Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus V.Makei participates in the 74th session of the UN General Assembly (fifth day)

28 September 2019

28-09-2019

On September 27, 2019 the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, Vladimir Makei, took part in the working meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Collective Security Treaty Organization Member States (CSTO) under the presidency of Kyrgyzstan.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus V.Makei participates in the working meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Collective Security Treaty Organization Member States

Background Information: CSTO is a regional international organization established in 2002 and now comprises Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan. The main objective of the organization is to strengthen close and comprehensive relations in the foreign policy, military, military and technical spheres, coordination and joint efforts in combating international terrorism and other security threats.

The participants discussed the issues of cooperation during the 74th Session of the UN General Assembly and preparation for the upcoming meetings of the CSTO statutory bodies at high and highest levels. Foreign Minister of Belarus called on the CSTO member states to cooperate on such issues on the multilateral agenda as maintaining international peace and security, achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), combating human trafficking, promoting interests of middle-income countries, facilitating international efforts to combat terrorism. As an outcome of the meeting, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the CSTO member states signed a joint statement dedicated to the 80th Anniversary of the beginning of the Second World War.

Jointly with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Sergey Lavrov, the Head of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry opened a photo exhibition at the UN Headquarters dedicated to the 110th Anniversary of the famous Soviet diplomat, a native of Belarus Andrei Gromyko. The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attended the event.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus V.Makei opens a photo exhibition dedicated to the 110th Anniversary of A.Gromyko

Background Information: Andrei Andreyevich Gromyko, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the USSR (1957-1985), Chairman of the the Supreme Council of the USSR (1985-1988). The name of A. Gromyko is associated with the period of the history of the Soviet Union related to the international negotiations on resolving issues of the post-war peace and the establishment of the United Nations. Since the late 1940s, Gromyko, in the interests of the USSR, has used the right of veto in the UN Security Council more than 20 times, as a result of which he first received the nickname “Mr. No” in the diplomatic community and then in the mass media.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus V.Makei together with the UN Secretary-General A.Guterres at the opening ceremony of the photo exhibition dedicated to the 110th Anniversary of A.Gromyko

In his speech, V.Makei called A.Gromyko the architect of the system of international relations, who made a significant contribution to the creation of the UN. He emphasized the leading role that A.Gromyko played in the negotiation process pertaining to nuclear disarmament, noting that he today personifies the standard of professional education for the young generation of diplomats.

Opening ceremony of the photo exhibition dedicated to the 110th Anniversary of A.Gromyko

A.Guterres called A.Gromyko a man of “great achievements” and recognized his exceptional qualities as a negotiator, complaining that his main slogan “better ten years of negotiations than one day of war” is forgotten in the modern world, as some countries prefer war.

During the meeting with the President of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly, Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, the Minister supported the priorities of his activities in this position.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus V.Makei meets the 74th session of the UN General Assembly T.M. Bande

The interlocutors discussed the preparation process for the upcoming celebration of the 75th Anniversary of the UN in 2020. Muhammad-Bande agreed with V.Makei that the jubilee summit should not become the next protocol event, but should be aimed at finding concrete solutions to modern problems.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus V.Makei meets the 74th session of the UN General Assembly T.M. Bande

The head of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry informed about the outcomes of the international conference on combating terrorism using information technology, held in September, in Minsk, as well as on the promotion of the Belarusian initiative to combat human trafficking. The President of the UN General Assembly noted the importance of the priorities that Belarus announced at the current session of the General Assembly and expressed his readiness for close cooperation on their implementation.

Head of the Belarusian delegation met with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the Syrian Arab Republic, Walid Al-Moualem. The Syrian Foreign Minister warmly commented on his visit to Minsk in July 2019 and noted the recent intensification of trade and economic cooperation. V.Makei assured that the Republic of Belarus is ready to continue to provide comprehensive humanitarian assistance to Syria for early restoration of the country and informed about the readiness to accept Syrian children for recovery next year.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus V.Makei meets the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of Syria W.Al-Moualem

Mutual interest in expanding trade, economic and investment cooperation was confirmed during the meeting between V.Makei and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden, Ann Linde. V.Makei noted the importance of direct contacts between business circles and chambers of commerce and industry of the two countries. The necessity of intensifying political contacts at various levels between the two countries was also confirmed.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus V.Makei meets the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden A.Linde

A meeting with the Finnish Foreign Minister, Pekka Haavisto, also took place, during which the Finnish diplomat confirmed his participation in the high-level event on the Eastern Partnership to be held on October 4-5 in Minsk. He noted the importance of this event for further dialogue between the EU and Belarus. The interlocutors discussed the perspectives of bilateral trade and economic cooperation, as well as a number of issues regarding the regional and international agendas.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus V.Makei meets the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Finland P.Haavisto

At the meeting with the delegation of Canada led by Charles Joseph Clark, the former Prime Minister, topics aimed at enhancing bilateral cooperation in a number of areas,– agriculture, information technology, education, tourism, the development of small and medium-sized enterprises and etc. were discussed in detail. An agreement was reached on the preparation by the Belarusian side of a specific list of proposals on trade and economic cooperation, which will then be worked out by business circles of both countries.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus V.Makei meets the former Prime Minister of Canada Ch.J.Clark

During the meeting with the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic, Miroslav Lajčák, the parties expressed satisfaction with the recent positive dynamics in bilateral trade and economic relations. They discussed preparations for the next meeting of the joint intergovernmental commission on trade and economic cooperation, which will be held on October 23-24 in Minsk. The Ministers also exchanged views on the substance of the meeting of the OSCE Council of Foreign Ministers to be held in Bratislava on December 5-6 this year.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus V.Makei meets the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovakia M.Lajčák

At the meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Norway, Ine Eriksen Søreide, the mutual interest of the two countries in expanding trade and economic cooperation was noted. Possible directions of such an expansion were discussed. Special attention was paid to enhancing the Belarus-EU dialogue, as well as interaction within the framework of international organizations.