Kochanova: it’s important for UN to make decisions truly fair for everyone

Chairperson of the Council of the Republic Natalya Kochanova has held a meeting with the recently appointed UN Resident Co-ordinator in Belarus Rasul Baghirov. The Speaker of the Council of the Republic drew the attention of the UN representative that Belarus is proud and cherishes being a founding country of the United Nations.

“The organisation was created for all participating countries to address issues that concern each of the countries. The issues that the UN is dealing with today are very important, especially in today’s turbulent world. These are the Sustainable Development Goals, the protection of children’s rights, gender policy, sovereignty, and independence of countries,” Ms. Kochanova underlined.

The Chairperson of the Council of the Republic noted that today one can often hear criticism of the UN, and sometimes it’s fair. In particular, she recalled that Belarus is accused of violating human rights, although this is absolutely not true.

“Referring to the issue of the UN’s activities, the President of Belarus said that we have supported and will continue to support the organisation. We have no doubt about that. However, it is important that the organisation makes truly fair decisions that would be for everyone and aimed at the benefit of those countries that are its members,” Ms. Kochanova stressed.

She noted that Belarus is actively working on the implementation of the country programme of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, “We have good co-operation in this regard, as well as on the issues of refugee protection, combating human trafficking, and other areas.”

The Speaker of the Council of the Republic expressed confidence that the voice of the UN should be decisive in the most important security issues. She cited the situation at the Zaporozhye NPP as an example, noting that recently the Council of the Republic adopted a statement in connection with the situation in the region ‘because it can lead to an irreparable catastrophe that will affect many countries’, “This cannot be allowed to happen, and the UN’s voice on this issue should be clear.”

Natalya Kochanova urged Rasul Baghirov to give an objective assessment of the ongoing processes during his stay in Belarus to make really correct decisions. She informed the Un Resident Co-ordintator about the political situation in the country, as well as the activities of the Council of the Republic.

“The most important thing for us is to preserve sovereignty and independence. I think the same applies to any state. We will do everything to keep peace in our country. We are a peace-loving country, we have never threatened anyone and we are not going to threaten anyone,” Ms. Kochanova emphasised, recalling that the Belarusian people have suffered from military conflicts more than once.

The Speaker of the Council of the Republic urged the UN representative not to label Belarus, “We’re a very open country. We don’t have any closed topics. Our President is very open and pursues the same policy.”

The Chairperson of the Council of the Republic drew attention to the fact that, despite external pressure, Belarus is successfully liaising with all countries that are constructive towards us, “I’m convinced that reason will prevail in the world and humanity will make very wise decisions aimed at preserving peace on our planet. Otherwise, WWIII may really happen.”

Rasul Baghirov said that the UN really needs reforms today, “The organisation is not always able to respond to challenges, but there is no other one that would unite all countries today.”

He also highlighted Belarus’ successes, “Despite what is happening around and the sanctions that continue against the country, according to international estimates, Belarus fulfils 80 percent of all SDGs. It is expected to reach all of them by 2030 – one of the best indicators in Europe and even in the world.”

During the meeting, the two sides discussed the protection of family values, prospects for youth, sustainable peace as a universal human value and other topical issues.