Events

7 Dec 2022

Belarus calls to preserve results of international Chernobyl cooperation

Yuri Ambrazevich. An archive photo

MINSK, 7 December (BelTA) - Belarusian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Yuri Ambrazevich presented the position of Belarus on humanitarian assistance, including in the context of international Chernobyl cooperation at the 77th session of the UN General Assembly on 6 December, BelTA learned from the press service of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Yuri Ambrazevich delivered a national statement on the UNGA agenda item 69 “Strengthening of the coordination of humanitarian and disaster relief assistance of the United Nations, including special economic assistance".

The deputy minister noted that for decades international solidarity around Chernobyl has brought together governments and ordinary people from Belarus and many others countries, has become the best example of public diplomacy and depoliticized international cooperation.

The Belarusian diplomat drew attention to the fact that over more than 35 years Belarus has become a full partner and an expert country with expertise in mitigating the impact of a large-scale man-made disaster, and is ready to share scientific and practical experience in medicine and ecology, manufacture of clean products, land reclamation, emergency preparedness. The Belarusians are a unique people who have outgrown their tragedy and consciously accepted the peaceful atom by building the Belarusian nuclear power plant.

Yuri Ambrazevich called to refrain from the spur-of-the-moment politicization and think about the strategic importance of preserving the results of international Chernobyl cooperation, which today is concentrated primarily in Belarus. He emphasized that blind sanctions directly affected ordinary people, significantly reducing the possibilities of international technical assistance, which the government attracted to strengthen and supplement national programs to rebuild the potential of the affected territories. The government has already made up for these losses from internal sources.

The deputy minister took part in the forum "Prospects for the next review cycle of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons" organized by the Permanent Mission of Kazakhstan to the UN with the support of the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs. In his speech, the diplomat noted that, despite the current disagreements and approaches to issues on the international agenda, "we can all agree that the NPT is a key element not only of the global nonproliferation regime, but of the entire international security system."

During the forum Yuri Ambrazevich stressed that today the world needs a dialogue in the spirit of San Francisco, which would take into account the interests of all interested parties, without dividing the state into "losers and winners."

During the meeting on nuclear non-proliferation, the Belarusian diplomat had a brief conversation with the UN Under-Secretary-General, High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu. Yuri Ambrazevich informed the interlocutor about the priorities of Belarus' chairmanship in the CSTO. The parties discussed the prospects for cooperation between the CSTO and the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs, including the organization of a joint event on the subject of UN Security Council Resolution 1540 regarding the prevention of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Yuri Ambrazevich also met with President of the UN General Assembly Csaba Korosi to discuss regional and global security in the context of the armed conflict in Ukraine.

Particular attention was paid to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the context of the massive use of unilateral economic sanctions by states.

The deputy minister emphasized the need for UN countries to take into account the actual impact of economic restrictions on the ability of affected countries to achieve socio-economic development goals and called for an independent assessment of the impact of unilateral coercive measures on regional and global trade and international economic relations.