Opinions & Interviews

Makei calls for peace, security at UN General Assembly session

MINSK, 27 September (BelTA) – Peace and security are the most pressing issues of today, Belarus Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei said at the General Debate of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly on 26 September 2019 in New York, BelTA has learned.

“The memories of tens of millions of victims of the Second World War, of the Nazi atrocities and criminal policies of genocide prompted us to agree on a world order that still helps us avert a new global conflict. Consequences of such a conflict would be disastrous for the entire planet. Yet, unfortunately, we are now closer to the brink of the precipice than ever before,” Vladimir Makei said.

In his words, peace and security, sustainable development, and climate change are the most relevant and urgent issues of today. These issues top the agenda of all international organizations, the minister added.

“The international community is working hard to address a number of challenges it is facing now, like terrorism, transnational crime, drug trafficking, trafficking in persons, illegal migration. At the same time, adequate and, most importantly, timely responses are yet to be found for a multitude of new emerging risks. We increasingly realize that no single state or even a group of states wield potential that is sufficient to address the challenges and save the world from a catastrophe, no matter whether it is military, economic or climatic one,” Vladimir Makei emphasized.

He noted that Belarus is among those states that believe that all these global challenges require effective common solutions that must be undertaken at the global scale. The key elements of this approach are involvement of every single UN Member State without distinction in the implementation of agreed measures; mobilization of all available political, economic, intellectual and other resources; leadership of the United Nations in uniting and coordinating international efforts.

“Unfortunately, we are increasingly confronted with the fact that United Nations multilateral mechanisms either do not work or work slowly. What is more, they become hostages to biased approaches, mutually excluding claims and excessive ambitions. Cases abound when some apply measures that undermine the norms and principles of international law, including the United Nations Charter. These actions seriously hurt multilateralism,” the minister added.

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