International Legal Act on Cyber Non-Aggression
   In light of the rapid advancement of digital technologies, Lukashenka proposes an international agreement prohibiting cyberattacks and the use of cyberweapons against other states. Such an act should include a commitment to refrain from using cyberweapons and establish a system to monitor their development and use. He believes that cyberspace is becoming an industry of malicious technologies that pose a global threat. The adoption of this act is intended to ensure the security of states in cyberspace and prevent cyberattacks that could destabilize political and economic systems worldwide.

It is evident that the regime aimed to position Belarus as a country ready to contribute to strengthening international security and to create a platform for dialogue among nations. However, the event’s agenda being overshadowed by criticism of the West, the empty rhetoric of “final solutions to problems,” the mere reiteration of Russian proposals, and the poor representation of participants made the forum appear simply absurd.