Belarus may withdraw
from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and establish a
dialogue with NATO, Mikhail Remizov, president of the Moscow-based Russian
National Strategy Institute, told LentaCom.ru. He said that Russia
and Belarus
have been flexing muscles. By imposing a ban on imports of dairy products from Belarus, Russia
showed that Belarus'
food industry is critically dependent on the Russian market. By boycotting
Sunday's summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, Alyaksandr
Lukashenka demonstrated that Belarus
is crucial for success of Russia's
strategy of maintaining its predominant influence in the CIS. "The
question is whether Russia
is ready to sacrifice the system of regional influence that it has somehow managed
to build for 15 years to this game with Lukashenka aimed to impose on him a
required behavior or relationship," Remizov said.
He warned that if Belarus
decides to withdraw from its military alliance with Russia, it may try to establish a
dialogue with NATO.
7:29 18.11.2024
11:15 01.11.2024
