Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 24 October (BelTA) - The decision to admit Belarus to the UN in the capacity of the initial full-fledged member was taken in recognition of the country's big contribution to the victory over fascism, Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei said at a meeting with the heads of the missions of the organizations of the UN system in Belarus on the occasion of the UN Day, BelTA has learned.

“We, Belarusians, pay tribute to these leaders (the Big Three victors in World War II – note by BelTA). They took an exceptional decision, from the point of view of international practice, to let Belarus and Ukraine, who were not the subjects of international law, be initial, full members of the United Nations. This is nothing more but the recognition of the enormous role played by the Belarusian and Ukrainian peoples in the fight against fascism and the victory over fascism," said the Foreign Minister.

Vladimir Makei noted that the Charter of the United Nations came into force on 24 October 1945. "Essentially this document clearly prescribed what the humanity should do and how it should live, so that it will not repeat the horrors of the two world wars. But, unfortunately, not all ideals hold true. This happened to the United Nations too. The cold war and unilateral actions by the superpowers often paralyzed the UN. But the Organization and its Charter fulfilled, as I see it, the main task which was to prevent devastating global wars between superpowers. For many centuries such wars were a distinctive feature of the system of international relations,” said the Foreign Minister. He noted that such wars were prevented thanks to the vision of the three world leaders: Roosevelt, Stalin and Churchill "who, equipped with the bitter experience of the League of Nations, were able to build a viable organization on the ruins of the war.”

The minister also highlighted several milestones in the UN history that are associated with Belarus. In the first two decades the Belarusian diplomats actively pushed for punishment for war crimes committed during the Second World War. The Belarusian side advocated the independence of colonies, the end of apartheid, etc. Since 1990, Belarus has been promoting the Chernobyl-related issues, the resolutions on which are still passed by the UN General Assembly. A landmark achievement of the Belarusian diplomacy in the UN, according to Vladimir Makei, was the resolution on the establishment of nuclear-weapon-free zone in Central and Eastern Europe. It was adopted in December 1998 on the initiative of the Republic of Belarus.

The minister added that at the current stage the relevant topics for Belarus at the UN are the fight against trafficking in human beings, energy, traditional family, and middle-income countries. "Belarus was the first country from the former Soviet Union to have the UN Office opened in its capital city in May 1992. We are grateful to the organizations and agencies of the United Nations system for the big contribution they made to the development of our country,” said the head of the Foreign Ministry.

In addition, the minister said that this is the first such meeting in the building of the Foreign Ministry of Belarus. "I hope it will become a good tradition in the future," said Vladimir Makei.