On February 19 arms control inspectors of the Lithuanian Armed Forces and Latvian colleagues observe military forces practicing in joint Russian-Belarusian Exercise Allied Resolve 2022 at Obuz-Lesnovsk military range at Brest oblast. The opportunity was given by the Ministry of Defence of Belarus under the provisions of the Vienna Document 2011 that encourage inviting military observers from other members, especially neighbors, to military exercises that are below the obligatory observation quantitative threshold (from 13,000 training personnel).
Lithuania views the Belarusian invitation to observe the exercise as a positive step but reiterates that voluntary transparency measures can only be an additional element in reducing tensions and confidence-building, it should not cannot replace the measures approved in the Vienna Document.
“To sum up the information obtained by observing the exercise, the main questions from the Lithuanian and Latvian representatives what the numbers of personnel deployed to the exercises were went unanswered, and the concerns about the military activities carried out on the territory of Belarus also remained,” underscores Minister of National Defence Arvydas Anušauskas.
Belarus failed to confirm that the scope of the military activity and the number of participants does not reach the threshold of obligatory notification (more than 9,000 participants of an activity) and obligatory observation (more than 13,000 participants of an activity) as agreed to by the Vienna Document 2011. Belarus also did not clarify about the nature of activities pursued by other Russian ad Belarusian military units in the drills. Belarus did not confirm that the Russian forces would go back to their permanent stationing locations after the exercise.
The announcement of the Russian and Belarusian decision to extend the time of deployment of the Russian forces in Belarus which was made public after completing the observation raises further concern. We do not rule out a repeated request to Belarus in OSCE format to provide an explanation of the unusual military ctivity.
As it is done annual, Lithuania invites neighboring countries (Belarus, Russia, Finland and Sweden) to observe the largest exercises to be held this year, Saber Strike 2022 and Strong Griffin 2022, in early March. Belarus informed of its intent to send two military observers.
Related photo
