About the participation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei in the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly
02.10.2018On October 2, 2018 Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei participated in the UNGA High-level Plenary Meeting in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of prominent state leader and politician, former President of South African Republic, Nelson Mandela.
The event was attended by more than 130 heads of states, governments and foreign ministries, as well as by the UN Secretary-General, President of the UN General Assembly, and Chair of the African Union.
In his speech the Minister focused on the inadmissibility of neglecting the ideals and principles that Nelson Mandela professed, and stressed that the world today needed a new format of international relations based on current global conditions and designed to be an example of resolving the most challenging problems.
During his visit to the UN Headquarters in New York the Head of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs conducted a number of bilateral meetings.
A meeting with President of the UN General Assembly Maria Fernanda Espinosa was held.
Maria Fernanda Espinosa is the forth female President of the United Nations General Assembly ever elected since the inception of the United Nations. Before in different years this post was taken up by females from India, Liberia, Bahrain (in order of the terms of appointment).
The President of the UN General Assembly welcomed the statement made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus at the General Debate of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly and underlined the importance of participation of states in the UN meetings of this kind to find ways for cooperation and dialogue.
Vladimir Makei congratulated the President of the General Assembly with her election to this post and expressed full support to her initiatives. The Head of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stood for further empowerment of the President of the UNGA in decision making in the United Nations.
Vladimir Makei shared the initiatives which Belarus would promote during the current session. In particular, he informed about the Regional forum on the implementation of the 2030-Agenda, held in Belarus, and requested support to the idea pertaining to the creation of a UN database on national coordinators on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. He also invited the President of the General Assembly, to participate in the photo exhibition dedicated to Belarus’ contribution to the world sports movement to be held in the UN Headquarters on October 3 in the run-up to the European Games in Belarus in 2019.
M.F. Espinosa expressed her appreciation for support to her priorities at the current session and underlined that she would strengthen the multilateralism in the United Nations.
The President of the General Assembly highly estimated the role of Belarus in promoting the issue of combatting trafficking in persons in the UN and urged Belarus to continue keeping this topic alive on the international agenda.
The interlocutors discussed the issue regarding the middle-income countries in the UN. They discussed the UNGA High-level meeting in support to the middle income countries to be held on December 4 at the UN Headquarters, initiated by Belarus earlier.
Vladimir Makei attracted the attention of the President of the General Assembly to Belarus’ appeal about the need to forge a new global order and the UN’s role in this process.
The central topic of the meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Sudan Eldirdiri Mohamed Ahmed was the issues of trade and economic cooperation between the two countries with a focus on prospects of creating joint ventures on the territory of the Sudan. It was agreed to review bilateral documents the implementation of which would lead to upgraded level of cooperation. Schedule of bilateral meetings for short-term perspective was also discussed.
At the meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Syria Walid Al-Moualem the urgent issues of cooperation between the two countries were discussed. Interest in developing interaction in the trade and economic relations, as well as in the spheres of medicine and education was reaffirmed. The two Sides estimated positively the participation of Belarus in the Damask international exhibit, held in September 2018. It was agreed to convene the next meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic cooperation before the end of this year.
Walid Al-Moualem expressed gratitude to the Belarusian Side for providing multiple humanitarian assistance and for rehabilitation of Syrian children in Belarus. Vladimir Makei reaffirmed the readiness of Belarus to continue rendering adequate humanitarian assistance to Syria.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Syria informed also about the current situation in Syria and about the plan regarding the reconstruction of infrastructure on liberated territories.
It was reaffirmed that mutual support would be rendered in international organizations.
At a meeting with Deputy Chair of the Cabinet of Ministers-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov the two Sides committed to actively cooperate issues of mutual interest. The interlocutors agreed on the need to further develop dynamics in trade and economic cooperation between the countries.
