Belarus is one of many examples of the pandemic’s disruptive effects at a national level. While only a while ago it appeared one of the most politically stable countries in Eastern Europe, today Belarus finds itself amidst a dramatic political crisis. Although its causes are multifold, the state’s and society’s reaction to the pandemic became a decisive catalyst. Without a doubt, the Belarus crisis will have serious implications not only for the country’s internal development and foreign relations but also for regional security. In recent years, Minsk has played a constructive regional role by offering itself as a neutral venue for peace talks and promoting security initiatives, which aimed at de-escalating military and political tensions between the East and the West. If Belarus is no longer able to perform such a role, regional actors should brace themselves for even more uncertainty already in the months to come.
Under these exceptional circumstances, the Minsk Dialogue Virtual Forum-2020 offered a geopolitically unbiased platform where some of the brightest minds from the international expert community engaged in a frank discussion about the multiple crises unfolding in front of our eyes and their implications for regional security. This non-paper reflects key points made by the speakers throughout the three days of the Forum. As most sessions were held under the Chatham House Rule, no references are made to the individual sources of each point.
Read the full text of the Non-paper in the attached PDF file.
