MINSK, 25 February (BelTA) - Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Maksim Ryzhenkov attended the opening of the 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council and took part in the high-level discussion of the HRC in Geneva on 24 February, BelTA learned from the press service of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Maksim Ryzhenkov noted that all the fundamental human rights and freedoms are observed in Belarus and dismissed any claims of human rights violations as absurd. The head of the Belarusian diplomacy said that Western politicians cynically manipulate human rights mechanisms while ignoring basic human values in favor of political interests. He drew attention to the desire of some Western countries to suppress freedom of information and to destroy any alternative opinion to hype up, among other things, negative myths about Belarus.
The minister called on the UN states to reset the human rights dimension, to recognize the diversity of political systems, development paths and cultural values, and to return to constructive cooperation in human rights issues.
The minister continued his work at the 58th session of the HRC with a speech in the high-level discussion on “Thirtieth anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action”. He reiterated Belarus' readiness to share its unique experience in promoting women in political, economic and public spheres of life. Maksim Ryzhenkov noted the key role of the People's Republic of China in harmonizing the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which helped to bring women's rights to a qualitatively new level.
The Belarusian minister also held meetings with the deputy prime minister of Kyrgyzstan, foreign ministers of Bahrain, Venezuela, Georgia, Cuba, Iran, as well as the minister of justice, legal and parliamentary affairs of Zimbabwe, the prime cabinet secretary of Kenya, and the deputy foreign minister of Azerbaijan, who are participating in high-level events in Geneva.
Maksim Ryzhenkov met with Switzerland’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Ignazio Cassis to express his gratitude for ensuring the participation of the Belarusian delegation and the Belarusian foreign minister in the 58th session of the UNHRC.
At the meeting with Varsen Aghabekian, Palestine’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Maksim Ryzhenkov expressed readiness to continue supporting the Palestinian people, including in defending their interests in the international arena.
During the working meeting with the heads of delegations of the Eurasian Economic Union member states, Maksim Ryzhenkov focused on the foreign policy aspects of the priorities of the Belarusian presidency in the EAEU in 2025.
There was an interested exchange of views on practical joint steps to increase the visibility of the EAEU in the UN as a successful and dynamically developing regional organization.
Special attention was paid to the holding of the EAEU Days at the UN Office in Geneva this year.
Photos courtesy of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
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