There can be no lasting security in our region without an independent Belarus
“There can be no lasting security in Central Europe as long as Belarus remains under Russian military and political control. Belarus is not the periphery of the region, but one of the key elements of its future security architecture,” emphasized Artsiom Brukhan, Deputy Head of the National Anti-Crisis Management, during the XXXV Economic Forum in Karpacz, at the panel discussion “Central Europe — the Strategic Role of the Region in Shaping the Security Architecture.”
The panel discussion also featured Adrian Băzevan, head of the Romanian civil society organization Asociația Lupii Tricolori; Katarzyna Smyk, Director of the European Commission Representation in Poland; Mihály Rásonyi-Kovács, CEO of the Hungarian consulting company Caroberto Advisory; and Martin Svarovský, former Deputy Director of the Department of Central Europe at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic.
During the discussion, Artsiom Brukhan noted that after 2020, Lukashenka effectively traded part of the country’s state sovereignty for guarantees that he would remain in power, while after 2022 this dependence acquired a direct military dimension as well. In order to retain power, the regime surrendered Belarus’s military, political, economic, energy, informational, and cultural sovereignty to the Kremlin.
“However, this process is not irreversible. Belarus still has its own state institutions, civil society, national identity, and a strong desire among its citizens for independence,” the Deputy Head of the National Anti-Crisis Management emphasized.
For Belarus to have a democratic future, it is important to invest in Belarusian society:
“You are investing in your own defense and defense projects, and this is undoubtedly very important. But it is equally important to invest in ensuring that Belarus becomes part of the region’s security rather than a source of threats.
Belarus’s future is not only a matter of the freedom of Belarusians. It is a matter of the security of Poland, Ukraine, the Baltic states, and Europe as a whole. There can be no lasting security in our region without an independent Belarus,” Artsiom Brukhan emphasized.
The National Anti-Crisis Management is an official institutional partner of the XXXV Economic Forum in Karpacz. The Forum brought together more than 6,000 guests from 53 countries around the world, with more than 500 panel discussions taking place during the event.
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