Editing Foreign relations of Belarus (section)

==Present situation (2001 onwards)==
{{update|section|date=May 2021}}

===Relations with the European Union===
{{main|Belarus–European Union relations}}
The structure of Belarus trade reflects the low competitiveness and output decline of manufacturing industry in the country over the past decade, leading to the predominance of primary production, work-intensive goods as exports. Belarusian exports to the EU consist mainly of agricultural and textile products, while imports from the EU are primarily machinery.

Belarus is a beneficiary of the EU's Generalised System of Preferences (GSP). The European Commission decided in 2003 to initiate an investigation into violations of freedom of association in Belarus as the first step towards a possible temporary withdrawal of the GSP from Belarus.

In December 2004, the EU adopted a position aimed at imposing travel restrictions on officials from Belarus responsible for the fraudulent parliamentary elections and referendum on 17 October 2004, and for human rights violations during subsequent peaceful political demonstrations in [[Minsk]].
The [[European Parliament]] released a statement in March 2005 in which it denounced the Belarusian government as a dictatorship. The European parliamentarians were primarily concerned about the suppression of independent media outlets in the country and the fraudulent referendum. A resolution of the European Parliament declared that the personal bank accounts of President Lukashenko and other high-ranking Belarusian officials should be tracked and frozen.

In 2005, [[Amnesty International]] reported a ''pattern of deliberate obstruction, harassment and intimidation of human rights defenders'' in Belarus. [[Reporters Without Borders]] accused the Belarusian authorities of hounding and arresting journalists from the country's Polish minority. Lukashenko has closed the country's main Polish newspaper, printing a bogus paper instead with the same name and size that praises his incumbent government. Several foreign, mainly Polish, journalists have been arrested or expelled from the country. Lukashenko accused Poland of an attempt to overthrow his government by stirring up a peaceful revolution in Belarus comparable to the [[Orange Revolution]] in [[Ukraine]] in 2004.

Later in 2005 the Belarusian [[riot police]] seized the headquarters of the [[Union of Poles in Belarus]], an association representing the 400,000 [[ethnic minority]] Polish living in western areas the country that were part of Poland until [[World War II]]. The dispute between Poland and Belarus escalated further as Poland responded by recalling its ambassador from Belarus for indefinite consultations, and called on the European Union to impose sanctions on the Belarusian leadership in order to curtail the [[human rights]] abuses in Belarus. Belarusian papers described this as a 'dirty political game', and part of a 'cold war' waged on president Lukashenko. Polish Foreign Minister [[Adam Rotfeld]] said a clampdown was under way, aimed at destroying ''"all elements of political pluralism and independence"'' in Belarus.

[[File:European Union Eastern Partnership.svg|thumb|Members of the Eastern Partnership]]

In August 2005 the EU's executive commission called for human rights to be respected in Belarus. The commission said it was considering offering support to independent media in the country and had set aside more than eight million euros from its budget to offer support for human rights activities. France expressed her solidarity with Poland on the issue of human rights in Belarus a day after the EU declared it was worried about the situation in that country. Several former Soviet Republics, including neighbouring Ukraine, also expressed their concerns about the development of the situation in Belarus.

In May 2009 Belarus and the EU agree on cooperation in the [[Eastern Partnership]] (EaP). However, it is contended by some scholars that the (EaP) is unable to create a workable partnership.<ref name=Korosteleva2008>[[Elena Korosteleva]], "The Limits of the EU Governance: Belarus ' Response to the European Neighbourhood Policy", Contemporary Politics, Vol. 15(2), June 2009, pp. 229–45</ref> This proved to be correct when Belarus withdrew from the Partnership on 30 September 2011.<ref name="Belarus Withdrawal">[http://www.euractiv.com/europes-east/belarus-quits-eus-eastern-partnership-initiative-news-508050 Belarus quits EU's Eastern Partnership initiative] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002084121/http://www.euractiv.com/europes-east/belarus-quits-eus-eastern-partnership-initiative-news-508050 |archive-date=2011-10-02|website=www.euractiv.com|access-date= 2011-10-30}}</ref>

In August 2012, Belarus expelled all [[Sweden|Swedish]] diplomats, including the Swedish Ambassador to Belarus, Stefan Eriksson, and closed its embassy in [[Stockholm]], after a Swedish [[public relations]] firm released [[teddy bear]]s carrying pro-democracy flyers in parachutes from an airplane over Minsk on 4 July 2012. Lukashenko also fired his air defence chief and the head of the border guards over the incident. Their replacements have been told not to hesitate to use force to stop future intrusions from abroad.<ref name="Belarus Sweden">[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-19176432 Belarus-Sweden teddy bear row escalates], ''[[BBC News]]'', 2012-08-08</ref>

===Relations with Russia===
{{main|Belarus–Russia relations}}
Russia remains the largest and most important partner for Belarus both in the political and economic fields. After protracted disputes and setbacks, the two countries' [[customs union|customs duties were unified]] in March 2001 but the customs controls were soon restored. In terms of trade, almost half of Belarusian export goes to Russia. Due to the structure of Belarusian [[Industrial sector|industry]], Belarus relies heavily on Russia both for export markets and for the supply of [[raw material]]s and components.

After initial negotiation with the [[Central Bank of the Russian Federation|Russian Central Bank]] on [[monetary union]], the [[Russian ruble]] was set to be introduced in Belarus in 2004, but this was postponed first until 2005, then until 2006, and now seems to have been suspended indefinitely.

===Relations with the United States===
{{Main|Belarus–United States relations}}
Belarus has had an ongoing discussion to relaunch IMF-backed reforms, concluding an arrangement for an IMF Staff-monitored program (SMP) in 2001. However, the authorities did not follow through with reforms as hoped, leaving an uncertain future for IMF-backed cooperation. Belarus authorities have said on several occasions that they find IMF intervention and recommendations in Belarus counter-productive to the economic development of those countries.
The relationships with the United States have been further strained, after [[Congress of the United States]] unanimously passed the [[Belarus Democracy Act of 2004]].

On 7 March 2008 the government of Belarus ejected US Ambassador [[Karen B. Stewart]] from the country, following a row over travel restrictions placed on President Lukashenko and sanctions against state-owned chemical company [[Belneftekhim]]. The Belarusian Foreign Ministry announced at the same time that it was recalling its own ambassador to the US. This was followed by the expulsion of ten other U.S. embassy staff from Minsk in late April. At the same time the government of Belarus ordered the U.S. Embassy in Minsk to cut its staff by half.<ref name="aljazeera1">{{Cite web
|url = http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2008/04/200861503523435683.html
|title = Belarus expels US diplomats
|access-date = 2009-01-02
|date= 1 May 2008
|publisher=Al Jazeera
}}</ref><ref name="nytimes1">{{cite news
|url = https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C04EFDA1E3FF936A15750C0A96E9C8B63
|title = Belarus: U.S. Cuts Embassy Staff
|access-date = 2009-01-02
|author=Michael Schwartz
|date = 25 March 2008
|work=The New York Times
}}</ref><ref name="moscowtimes1">{{Cite web
|url = http://www.moscowtimes.ru/article/1010/42/361246.htm
|title = U.S. Ambassador Leaving Belarus
|access-date = 2009-01-02
|author = Andrei Makhovsky
|date = 13 March 2008
|publisher = The Moscow Times.com
|archive-date = 5 September 2008
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080905104549/http://www.moscowtimes.ru/article/1010/42/361246.htm
|url-status = dead
}}</ref> A [[White House]] spokesman described the expulsion as "deeply disappointing".

===Relations with other countries===
Due to strained relations with the United States and the European Union, as well as occasional high-level disputes with Russia over prices on core imported natural resources such as oil and gas, Belarus aims to develop better relations with countries in other regions, like the Middle East, Asia, and [[Latin America]].<ref>Rafal Czachor, Polityka wielowektorowości Republiki Białoruś – geneza, podstawy konceptualne, przykłady realizacji, Wrocławski Przegląd Międzynarodowy, Vol. 1, 2011, pp.54-56, {{ISSN|1898-0317}}</ref>

====Hong Kong national security law====
Belarus was one of 53 countries that in June 2020 supported the [[2020 Hong Kong national security law|Hong Kong national security law]] at the [[United Nations Human Rights Council]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lawler |first1=Dave |title= The 53 countries supporting China's crackdown on Hong Kong|url= https://www.axios.com/countries-supporting-china-hong-kong-law-0ec9bc6c-3aeb-4af0-8031-aa0f01a46a7c.html|website=[[Axios (website)|Axios]] |access-date=3 July 2020 |language=en |date=2 July 2020}}</ref>

===Nuclear weapons offer===
In May 2023, the President of Belarus offered nuclear weapons to other countries who join Belarus and Russia.
<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/28/europe/lukashenko-nuclear-weapons-belarus-russia-intl-hnk/index.html | title=Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko offers nuclear weapons to nations willing 'to join the Union State of Russia and Belarus' | website=[[CNN]] | date=29 May 2023 }}</ref>