Lukashenko invited by UN Secretary General to attend conference for landlocked countries
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has sent an invitation to the President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko, to participate in the 3rd UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries in Botswana in December 2024, BelTA reports with reference to the Belarusian Foreign Ministry’s spokesman, Anatoly Glaz
"UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has sent a relevant invitation to the Head of State, and the President of Belarus confirmed the country’s interest which is connected with the fact that Belarus and other landlocked countries face the same challenges. We are all very vulnerable to the actions of our neighbours, the coastal states. Moreover, Belarus fully experiences the consequences of the illegal actions of a number of countries that limit our country's right to access the sea and transit provided for by the UN Convention," Mr. Glaz said. “Therefore, of course, we plan to take part in this conference at the level of the Foreign Ministry’s leadership.”
At the forum, Belarus intends to raise the issue of forcing a number of states to fulfil their international obligations within the framework of existing legal documents.
The first UN International Conference on Landlocked Countries was held in Almaty in August 2003. The second one was held in Vienna in November 2014. A comprehensive programme of action for landlocked developing countries for the period 2014-2024 was developed and adopted. The third international conference is planned to be held in Gaborone (Botswana) on December 10th-13th, 2024, and it aims to assess the implementation of the Vienna Programme of Action, as well as to develop and adopt a new strategic document for the relevant category of countries.
