Opinions & Interviews

Makei welcomes ‘fruitful’ cooperation between Belarus, UNESCO

MINSK, 23 May (BelTA) – Since Belarus joined UNESCO, it has been fruitfully cooperating with this organization, Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei said on 23 May at an extended session of the National Commission for UNESCO timed to the 65th anniversary of Belarus’ membership in this organization, BelTA has learned.

“We are glad to celebrate 65 years of fruitful cooperation in the name of the good cause. We confirm that since our country joined UNESCO, it has remained committed to the principles of the organization,” said Vladimir Makei, who is also Chair of the National Commission for UNESCO.

Vladimir Makei congratulated the attendees on this anniversary and thanked representatives of the UNESCO Secretariat, the UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education, the Commission of the Russian Federation for UNESCO, and the Ukrainian Embassy in Belarus for taking part in this meeting. “Today we have a special session of the National Commission for UNESCO. It has brought together not only its current members, but also people whose energy, pro-active stance, responsible and non-conventional approach have made a meaningful contribution to the successful and efficient cooperation between Belarus and UNESCO throughout the history of Belarusian diplomacy,” Vladimir Makei noted.

In his view, the ongoing session offers a good opportunity to take stock of Belarus-UNESCO partnership and discuss promising avenues of cooperation.

The minister noted that in 2017 Belarus was elected to the UNESCO Executive Board, the organization’s governing body, for the fifth time. A record high number of votes for the Belarusian candidacy is a testimony to the country’s good standing on the international arena. It is also acknowledgement of our country’s efforts to preserve and promote the nation’s potential in education, culture, science and information.

“We uphold UNESCO’s initiatives aimed at boosting cooperation between the national commissions for UNESCO. We are convinced that such an approach will allow expanding and strengthening friendly relations between countries,” Vladimir Makei underlined. He emphasized that Belarus’ National Commission for UNESCO pays due attention to building up contacts with the national commissions for UNESCO from other countries. Partnerships and joint projects with the national commissions from Russia, Poland, and Lithuania have been particularly successful.

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