MINSK, 27 September (BelTA) – Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei has repelled accusations that saddle Belarus with the responsibility for launching a hybrid war by means of refugees. The diplomat made the relevant statement as he addressed the 76th session of the UN General Assembly in New York on 27 September, BelTA has learned.
Vladimir Makei stressed: “In this context one should not shift the blame for launching a hybrid war against the European Union onto Belarus. The leaders of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and some other countries have shamelessly lied about it from this important rostrum. Even a layman can see that Belarus with its 10 million people objectively cannot wage any wars against the European Union with its 500 million people even if the country had muscles of Arnold Schwarzenegger.”
Vladimir Makei reminded that since April 2021 Belarus has been inviting the European Union to hold consultations to discuss illegal migration, however, there has been no response. Moreover, in violation of previously signed agreements the European Union has stopped funding all the projects relating to fight against illegal migration. “If the construction of an iron curtain made of razor wire is the response to a proposal for a dialogue, then all the blame should lie with these terrible construction workers,” the minister said.
Vladimir Makei remarked that Belarus has always adhered and will adhere to the policy of good neighborhood, which is based on one simple wisdom: neighbors are given by the God. Belarus has always been dedicated to mutually beneficial cooperation with all countries – even those with acute differences of opinion. “However, we will build our relations on principles of respect and equality without blackmail and diktat,” the Belarusian minister of foreign affairs stressed.
Vladimir Makei reminded that Belarus has always been at the forefront of efforts to fight trafficking in persons at the national level and the international one. This year in the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly Belarus will co-author a traditional resolution on stepping up the coordination of efforts to fight trafficking in persons. “This resolution is a key element in the spectrum of collective international efforts meant to facilitate stability in the world. We call upon countries to co-author the Belarusian resolution and support it in the course of adoption. We welcome the organization of a high-level event in UN in November 2021 for the sake of discussing the fight against trafficking in persons,” Vladimir Makei said.
