Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 13 July (BelTA) – Belarusian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Valentin Rybakov attended the UN General Assembly high-level thematic debate entitled “UN@70 – Human Rights at the Center of the Global Agenda” convened by President of the 70th session of the General Assembly Mogens Lykketoft on 12 July, BelTA learned from the press service of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Valentin Rybakov outlined the approaches of Belarus in the field of human rights and called for mutually respectful dialogue, without any hierarchy in internationally recognized categories of human rights. “The diplomat noted that the mainstreaming of human rights in the United Nations should have reasonable limits, stressing inadmissibility of artificial exaggeration of human rights issues, where it is unnecessary, and the use of human rights issues for political pressure on sovereign states,” the press service said.

The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs informed the participants about Belarus’ national efforts to comply with its international obligations and assured them that, being one of the founders of the United Nations, Belarus will remain its committed member.

The thematic debate was attended by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

During his visit to New York, Valentin Rybakov met with Guatemalan Minister of Foreign Affairs Carlos Morales Moscoso. The parties discuss the state and prospects of cooperation at the multilateral level, including in the United Nations, and agreed to expand bilateral collaboration.