Opinions & Interviews

Lavrov: The development of Eurasian integration is one of the priorities of Russia and Belarus

MINSK, 30 October (BelTA) -The development of Eurasian integration is one of the priorities of Russia and Belarus, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at the joint meeting of the foreign ministries of Belarus and Russia on 30 October.

According to Sergei Lavrov, the format of the joint ministerial meeting of Belarus and Russia is an essential element in the system of foreign policy cooperation between the two countries, and a useful platform for developing coordinated approaches on key issues on the international agenda. “In the context of the continuing profound shifts in the international landscape, accompanied by turbulence in economy and politics, such interaction is especially important. In this regard the efforts of Russia and Belarus as participants of the Union State are aimed to uphold the fundamental principles of the Charter of the United Nations, to promote universal principles of equal and indivisible security, to advance a fair and democratic polycentric world order system which will correspond to the realities of the twenty-first century,” Sergei Lavrov noted.

“We are convinced that the key to ensuring the positions of Russia and Belarus in today’s highly competitive world is the accelerated progress on the integration track. Our most important challenge is the development of Eurasian integration,” Sergei Lavrov believes.

According to Sergei Lavrov, creating favorable external conditions for sustainable development and economic growth of Russia and Belarus is the main task of foreign policy. The issues that make up the agenda of the current meeting are aimed at addressing this task.

Russia's Foreign Minister confirmed that the meeting will discuss the subject of interaction in the UN in the field of human rights. “In this area there is a lot of bias and double standards, and we will continue to harmonize the approaches to address the problems arising in this field, to avoid politicization and will block any attempt to impose a unilateral opinion towards the realization of universal common norms for the protection and promotion of human rights. There should be no double standards,” Sergei Lavrov said.

The interaction of Belarus and Russia on the issues of reformation of the OSCE is becoming increasingly important. Our initiatives are aimed at addressing the geographical and functional imbalances in the OSCE activities and at transforming the OSCE into a full-fledged international organization,” stressed Sergei Lavrov.

He also agreed that the common goal is to counter attempts to falsify the history. “This theme remains relevant. We will continue to fight the attempts to rewrite history, to put the liberators of Europe in the same league as those who wanted to enslave the peoples of our continent,” said Sergei Lavrov

The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry stressed the importance of deepening cooperation in ensuring international information security, especially in the light of the rapid development of the Internet. 

“I hope that our meeting will further enhance our cooperation in foreign policy across all issues on the international agenda,” added Sergei Lavrov.

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