Belarus To Continue Participation In CFE Treaty

Syarhey Hurulyou, Belarus's first deputy defense minister and the chief of staff of the Belarusian armed forces, says Belarus will not take any "practical steps" following Russia's recent withdrawal from the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty, Belapan and Interfax reported. Hurulyou was speaking at a meeting with Ukrainian Armed forces Commander-in-Chief Serhiy Kyrychenko in Brest on July 18. "We are parties to the treaty, we have ratified it and we understand that the treaty is needed, although in its current version it is totally different from the 1990 treaty," Interfax quoted Hurulyou as saying. The CFE Treaty, originally signed in 1990, was amended in 1999 to reflect changes following the breakup of the Soviet Union.