Amid heightened tensions with NATO, Russia has vowed not to turn a blind eye
to the US-led bloc's military activities near Belarus. The remarks come as
Russian officials seek a response to their proposed security guarantees to
NATO.
Speaking as part of an interview with TASS published on Tuesday (18/1/2022),
Russia's Ambassador to Minsk, Boris Gryzlov, said, “We see that the increase
in NATO's strength and resources, in fact, does not stop at our gates. ”
He continued, that during the migrant crisis, when thousands of would-be
asylum seekers from troubled countries, especially in the Middle East,
attempted to cross from former Soviet republics to European Union countries,
additional troops, including heavy weapons, were transferred to the
Belarusian border from Poland.
Gryzlov warned, "Such actions by NATO and its partners certainly do not go
unnoticed."
He added, "Both countries are taking a cautious approach to border
protection, and that joint Russian-Belarusian air patrols are organized
regularly, using Tu-22M3 long-range bombers, Su-30SM multirole fighters and
others."
The ambassador also announced that a round of military exercises called
Allied Resolve 2022 would begin in February. He noted Western countries
often interpret joint exercises between Moscow and Minsk as a threat to
themselves.
"The Russian and Belarusian militaries clearly and coherently demonstrated
their training, carried out their training perfectly, and then returned to
their permanent deployment," the ambassador said. Gryzlov's remarks come
amid rising tensions between NATO and Russia.
Last week, NATO representatives and Russian diplomats met to discuss
Russia's proposed guarantees for maintaining security on the European
continent. The meeting follows talks between officials from Washington and
Moscow.
Last month, Russia submitted two draft treaties, one to Washington and the
other to NATO. The draft agreement includes a request for assurances from
NATO regarding the movement of military personnel and hardware, as well as a
call for the organization to refrain from further expansion near Russia's
borders.
In late November, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said Russia must
deploy nuclear warheads on his country's territory if NATO nuclear weapons
advance eastward through Europe.
Relations between Minsk and the West have deteriorated in recent months. The
European Union accuses Belarus of allowing flights from troubled countries
to wage a "hybrid war" against Brussels. The Belarusian side immediately
denied the accusations.
Belarus insists officials cannot stop the flow of people trying to cross
because of the pressure of sanctions. However, Lukashenko acknowledged it
was possible some of his officials had helped would-be asylum seekers cross
over, but said it was not worth paying attention to.
