On 15–17 February, First Deputy Foreign Minister of Belarus Igor Petrishenko is in Geneva to take part in the high-level segment of the Conference on Disarmament.

On 16 February, he addressed the first plenary meeting under the Belarusian chairmanship and highlighted our position on nuclear disarmament, pointing out the contribution that Belarus made to global security by giving up its nuclear arsenal in the beginning of 1990s.

Igor Petrishenko also noted that the universal multilateral agreements on disarmament are the ultimate instruments capable to ensure uniform rules for every nation without exception.

He urged the Conference to finalize its work programme as soon as possible that could steer way to negotiations on a Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty.

Igor Petrishenko also stressed how important it is to cut nuclear arsenals by nuclear nations and to give legally binding guaranties by them of refusing to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear nations.

His address to the Conference also dwelled on space militarization and mass destruction weapons.

Further on, Igor Petrishenko met with the Secretary-General of the Conference on Disarmament and the Director-General of the UN Headquarters in Geneva Sergei Ordjonikidze to discuss co-operation between Belarus and UN bodies  located in Geneva.

He also had a discussion in the UN European Economic Commission about co-operation of the Commission with integration alliances in the post-Soviet area.