Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
MINSK, 4 April (BelTA) – The European Union, the United States of America, and other Western countries rigidly force the matter of the state of human rights in Belarus upon the United Nations Organization’s human rights mechanisms in order to serve their own political interests. Permanent Representative of Belarus to the UN Office and other international organizations in Geneva Larisa Belskaya made the statement at the 55th session of the UN Human Rights Council, BelTA has learned.
Larisa Belskaya accused authors of the resolution that had been submitted to the council of trying to reach their own goals concerning Belarus for many years by resorting to methods that contradict principles of international cooperation, including the falsification and substitution of universally accepted norms of international law with so-called order based on rules. “They use the erosion of the principle of sovereign equality and the role of the state as the main guarantor of observance of human rights against us,” she noted.
“Yet another resolution on Belarus is an instrument of blatant interference in domestic affairs. Its job is to step up pressure on the authorities, secure change in Belarus’ foreign policy priorities for the sake of consequent change of the geopolitical distribution of forces in the region,” she added.
Larisa Belskaya also pointed out that Belarus preserves a strong state. It is based on the unity and patriotism of the nation, its adherence to peaceful evolutionary development and categoric rejection of destructive color revolutions. “Our approaches have only grown stronger against the backdrop of horrifying consequences of realization of hegemonistic strategies of the West, which shake our region among other things, and bring sorrow and violations of human rights to millions of people,” she added.
“Belarus is a peaceful, dynamically developing country that does not deserve close attention of the UN Human Rights Council. Belarus’ resilience in the face of external pressure, the ability to ensure national security, defend sovereignty, develop economy and social sphere despite massive sanctions-fueled pressure force initiators of the resolution to toughen their approaches. This is why in addition to the mandate of the special rapporteur on Belarus another special procedure is being instituted – ‘three independent experts’. And it is happening against the backdrop of the shortage of assets that blocks the realization of many important decisions of the UN Human Rights Council,” the Belarusian diplomat said.
“It seems to us that political interests of the West in the UN Human Rights Council must be secured by any means,” Larisa Belskaya remarked. “It is obvious that the main target of these mechanisms will still be to increase misinformation and discreditation of the Belarusian state in the UN Human Rights Council and to justify the policy of sanctions of its Western sponsors.”
