On April 4 arms control inspectors of Lithuania with colleagues from Latvia, Estonia, Poland, and Germany observed field training exercise of the 120th Separate Mechanised Brigade of the Armed Forces of Belarus in Borisov Training Area.
Belarus had voluntarily sent out invitations to members of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to observe the country’s largest exercise this year according to provisions of the Vienna Document 2011.
Lithuania seeks to cooperate and maintain relations with non-NATO and non-EU countries in order to have a transparent and predictable neighbourhood where actions of neighbouring countries, particularly in the area of security and defence, are predictable. Mutual transparency contributes to a stronger security and stability and helps to maintain benevolent relations between neighbouring countries. It also allows to assess threats and ill-disposed actions more accurately and to prevent potential threats and instability.
Cooperation between Lithuania and Belarus
Lithuania and Belarus have a bilateral agreement additional confidence and security-building measures. Both countries have been exchanging information on military capabilities, accepting evaluation visits to military units, and inviting military inspectors to observe major military exercises since 2001. Last year Lithuania invited military inspectors of Belarus to observe the largest national exercise , Thunder Strike 2018. In 2017 Belarus invite Lithuanians to observe the part of Exercise Zapad 2017 that was held on the territory of Belarus.
The Lithuanian Air Force and the Belarusian Air Force keep a direct “hot line” of telephone connection for expedient information exchange about aircraft flights near the border between Lithuania and Belarus. Countries, including Lithuania, periodically provide information about major national exercise schedules at OSCE meetings.
