Main Problems in Belarus—NATO Relations in the 1990s (Andrey Rusakovich)

Раздел "Международные отношения"The article deals with the main problems in the Belarus — NATO relations in the 1990s. The author traces the history of the relations formation, identifies chief periods of their development, analyzes the difficulties and also the stands of the parties on the key problems of European and global security. The article explores the evolution in the attitude of the Belarusian authorities to cooperation with NATO. Significant attention is paid to such problems as Belarus' fulfilment of its international treaty obligations in the field of disarmament and weapons limitation, creation of a nuclear-free zone in Europe, the Belarusian authorities' attitude to the NATO expansion, the relations aggravation during the 1999 conflict in Kosovo. The article also studies the Belarus — NATO cooperation issues within the CEAP and the Partnership for Peace frameworks. These problems are revealed with regard to Belarusian foreign policy and the EU common stand toward Belarus. In general, the author believes that the Belarus — NATO relations in the 1990s faced complex evolution developments reflecting all nuances of the internal political situation in Belarus. The first half of the 1990s was characterized by the formation of cooperation between Belarus and NATO and its gradual growth. In the second half of the 1990s the western countries including the NATO organization limited their contacts with Belarus due to modifications in democratic reforms, human rights and civil society. In fact, NATO-Belarus relations have not exceeded the limits of the framework of CEAP and the Partnership for Peace. Still, it should be mentioned that Belarus took an important place in the European security system in the 1990s and the country's policy was mainly in accordance with international treaties