YouSaid · the spoken record

Vladimir Makei

lines on the record: 134
first: 2012-09-24
most recent: 2022-09-24
sittings or episodes: 8
sources: un-general-debate

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“Our present state of mind was well captured by Martin Luther King Jr. more than half a century ago when he said: “We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there ‘is’ such a thing as being too late.” Let us act before it is too late. Belarus, for its part, stands ready to play the role of a vigorously engaged and responsible stakeholder in security processes at the global and regional levels alike.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“The task facing humankind today is to ensure that our civilization is not destroyed as we transition to a new multipolar world order. That is exactly what our common priority for action must be, including at the United Nations. It is in this direction, provided we want to survive at all, that we must seek consensus and promptly forge new, adequate response mechanisms. It is for the sake of that objective that we must immediately silence the mutually destructive rhetoric and put an end to the fatal total confrontation that leaves no room for diplomatic efforts. That can be done only by responsible world leaders who, in the figurative expression of Henry Kissinger, “possess a sense of direction and mission”. Leaders with such qualities are bound to emerge on the world stage.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“We believe that it is precisely now that the Non-Aligned Movement and the BRICS countries — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — as well as the regional integration unions, which are on the rise, must be directly and proactively involved in matters of global peace. It is true that today, unfortunately, we do not have a clear concept for safeguarding the peace and security of our planet insofar because the world has become so complex that a multitude of diverse challenges defy any single framework. What is more, the mechanisms for neutralizing the global challenges that were put in place in the framework of prior geopolitical realities are lagging behind in making the decisions that would fit the times, or stalling altogether.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“We believe that one crucial step in that process is a global security dialogue in the true spirit of San Francisco, whose urgency the President of Belarus clearly stated as far back as five years ago. We have consistently highlighted the key role of the great Powers in this effort. Unfortunately, as we are seeing today, they hear and understand each other poorly. There is not the slightest hint that they are ready to move on from recriminations. Perhaps the time has come for the countries representing the developing world to collectively take the lead in global security with all of the energy and dynamism they displayed with great success nearly half a century ago in advancing the idea of a new international economic order.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“Regrettably, that process has since stalled. We remain deeply convinced that both a ceasefire agreement and a comprehensive strategic peace settlement around Ukraine, in a broad context of regional and global security, can be achieved only at the negotiating table. There is no alternative to talks. Otherwise, we will all get a new third Versailles. As a neighbour and an affected country, Belarus should be an integral part of the negotiation process and of final security guarantees. We very much hope that the tragic events in Ukraine will compel the collective West to realize rather quickly that changes in international relations are irreversible. The sooner that happens, the sooner peace can come to Ukraine and other hot spots, and the sooner we can lay the foundation of a new, just world order.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“For Belarus, which itself endured the genocide of the Belarusian people during the Second World War, when one in three people in our country was killed, it is unbearably painful to see the chaos in our neighbouring country and the suffering of ordinary Ukrainians. Ever since 2014, we have been making every possible effort to bring peace to Ukraine. It was our country in particular that became associated with peace in Donbas when the Minsk agreements were adopted in 2014 and 2015. Right after the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine in February, it was the President of Belarus who managed to get the parties to the conflict to sit down at the negotiating table, once again on Belarusian soil. Belarus hosted three successful rounds of Ukrainian- Russian negotiations that opened real prospects for settling the conflict.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“Instigated by the United States and its allies, Ukraine has been exterminating the people of Donbas for eight years for no other reason than that the local people want to speak their native language, Russian. But the West does not need Ukraine, neither as a member of NATO nor as a member of the European Union. Its new patrons are simply using it in their own great game against Russia. Today Ukraine is paying the price in blood because its politicians bought into that deception and disregarded the historical brotherhood of the three East Slavic peoples: Belarusians, Russians and Ukrainians. But it is never too late to admit and correct one’s mistakes.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“It is high time for Western countries to resort to common sense and return to dialogue and cooperation. Even in the current situation, Belarus stands ready to embrace dialogue and cooperation on equal terms, without preconditions or pressure. Belarus, like many other countries, has spoken a great deal and everywhere about the conflict in Ukraine. We cannot do otherwise. The conflict is happening at our very doorstep. We are extremely saddened to see the fraternal Ukrainian people fall victim to the collective West’s geopolitical games. We are convinced that the origins of Ukraine’s now specific problems should be sought in 2004, when the West managed to carry out the first colour revolution in that country. The second revolution, a decade later, firmly secured Ukraine’s status as anti-Russian.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“We will survive just as freedom-loving Cuba has been surviving illegal sanctions for more than six decades. Nonetheless, the sanctions have had two negative repercussions that their sponsors could hardly have anticipated. First, they have reduced the supply of fertilizer and food from the countries under sanctions. As a result, those who suffer the most are the poorest people in developing countries. Suffice it to say, prices in those countries have skyrocketed by 300 per cent over the past half a year, while Africa is facing fertilizer shortages to the tune of over 2 million tons. Secondly, funnily enough, the sanctions have had a boomerang effect, hitting the West itself. No matter how some may swagger today, ordinary people in Europe will, unfortunately, have to freeze through the coming winter.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“The key objective has not been achieved, but the sanctions keep living a life of their own. What common sense does the West invest in the unilateral, illegal economic sanctions it imposes against other countries? Without any trace of hesitation, the goal has been stated loud and clear — to achieve a change of power in various countries through food riots provoked by sanctions. This calculation has largely turned out to be a failure. Most countries have not joined the effort to implement the sanctions. Many States under sanctions, such as Belarus and Russia, are to a large extent self- sufficient. Importantly, the sanctions have given us a powerful impetus to develop hidden internal reserves and reinvigorate regional integration. Undoubtedly, we will weather the storm.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“Secondly, the world’s history has no end, because it is not an inexorable movement of all countries towards so-called liberal democracy. Thirdly, the world is too complex a structure to reduce all its problems to a confrontation — as we have also heard from this rostrum — between the so-called democracies and autocracies. That understanding, it would appear, has not yet registered with the West. What we have seen instead is the destruction stubbornly pursued by the West, including self-destruction. Economic sanctions are almost the only tool in the West’s foreign policy toolkit. One cannot fail to sense that the very fact the sanctions have been imposed serves as an indicator of their effectiveness for Europe and the United States. In that regard, we are witnessing a substitution of concepts.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“Five centuries ago, when the West was just beginning its global ascent, the world came to witness the Copernican revolution of knowledge. That revolution took place, first and foremost, in the minds of the people of that time, who found it difficult to come to terms with the postulate that it was not the Earth but the Sun that stood at the centre of the solar system. A similar Copernican paradigm shift must occur today. As was the case half a millennium ago, it too must take place in people’s minds. This time around, it must occur in the minds of the West’s political mainstream. The West must, at last, recognize a number of truths. First, international relations do not revolve around one single — that is, Western — centre of power.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“What explains this rejectionist policy and stance of the West? The key problem is the ongoing clash at the global level between two incompatible visions of the world order — one concentric, the other polycentric. The West wants to establish a concentric or unipolar world, ruled from one centre and subordinated to the interests of a Western hegemon. Most other countries wish to create a polycentric or multipolar world with no single centre of control and in which no one imposes its visions, interests or values on anyone else. The West has dominated the world for the past five centuries, and believes that it can continue doing so indefinitely. As for us, we are deeply convinced that the world has changed and that neocolonialism in any form is no longer an acceptable or viable option.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“It was precisely the West that made the conflict inevitable, not only through its decision to expand NATO, but also by its refusal to consider the proposals of its opponents. After all, such proposals were made. The questions arises: What should be done? Indeed, in 2009 Russia invited all interested parties to sign a new European security treaty that would de jure wrap up the Cold War. The West rejected the proposal. In 2017, it was President of Belarus Alyaksandr Lukashenko who came up with the idea of holding a global security dialogue and proposed Minsk as a venue for negotiations. The opponents ignored that initiative as well. Last December, the Russian Federation made yet another attempt to reach an agreement with the West on the issue of European security. As before, the West remained deaf to the new Russian proposal.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“With its drive to enlarge NATO, the West trampled upon the indivisibility of security, a vital principle according to which one party must not seek to achieve its own security at the expense of other parties. The peacemakers of 1815 and 1945 grasped that logic very well, whereas the world leaders of 1919 and 1991 refused to embrace it. NATO’s involvement in the illegal wars against Yugoslavia, Iraq, Libya and Syria, in addition to the Alliance’s attempts to encroach on some historical Eastern Slavic and adjacent lands made it a foregone conclusion that Versailles 2.0. would suffer the fate of the first Versailles. Therefore, it is the collective West that bears the full responsibility for the ongoing bloodshed in Ukraine.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“The West revealed its selfishness by offering to the post-Soviet States only one path, that of being its satellites. To cement that status, the West relied on the expansion of one of its key Cold War-era institutions — the NATO military bloc. NATO’s eastward expansion occurred despite the agreements achieved with the West, including those struck with the Soviet leaders. The West overlooked the legitimate security interests of both Russia and Belarus. In that regard, I recall the outstanding American diplomat George Kennan, whose foreign policy prophecies are so admired by Western policymakers. Why did they fail to heed another of Kennan’s famous warnings when, in 1996, he condemned NATO expansion as “a strategic blunder of potentially epic proportions”?”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“Likewise, they could have drawn inspiration from the model of cooperation established during the Second World War by the “Big Three” — Stalin, Roosevelt, and Churchill — who forged arrangements that significantly narrowed opportunities for great Powers to wage wars against each other. Nonetheless, unfortunately, the Western policymakers of the early 1990s chose the most inglorious and unpromising option, namely, the path of the 1919-style Versailles diplomats eager to trample upon their main opponent. To begin with, the Cold War ended not even with an official treaty, but with some kind of gentlemen’s agreements and declarations. As subsequent events revealed, the so-called winning side did not respect those arrangements; in fact, they were nothing more than a Versailles 2.0.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“We are convinced that the conflict in Ukraine arises from a wider geopolitical chaos, whose causes must be sought in the events of 30 years ago. History teaches us that epoch-making wars that end in unfair and humiliating peace terms contain the seeds of future conflicts. Let us take a look at what kind of peace was established after the end of the last epochal confrontation — the Cold War. The so-called winners, apparently influenced by euphoria, did not consider it necessary to draw on examples from the past. After all, they could have followed the path of Alexander I, Metternich and Castlereagh. Those great peacemakers of the early nineteenth century effectively integrated their adversaries into a new security system, thereby bringing lasting peace to Europe that would endure for decades to come.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“For more than six months, the world has been living in the shadow of the conflict in Ukraine. It is adversely affecting a great many people on the planet. The conflict, like the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic that preceded it, has once again laid bare the downside of global interdependence. This session provides a unique opportunity to take stock of the situation. Let us, in a very honest and unbiased manner, answer two questions. The answers to them, like the ensuing necessary action, is what all people around the globe expect from us, the United Nations Member States. The first is: What are the root causes of the conflict in Ukraine? The second is: What needs to be done to stop the conflict and prevent similar events from recurring in the future?”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“In one of his speeches, Martin Luther King very wisely said something that is more relevant than ever: “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools”. More than ever, the world needs solidarity, mutual assistance and the marshalling of collective efforts to overcome all differences. In order to avoid becoming fools and plunging the world into the chaos of yet another war, which would be the last in human history, we call on everyone to show their wisdom, as well as the courage to put aside our ambitions in order to live up to the expectations that the delegates to the San Francisco Conference 76 years ago conferred upon us — to build a system of stable and predictable international relations.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“That is categorically unacceptable. We would like to remind everyone of a key principle of the United Nations — one State, one vote. We oppose the dilution of the sovereignty of Member States through the establishment of puppet participants in the form of non-governmental organizations, which will be able to drown out the views of independent States. The unchecked deluge of the United Nations system with NGOs’ views will not only prevent the voices of Member States from being duly taken into account, or even heard, but will also make it more difficult to reach consensus, which has become more and more difficult for the General Assembly with every successive year. The participation of civil society in the work of the United Nations should be based on existing procedures.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“In the context of the United Nations motto “to leave no one behind”, Belarus believes that it is imperative to uphold consensus and consider the views of every State. We would also like to note another disturbing trend. Recently, under the specious pretext of promoting the effectiveness of the work of the General Assembly, certain States have taken destructive measures to arbitrarily interpret and review the established working methods of this organ. Targeted efforts centred on the so-called promotion of civil society voices within the General Assembly is no exception. We view such actions as an attempt to provide non-governmental organizations (NGOs), which, by the way, have often been established and sponsored by countries with a vested interest, with the same status enjoyed by the sovereign States Members of the United Nations.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“The practice of imposing arbitrary financial and economic sanctions as an instrument of political pressure must be eradicated forever, and the United Nations should work to that end. The United Nations has a key role to play in addressing the challenges and threats facing us all. At the same time, it is a matter of concern that the United Nations is increasingly becoming a theatrical stage for individual States rather than a platform for cooperative action. The United Nations is moving towards the further commercialization of its agenda and increasingly mirroring Western policy. The United Nations is thinking more and more like the West, while trampling on the important principles of solidarity and multilateralism.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“Unilateral sectoral sanctions against major exporters of vital raw materials used in agriculture, including against exporters of potash fertilizers, not only create shortages of those valuable products on the world market, while substantially increasing prices, but also pose a direct threat to ordinary people in vulnerable countries, primarily in Africa, Asia and elsewhere. Listening to the representatives of all the continents in the General Assembly Hall during this session is all that is needed to demonstrate that point. Almost 1 billion people are starving in the world today, and owing to the short-sightedness of a handful of States that impose unilateral economic sanctions on entire sectors of the economy related to food, many hundreds of millions more may be left without food.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“The use of unilateral restrictions flagrantly violates international law, does irreparable damage as a result to the entire system of international relations and increases the potential for conflict and enmity in international relations. Belarus expresses its solidarity with other countries that have come under the yoke of the sanctions policy. We support the brotherly people of Cuba, who for so many years have suffered under the unjust economic blockade imposed by the arbitrary will of one State. It is very clear that ordinary citizens are the main victims of unilateral sanctions measures. Restrictions on trade, currency and the banking and transport sectors have a negative impact on people’s well-being, adversely affect the development of private initiative, reduce educational opportunities and jeopardize food security.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“Attempts by a number of so- called developed countries to monopolize the claim to democracy, arbitrarily designate other countries’ level of democracy and, depending on the latter, offensively label sovereign States clearly reminds us of the methods used by the Nazis, who also divided the world into those who should rule and those who should be slaves. Unilateral restrictive measures continue to be another technique preferred by Western States. Without getting to understand various processes under way in a range of countries, irresponsible politicians, probably owing to their lack of imagination, are always at the ready to impose sanctions if something is not to their liking. The harmful effects of such a policy have long been known.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“Democracy moulded on Western models and inopportunely implanted in various countries of the world has benefited no one. On the contrary, it sows chaos and instability. As mentioned earlier, Afghanistan is a recent example of such thoughtless policies on the part of several so-called citadels of democracy. Yet their consequences are now being borne by the entire world community. Even an adherent of democracy such as President Macron of France was forced to admit, just one month ago, that it is impossible to impose democracy from outside, including through the use of weapons.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“The annual resolution is key to collective international efforts to promote stability throughout the world. We urge States to co-sponsor the Belarusian draft resolution and support its adoption. We welcome the convening of the high-level event on combating trafficking in persons to be held at the United Nations in November. We must not ignore another topic that has been discussed interminably owing to the speculations that surround it — human rights. One would think it represented a constructive agenda for everyone. The human rights issue, however, is today not only a dangerous toy in the hands of incompetent and shortsighted politicians but has also become a genuine weapon used against undesirable and disobedient countries.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“We have always adhered to — and will always adhere to — the policy of good-neighbourliness, based on the simple adage that neighbours are a gift from God. Belarus has always been and remains committed to mutually beneficial cooperation with all States, even with those with whom we diametrically disagree. However, we will build our relations on the principles of respect and equality, without blackmail and preconditions. Belarus has always been on the front line in efforts to combat trafficking in persons at both the national and international levels. This year, together with a wide range of co-penholders and like-minded States, Belarus will submit to the Third Committee an annual draft resolution entitled “Improving the coordination of efforts against trafficking in persons”.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“Even the average citizen understands that Belarus, with its population of 10 million people, would be objectively unable to wage not only a hybrid war but any kind of war against the 500-million-strong European Union, even if Belarus had the strength of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Since April, we have proposed that the European Union hold consultations on the issue of illegal migration, but there has been no response. Furthermore, in violation of previous agreements, the European Union stopped funding all projects related to combating illegal migration. If one responds to an invitation to engage in dialogue by building an iron curtain made of barbed wire, then the blame lies with the obstructionists.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“Their corpses are then secretly dragged across the border at night into Belarus. Those are not isolated cases but have become the norm in our Western neighbours’ conduct. Is that not the height of cynicism and desecration, coming from human rights activists who boast of a higher level of civilization and try to teach others how to live? The topic of refugees is once again becoming increasingly relevant, as a result of the irresponsible policies of the West as a whole. The situation in Afghanistan clearly confirms that. Furthermore, it is futile to shift the blame onto another party by accusing Belarus of unleashing a hybrid war against the European Union, as the leaders of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and other countries mendaciously stated from this rostrum.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“In order to further demonize Belarus, present the country as a source of tension in the region and justify its destructive behaviour against our State, the West fabricated a conflict situation involving refugees on the western border of Belarus, while forgetting about its own international obligations towards our country and the refugees’ countries of origin. Millions of refugees are today trying to flee from all parts of the world to reach the haven of Europe and escape the hunger and disasters brought about by the same Europe and the West as a whole in various countries and regions. However, as it turns out, no one wants the refugees in Europe. It has already gotten to the point that, in Poland, a neighbour of Belarus, and in the Baltic States, refugees are not only deliberately beaten but murdered.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“The blitzkrieg to change the Government in Belarus has failed. Moreover, the West quickly lost the support of the street, where protests had been organized and inspired externally. It was a miscalculation. Belarus remains on pace in its successful development process and in making its own way. Today the Belarusian people are united in their choice of a strategic course towards building a strong, sovereign and prosperous State. That is the focus of the inclusive constitutional reforms that are currently concluding in Belarus and involve all segments of the population of the country.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“Our country has continued to be targeted by belligerent pressure from the West as a whole for more than one year, owing to the fact that Belarus failed to act out the highly polished script of yet another colour revolution to coincide with the presidential elections. To date, Belarus has been subjected to a large-scale hybrid war from all sides. We have been impressed by its authors’ creativity in their use of eloquent but hypocritical terms to justify their destructive actions, such as “measures to support democracy”, “sectoral restrictions”, “ the promotion of people’s welfare” and “State sovereignty”. Their meaning, however, is clear. The West remains unable come to terms with the choice of the majority of Belarusians, as the choice of the Belarusian electorate has upset the plans of individual strategists.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“As a founding country of the United Nations, Belarus will seek to resolve this issue on the international stage by reiterating the fundamental principles that led to the establishment of the Organization. Incidentally, some of the criminals who committed atrocities against the Belarusian people and whose hands are soaked in blood continue to live quiet lives in neighbouring countries. They are even occasionally honoured as heroes. Despite the annual calls at the United Nations for greater security, multilateralism, solidarity and mutual assistance, the world is in the throes of confrontation. Belarus has also involuntarily been drawn into the vortex of the geopolitical war.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“We are regrettably witnessing today a number of dangerous trends to distort the moral and legal ramifications of the outcome of the Second World War by equating victims with executioners and liberators with aggressors, while doubt has been cast on the rulings of the Nuremberg Tribunal. We have consistently and resolutely opposed any attempt to whitewash the actions of the Nazis and justify their heinous crimes. Accordingly, this year a new law was adopted in Belarus that criminalizes the rehabilitation of Nazism. Criminal proceedings have also been set in motion with regard to the facts pertaining to the genocide perpetrated against the Belarusian people during the Great Patriotic War.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“In May, in partnership with Barbados and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Belarus held a high-level online meeting on harnessing interregional integration to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Leaders of major regional economic organizations enthusiastically supported the strengthening of such interregional cooperation. The year 2021 marks an important date in the history of Belarus and brotherly countries. It is the eightieth anniversary of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. Nazi atrocities led to the deaths of millions of people throughout the world. During the hostilities of those years, one third of Belarus’ population perished in the struggle against the fascist invaders and their allies, who committed genocide against our people.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“In recent years, Belarus has repeatedly drawn the attention of the international community to the need for a new global dialogue on security, which is not merely due but overdue. Such a dialogue would be designed to resolve the most important issue — to establish a new, effective and genuinely fair international order. We urge the super-Powers to begin such a dialogue in order to acknowledge their responsibility for the fate of the planet and carry out the civilizational mission conferred upon them. It is also important to think about the economic components of the new order. Unfortunately, economic globalization does not work in the interests of all the people on the planet. In that regard, we see great potential for the regional integration processes of the global economy. We call that approach the “integration of integrations”.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“The negative trend in global security persists, including through hybrid wars and the malicious criminal use of modern information technologies, which fuel extremism, terrorism and fake news. Today electronic gadgets can be used to undermine national peace and harmony in any State and remove its leadership from power. Moreover, for more than a year and a half the world has been held hostage by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. It has taken the lives of millions of people, led to irreversible social and economic loss and revealed negative global dynamics on many levels. We fully support the work being undertaken by the World Health Organization to strengthen its response to health emergencies. At the same time, we stress the importance of not politicizing the issue, including through research into the origins of COVID-19.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“Some States attempt to impose on other sovereign States artificial templates for socioeconomic development, as well as barbarous policies of sanctions against undesirable Governments, economic terrorism and the kind of policy that seeks to return our peaceful world to confrontation among great-Power alliances. That all has very little in common with the just and harmonious world order that people have been striving to build for so many decades. It is a clear sign of an obsessive and harmful wish to provoke confrontation around the world. Blatant interference by self-appointed oracles in the internal affairs of other sovereign States has now become the norm on the international stage.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“Exactly two decades ago, the United Nations and its leader received the Nobel Peace Prize. At the reception ceremony, former Secretary-General Kofi Anan said that we had “entered the third millennium through a gate of fire”. Unfortunately, the fire has not been fully extinguished. For several decades now, we have witnessed unprecedented levels of protracted global turbulence and unpredictability. That is a logical outcome of the fact that our planet has been functioning outside the systems and obligations enshrined in the universal principles of international law, including the Charter of the United Nations, Today’s world is governed by economic egotism, political ambition, imperialist blackmail instincts, crises, conflicts and orchestrated chaos.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“We are all interested in seeing the Economic and Social Council, like the entire UN development system, provide more effective assistance to States in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals. Renewed with time, the Organization will remain needed by all people on the planet. The Republic of Belarus is a signatory country to the UN Charter, assuming responsibility for promoting the implementation of the main goals of the Organization. Our country will continue to work for the preservation and development of the creative and unifying principle of the UN.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“A world that will arm itself with the benefits of technological progress and use them for development, not destruction. These days one hears a lot of criticism of the UN. Sometimes it is justified, sometimes it is not. The Republic of Belarus emphatically shares the following message: the Organization must keep pace with the times. We need an effective and efficient UN Security Council that will put an end to numerous wars and armed conflicts, including taking into account the need to preserve territorial integrity and comply with international law. We want to see a more active General Assembly — making timely important decisions on the entire spectrum of pressing world problems.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“As a middle-income country, Belarus believes that a separate UN strategy to promote sustainable development — in line with similar documents for other groups of developing countries — is necessary for the successful achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals for that category of States. In conclusion, I would like to note a very simple but important life lesson: “Every cloud has a silver lining”. We have born witness to transformational events. Indeed, 2020 has been a special year for the world, forcing us to a restructure the life of humankind. A new history is being written before our eyes — the world will no longer be the same as it was before. As we learn our lessons, we must not carry past mistakes into the future. We must build a new world — friendly to people, free from wars and conflicts, stable, predictable and prosperous.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“For its part, Belarus continues to move consistently towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, based on the 2030 Agenda. The country’s efforts are aimed at achieving a balance between economic development and the protection of the environment, while promoting the principles of the green economy, implementing the “smart city” concept and developing precision agriculture. Such work is carried out with the involvement of all stakeholders within the country and in close cooperation with international partners. We see partnering with all stakeholders at both national and international levels as one of the key factors to accelerating the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“Trade wars and arbitrary financial and economic sanctions as an instrument of political pressure must stop. Another critical issue is the “health” of the global economy, which is now in serious trouble. The pandemic threatens to undo all that has been achieved since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The urgent need to change approaches to socioeconomic development in the postpandemic era is becoming increasingly clear. Belarus supports proposals to increase investment in health care, infrastructure and education, providing broad access to digital technologies and ensuring the proper management of natural resources. We share in endorsing approaches to boost economic recovery by rethinking the economic model in terms of promoting the “green economy”.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“The future of the Republic of Belarus will be decided by its own people, as it has been repeatedly demonstrated throughout our country’s history. It will be decided not at the barricades, but through civilized dialogue, including through the process of constitutional reform, which has already begun in the country. I would like to stress once again that we firmly reject the practice of any unilateral coercive measures in international relations. A vivid example of such actions has been the decades-long trade, financial and economic blockade on Cuba by its northern neighbour — the United States. The maintenance of these “suffocating” instruments of pressure on sovereign States — without even considering the situation caused by the coronavirus disease pandemic — poses a specific threat fraught with lasting repercussions.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“Since the failed attempt to impose a “colour revolution” on us, we have experienced external interference aimed at undermining the State system. Individual statements, bordering on cynicism, by some of our Western neighbours about their alleged concern for Belarus’ sovereignty and welfare are in fact nothing more than attempts to plunge the country into chaos and anarchy, which will set Belarus back in its development by many years. We urge our partners to show wisdom, restraint and impartiality. Interference in our internal affairs or sanctions or other restrictive measures against Belarus will have the opposite effect and will harm absolutely everyone. We have already experienced this in the past.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“We regretfully note the growing attempts by some countries to abuse the UN as a tribune, including the Security Council, to satisfy their narrow political ambitions. I am referring to, among other things, the focused attention of certain Western countries on the situation in Belarus, which currently is difficult owing to circumstances imposed on us, from, above all, the outside. Let me remind everyone that the people made their decision during the presidential elections in Belarus in August, which was to choose in favour of a stable and prosperous State, peace, good neighbourliness and sustainable development. However, instead of respecting that choice, we see aspirations to influence the situation in the country.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“The tragic lesson of the twentieth century’s worst catastrophe must remain a key component of “herd immunity” to the emergence of new global and regional confrontations. As the Charter of the United Nations states, our Organization was founded precisely to “save succeeding generations from the scourge of war”. Cooperation based on the principles of the Charter is the only alternative to “natural selection” and “survival of the fittest”. Given the modern technology and information capabilities available now not only to States, but also non-State actors, we must be fully aware of the risks caused by political, economic and military confrontation, irresponsible competition and the provocation of undesirable countries. And there is one more important point.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)