Foreign Ministry: Belarus invited UNESCO experts to study situation in Belovezhskaya Pushcha
The Deputy Permanent Representative of Belarus to UNESCO, Kirill Grushevsky, said at the plenary session of the 42nd session of the UNESCO General Conference in Paris that Belarus invited UNESCO experts to study the situation in Belovezhskaya Pushcha, the Foreign Ministry reports
Photo by Belarusian Embassy in France
It is noted that the Belarusian diplomat stated the country's readiness to promote unification initiatives aimed at overcoming dividing lines between countries and peoples.
At the same time, Mr. Grushevsky expressed regret over the ongoing outright politicisation of the activities of the UN specialised agencies, among which UNESCO is no exception. It is noted that he drew attention to unilateral coercive measures practiced by individual Western states, the victims of which are primarily the most vulnerable segments of the population, including in countries not directly affected by such measures.
The Foreign Ministry reported, “The topic of freedom of speech is also becoming the subject of political manipulation and one of the ways to combat alternative points of view. In this regard, Kirill Grushevsky reminded that several dozen representatives of the Belarusian state media are currently under Western sanctions for performing their professional duties."
The diplomat also informed that Belarus has sent an invitation to UNESCO with a proposal to visit Belovezhskaya Pushcha by experts of the World Heritage Centre, as well as the International Union for Nature Conservation. The invitation was prepared in accordance with the decision of the 45th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, which expressed extreme concern about Poland's construction of a border barrier in Belovezhskaya Pushcha. By the way, on December 14th, 1992, Belovezhskaya Pushcha received the status of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Invited experts will have to assess the negative impact of the barrier erected in the protected forest.
