US, Belarus plan to restore ambassadors after 11-year freeze
September 18, 2019
The rapprochement comes as Belarus seeks to ease its isolation in the West and balance its close ties with Russia. The US and Belarus withdrew their ambassadors in 2008.
Image: imago/Russian Look
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The United States and Belarus are planning to exchange ambassadors after an 11-year freeze.
US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale met with President Alexander Lukashenko on Tuesday in the Belarusian capital Minsk as the two sides look to patch up relations.
"Our meeting today marks an historic juncture in US–Belarus relations," the United States' number three diplomat said. "It is my honor to announce that we are prepared to exchange ambassadors as the next step in normalizing our relationship."
The United States recalled its ambassador to Minsk in 2008 after the former Soviet state ordered a reduction of diplomatic staff at the US Embassy in response to sanctions leveled by Washington against Belarus over its human rights record. Since then, both countries' embassies have been led by chargés d'affaires.
East and west
Often called "Europe's last dictatorship," Belarus has been targeted by Western sanctions over the country's poor human rights record and lack of free elections.
But Lukashenko has sought to build better relations with the United States and European Union as he seeks to manage relations with Russia while easing its isolation in the West.
Artyom Shraibman wrote last year for the Carnegie Moscow Center think tank that Belarus is increasingly "pursuing a balanced, multivectored foreign policy" that seeks to balance ties between Russia and the West.
Russia and Belarus formed a nominal "union" in 1996 and have close economic and military cooperation, but they continue have disputes over energy prices and import duties.
The 65-year-old Lukashenko is a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, but he has sought to preserve Belarus' sovereignty and independence at a time Russia is pressing for even closer ties between the two sides.
Meanwhile, the United States has sought to reduce Russia's influence over its neighbors.
Hale said the United States was not asking Belarus "to choose between East and West" and respected the country's desire to "chart its own course."
Russia's Zapad-2017 war games explained
Russia insists it will stick to international rules in its 2017 military drills with Belarus, but NATO and many western European nations remain on edge. DW looks at the games and why they could be a cause for concern.
Image: Reuters/V. Fedosenko
What is Zapad?
Zapad, which means "west" in Russian, is a joint military drill conducted by the Russian and Belarussian armies along Russia's northwestern border with Europe, which is also NATO territory. The 2017 exercise, which takes place from September 14 to 20, is one of Russia's four annually rotating regional training operations that tests military strategy and troop preparedness by simulating war.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/A.Druginyn
What has Zapad looked like in the past?
The Zapad games originated in the Soviet Union and the last exercises took place in 2009 and 2013. In the aftermath of those drills, NATO accused Russia of secretly using them to prepare tactics for its subsequent military invasions of Georgia in 2008 and Crimea and east Ukraine in 2014. NATO also accused Russia of ending both years' drills with hypothetical nuclear strikes on European nations.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/A.Druginyn
What will Zapad look like this year?
According to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe's (OSCE) 2011 Vienna Document, a nation must allow other states to observe its military drill if more than 13,000 troops are involved. Russia has said only 12,700 troops will take part. However, western security analysts have pegged the number as high as 100,000.
Russia denies alterior motives
Russia has denied NATO's allegations that Zapad-2017 will mobilize troops in violation of international agreements; it insists it is being fully transparent in its preparations and operations. Russia's Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin (above) told DW that Zapad-2017 "is absolutely peaceful, and absolutely defensive in nature." He also denied that the practice maneuver was directed at NATO.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/K. Kudryavtsev
'NATO remains calm and vigilant'
While NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has welcomed Russia's troop disclosure, he also has said that the Western military alliance with roots in the Cold War has "every reason to believe it may be substantially more troops participating than the official reported numbers" based on previous drills. "NATO remains calm and vigilant," he said in early September while in Estonia (above).
Image: Reuters/I. Kalnins
Germany fears 'over 100,000' troops
German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen also claimed Russia will deploy "over 100,000" troops in the Zapad-2017 games. In January, Germany sent around 450 troops to Lithuania as part of a NATO mission. Lithuania, a former Soviet republic, is also uneasy about the Russian war games. Above (right), von der Leyen inspects the deployed German troops with Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/P. Malukas
Protests in Belarus
Politicians are not the only ones voicing concern over Zapad-2017. One week ahead of the maneuvers' start, around 200 Belarusians hit the streets of the capital, Minsk, to protest the military drills. Some 7,200 Belarusian troops will participate, Russia has said, and military exercises will be concentrated in the nation with close ties to Russia. A protest banner reads "For peaceful Belarus."
Image: Reuters/V. Fedosenko
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The US-Belarus rapprochement comes as Russia has increased pressure on Lukashenko to deepen ties between Minsk and Moscow.
There has also been speculation that Putin may consider reviving the Union State of Russia and Belarus project as a means to extend his presidency. He is currently constitutionally barred from seeking a third consecutive term in 2024, but serving as leader of a new, unified Belarusian and Russian state could be a way to skirt that limitation.
