Opinions & Interviews

Lavrov: Constitutional reform will help stabilize situation in Belarus

MINSK, 26 November (BelTA) – The constitutional reform initiated by the authorities will facilitate the stabilization of the situation in Belarus, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov told reporters following a joint meeting of the collegiums of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Belarus and Russia in Minsk on 26 November, BelTA has learned.

Sergey Lavrov mentioned numerous cases of gross interference in domestic affairs of sovereign states on the part of the USA and some European countries who jumped on the bandwagon. “We are still witnessing the use of dirty methods of so-called color revolutions, including manipulation of public opinion, establishment and support of anti-governmental forces, and facilitation of their radicalization. These methods are applied in relation to the Republic of Belarus,” Sergey Lavrov said.

According to him, he discussed the situation in Belarus in detail with the president and foreign minister of Belarus. “Russia cannot remain indifferent. Belarus is our ally, our strategic partner and Belarusians are our brotherly nation. Of course, we would like the situation here to calm down and stabilize. We believe that this will be facilitated by the constitutional reform initiated by the country's authorities as an important stage in the improvement and transformation of the political, economic, and legal system, as stated,” Sergey Lavrov stressed.

According to him, it is obvious that other countries will try to prevent the situation in Belarus from stabilizing using various means, including by radicalizing the protests and by issuing calls for sabotage and treason. “For our part, we believe that the Belarusians are wise, sensible people, and are capable of dealing with their problems on their own, without any help from abroad and without persistent offers of unwanted mediation,” Sergey Lavrov said.

At the joint meeting of the collegiums of the ministries of foreign affairs, Belarus and Russia “discussed in detail the entire range of relations and ways to protect the interests of each other and the Union State”, he noted. “Unfortunately, we had to note that our Western colleagues led by the USA continue promoting their own exclusive interests aggressively, in a narrow-minded, egoistic manner, with an obvious intention to preserve the hegemony in the international arena, utilizing the world order concept based on the rules that contradict the universal, universally recognized norms on the international law, including the UN Charter,” Sergey Lavrov noted. “We are concerned about Western countries' intention to take control over international organizations, down to the privatization of their secretariats. When they fail to do this, they try to substitute collective efforts in universal formats with such get-togethers of those who share the West's view. They make decisions and then present them as multilateral and binding. We will not be made to live under such rules. The majority of countries adhere to an old, tested principle – I mean the respect for the international law, first of all, the Charter of the United Nations Organization,” he added.

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