MINSK, 22 September (BelTA) – Representatives of all ethnicities consider Belarus their home, Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei said on 21 September at the High-level meeting of the 77th session of the General Assembly to mark the commemoration of the thirtieth anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities, BelTA has learned.
“Belarus is a multinational state, which is attributed to its history and location. Having gone through a lot in our history, including the genocide of the Belarusian people during the Second World War and all the horrors of the Holocaust, we as a nation and a society absolutely reject any inter-ethnic, inter-cultural and inter-faith hatred,” the foreign minister said.
Vladimir Makei emphasized that representatives of about 100 ethnicities live in today's Belarus, they speak 164 native languages and profess all major world religions.
“Thanks to the strong system of protection and promotion of the rights and freedoms of national, ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities in Belarus, representatives of all ethnicities consider Belarus their home,” he noted.
The foreign minister emphasized that the system of public relations in Belarus is based on the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus, which guarantees the promotion and protection of all rights, including those relating to ethnic minorities.
According to the minister, the implementation of these rights is facilitated by a special government institution - the Commissioner for Religious and National Affairs, as well as advisory councils created under it. Their task is to strengthen and promote inter-faith and inter-ethnic harmony.
