Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus V. Makei participates in the 74th session of the UN General Assembly (third day)
25.09.2019Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei attended a meeting of the UN Security Council.
The discussion was dedicated to the role of regional unions – the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) – in maintaining international peace and security with emphasis on fight against terrorism.
During the meeting Vladimir Makei made a statement in which he highlighted the contribution of the Republic of Belarus into regional cooperation for countering international terrorism.
It was especially noted that only strong joint actions of all states and close coordination of efforts by international and regional organizations under the auspices of the United Nations could help us to effectively counter terrorism and make a real contribution to strengthening our common security.
Vladimir Makei took part in the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) Conference.
The Treaty was adopted in 1996 in order to ban all nuclear tests and explosions. It sets provisions for an international organization with its headquarters in Vienna to monitor compliance with the Treaty on the basis of international monitoring system and verification regime. To date, the Treaty has not entered into force. Of the 44 countries whose ratification of the CTBT is needed for its entry into force, India, Pakistan and DPRK have not signed the agreement. Five countries (China, Egypt, Israel, Iran, and the United States) signed but not ratified it.
During the Conference the Minister expressed Belarus' full support for international efforts to ban nuclear tests.
At the same time, it was noted with concern that a trend of the CTBT devaluation is now growing, especially considering growing confrontation between major players. Significant success achieved in recent years of active work to promote the CTBT is blurred due to a lack of political will and responsibility deficit.
As an outcome of the Conference, the participants adopted a Final Declaration promoting further international efforts to achieve early entry into force of the CTBT.
Vladimir Makei also took part in the traditional annual ministerial meeting of the State Parties of the Central European Initiative (CEI).
Central European Initiative (CEI) is a regional association created in 1989 with the aim of strengthening the European regional cooperation. It is composed of 18 states including the Republic of Bealrus. This year’s presidency in the initiative is being fulfilled by Italy.
During the meeting the Minister informed his colleagues about the priority tasks that the Republic of Belarus plans to solve within the framework of the current 74th session of the UN General Assembly, and also called for closer coordination of actions at the UN in order to effectively implement mutually beneficial regional CEI projects.
On the sidelines of the current session of the General Assembly, the Belarusian Foreign Minister met with the Minister of External Affairs of India, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. The parties expressed satisfaction with the positive dynamics of cooperation and discussed prospects to deeper it in areas of their interests. An agreement was reached on closer cooperation on the simplification of visa procedures for citizens of both countries.
Also, the meeting was focused on issues of the multilateral agenda and interaction in international organisations. V.Makei confirmed the invitation earlier extended to the Head of the Government of India to visit Belarus. The Foreign Ministers agreed to coordinate the organisation of bilateral political and business contacts.
During the meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius the current issues in bilateral relations were discussed, including the Lithuanian side’s concerns regarding the construction of nuclear power plant. They agreed on specific reciprocal steps and the beginning of an open and sincere dialogue in order to find compromise solutions. They also discussed the issues of interaction within the framework of the international organizations. It was agreed to continue working contacts in the nearest future.
At the meeting with Croatian foreign Minister Gordan Grlich-Radman noted the convergence of the approach to the international agenda and the role that Belarus and Croatia can play in strengthening partnership and security in the European region. V. Makei stressed that despite regular bilateral political contacts, the potential of trade and economic cooperation between the two countries currently is not fully implemented. The growth of mutual trade and the implementation of joint economic projects requires the parties to take specific additional action. In this regard, the Belarusian minister urged to quickly form the composition and hold the first meeting of the joint intergovernmental Commission on trade and economic cooperation in accordance with the agreement, which was signed in 2015. This proposal was supported by the Croatian side.
In anticipation of the forthcoming Croatia's presidency of the Council of the European Union G.Grlic-Radman assured of his readiness to focus attention on the issues of development of the initiative “Eastern partnership”, as well as the interaction between Belarus and the EU.
Vladimir Makei also met with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Edgars Rinkevics. The parties noted with satisfaction the positive dynamics and intensity of the Belarusian-Latvian dialogue. The Foreign Ministers discussed the content of planned bilateral high-level visits. Further steps to develop the dialogue between Belarus and the EU were discussed in an open and trusting atmosphere. The parties also exchanged views on current issues of the international agenda, including topics of strengthening global and regional security.
