Belarus boycotts summit in Russia dispute

MOSCOW — Belarus boycotted a Moscow-led security summit on Sunday to protest a Russian ban on Belarusian dairy products, deepening a politically charged dispute between the two ex-Soviet neighbors.

The boycott raised the stakes in the confrontation between Russia and Belarus, an authoritarian regime that is now courting the West amid increasingly strained relations with its longtime ally.

The summit of the Organization of the Collective Security Treaty, or CSTO, went ahead without Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and his delegation.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and the other leaders signed an agreement creating a joint rapid-reaction force that could bolster the power and prestige of the seven-nation alliance, seen largely as an ex-Soviet answer to NATO.

Russian officials shrugged off Belarusian claims that any deals clinched at the meeting would be illegitimate without a consensus. Medvedev said Uzbekistan also did not sign the agreement.

Lukashenko’s decision appeared designed to win economic concessions from the Kremlin and embarrass Russia in front of other neighbors. Russia is determined to maintain its clout in Central Asia and the Caspian Sea region, where Moscow is competing with the West over political influence, energy resources and export routes.

Russia slapped a ban on imports of Belarusian milk and other dairy products last weekend, a heavy blow to the country’s agricultural sector, which employs about 10 percent of the country’s 10 million population. Russian officials say they will not allow Belarusian dairy imports until producers comply with new industry rules.

Belarus said it would withhold its approval on the joint security force until the dairy dispute is resolved. The message: Moscow risks losing the military support of Belarus — a buffer between Russia and NATO — if it withdraws support for its smaller neighbor’s economy.

“Without a halt to actions that undermine the foundations of economic security of one’s partners, it seems impossible to make decisions on other aspects of security,” Belarusian Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Popov said. “We believe that against the background of ‘trade wars’ waged by some CSTO members against others, this would make a mockery of common sense.”

The Kremlin’s efforts to reclaim a dominant role across the former Soviet Union have created constant tension in ties with Belarus, a staunch ally since the 1991 Soviet collapse. Russia has lowered subsidies for crucial energy supplies to Belarus and Lukashenko has clashed visibly with Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president from 2000-2008 and now its prime minister.

The dairy ban came after Lukashenko accused Russia of trying to take over his nation’s industries and destroy its sovereignty. He warned that a long-discussed merger of Russia and Belarus would create “another Chechnya” — suggesting that Belarus would use military force to defend its independence.

Lukashenko has depended heavily on Russia for economic and political support, while earning the opprobrium of the U.S. and European Union during 15 years of authoritarian rule.

Associated Press Writer Yuras Karmanau contributed to this report from Minsk, Belarus.