MINSK, 28 September (BelTA) – The countries have forgotten what the dialogue is, and, if remember, they have lost the ability to use it, Belarus' Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei said as he spoke at the General Debate of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly, BelTA has learned.
“On this anniversary year for the United Nations and on the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, Belarus, as a founding member of the United Nations, calls for special responsibility of the Member States, primarily the Security Council members, for the functioning of the organization and implementation of its tasks,” Vladimir Makei said.
The minister recalled one of the UN's prominent figures - its Secretary-General, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dag Hammarskjold, whose 115th birthday was celebrated this year. He is considered one of the inspirers and a tireless follower of the concept of preventive diplomacy. Vladimir Makei noted that Dag Hammarskjold, who died in one of the hot spots during his crisis resolution mission, believed that only mutually respectful dialogue and honest negotiations between the parties to a possible conflict in its early stages can prevent the fire of war.
“This is what the world is lacking today. We have forgotten what the dialogue is, and if we remember, we have lost the ability to use it. I should note that for several years, Belarus has been actively calling for the resumption of a broad dialogue on international security, aimed at overcoming the existing contradictions in the relations between the states. A dialogue that would help everyone to return to the rails of building a fair and effective global order on the principles of multilateralism,” the Belarusian minister of foreign affairs said.
On this basis, Belarus on the UN platform puts forward and supports pragmatic initiatives aimed at maximizing the potential of the organization in the maintenance of international peace and security, the minister added. This year, Belarus, in wide co-authorship with like-minded states, once again initiates a resolution on banning new types of weapons of mass destruction. Vladimir Makei invited all states to co-sponsor the resolution and support it.
"Turning once again to the anniversary of the end of World War II, I would like to emphasize our deep belief as one of the countries that suffered the greatest losses in it: preserving the memory of the tragic lesson that the most terrible catastrophe of the 20th century taught us should remain a key component of the collective immunity to the emergence of new global and regional confrontations,” the Belarusian diplomat said.
The minister quoted the UN Charter, which states that the organization was created precisely to ‘save succeeding generations from the scourge of war'. “Only cooperation based on the principles of the UN Charter is the only alternative to ‘natural selection' and ‘survival of the strongest'. Given modern technology and information capabilities that are available today not only to states, but also to non-state actors, we must be fully aware of the risks resulting from political, economic and military confrontation, irresponsible rivalry, harassment of unwanted countries,” he said.
