Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus V.Makei participates in the 76th session of the UN General Assembly (second day)

On September 23, 2021 the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, Vladimir Makei, took part in the first Ministerial Meeting of the Group of Friends in Defense of the UN Charter.

Background Information: The Group of Friends is an informal association of like-minded states in the UN, which was created at the initiative of Venezuela in July 2021. The Group includes Algeria, Angola, Belarus, Bolivia, Venezuela, Iran, Cambodia, China, North Korea, Cuba, Laos, Nicaragua, Palestine, Russia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Syria, Equatorial Guinea and Eritrea. The goals of the Group are to oppose unilateral coercive measures, to protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the participating countries in accordance with the principles of international law, to promote joint initiatives aimed at protecting and strengthening the authority of the provisions of the UN Charter.

During the meeting, V.Makei made a statement in which he emphasized the importance of the member states’ adherence to the principles and goals of the UN Charter which is a fundamental document aimed at promoting global peace and security, resolving international conflicts and advancing sustainable development. Minister focused the attention of the participants on the need to take joint efforts to counter unilateral coercive measures, which today pose a threat not only to the sustainable development of the participating countries, but also directly to their sovereignty. V.Makei stressed that Belarus consistently opposes the practice of using unilateral coercive measures as an instrument of foreign policy and calls on the world community to unconditionally eradicate them in accordance with the principles of international law.

Following the meeting of the Group of Friends, a joint political Declaration was adopted with the aim to intensify multilateral efforts in advancing the goals and principles enshrined in the UN Charter.

During the meeting of Vladimir Makei with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Felix Plasencia, the parties stressed the need to intensify comprehensive interstate dialogue and impart dynamics to cooperation in trade and economic sphere. The issues of organizing a visit to the Republic of Belarus by the Special Envoy of the President of Venezuela to hold meetings with Belarusian partners and discuss the entire spectrum of areas of bilateral cooperation were discussed.

The Ministers noted the coincidence of positions on all issues of the international agenda, agreed on close coordination of actions within the framework of multilateral efforts aimed at protecting national interests and sovereignty of the UN Member States.

At the meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Bui Thanh Son, Vladimir Makei stressed the importance of resuming personal contacts at the highest and high levels which were temporarily interrupted due to the pandemic. Special attention was paid to the prospects of development of the Belarusian-Vietnamese trade and economic cooperation, including increase in supply of the Belarusian trucks and creation of joint ventures. 

The Foreign Minister of Vietnam confirmed his interest in using the potential of the signed Free Trade Agreement between the Member States of the EAEU and Vietnam to promote the Vietnamese products to the Eurasian market. 

The Ministers noted that the planned opening of the Consulate General of Belarus in Ho Chi Minh City will further contribute to deepening dialogue between the countries in all spheres. The parties also discussed the issues of interaction between Belarus and Vietnam in international organizations, including mutual support in elections to the UN bodies.

V.Makei met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the Republic of Mozambique, Veronica Makamo Dlovo. The Foreign Ministers noted recent intensification of political contacts and discussed the prospects for the development of trade and economic cooperation between the two countries. They noted the importance of mutual support in international organizations, agreed to take a number of concrete steps on the bilateral and multilateral tracks.

On the initiative of the Jamaican side, a meeting was held with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Jamaica, Kamina Johnson Smith. During the meeting, the parties discussed the priority areas of cooperation in the UN and reached the agreement on mutual support in elections to the UN structures.

V.Makei had a conversation with the Estonian Foreign Minister, Eva-Maria Liimets, during which a wide range of issues of mutual interest were raised. 

A meeting was held with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Syria, Faisal Mekdad, during which the counterparts exchanged views on the development of the internal political situation in Belarus and Syria as well as on a number of issues on the international agenda. The ministers discussed the possibility of holding in the near future the next meeting of the Joint Belarusian-Syrian Commission on Trade, Economic and Technical Cooperation, exchange of high-level visits. Faisal Mekdad expressed gratitude to the Belarusian side for organizing rehabilitation of Syrian children, as well as for humanitarian assistance, which is regularly provided to Syria by our country.

A meaningful meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary, Peter Szijjártó, took place. 

The Foreign Ministers exchanged their views on topical issues of the international agenda and prospects for deepening bilateral cooperation.

V.Makei attended the UN Food Systems Summit. The important role of sustainable food systems in the attainment of the 2030 Agenda of Sustainable Development, as well as the input of Belarus to the global food security were noted in the statement of Minister. 

(in Russian)

Minister drew attention to the fact that the unilateral sectoral sanctions against the major exporting States of vital raw materials used in agriculture, including potash mineral fertilizers, pose a direct threat to food security, putting the population of vulnerable countries at risk of hunger. It was underlined that such actions are incompatible with the declared care for people by many Western States. V.Makei called to reject the use of sanctions, inconsistent both with the Charter of the United Nations and the UNGA resolutions.

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