Helsinki-2? Minister urges UN to make Belarus negotiation venue, end ‘cold war’


Belarus might serve as a ‘convening place’ for a dialogue of key global players, Foreign Minister Uladzimir Makey told the United Nations General Assembly on Friday.

In his speech, the Belarusian official stresses that the world is facing ‘mounting chaos and despondency’ due to the failure to end the cold war. According to him, different actors perceive this state of geopolitical uncertainty in different ways. But its never too late to mend the situation, he notes.

“Certainly it should be done with those challenges and threats in mind that are relevant for all of us today. It is worth talking about such an option that foresees expanding and reconsidering this format. What we suggest is that some of the key global players like China, Russia, the United States of America and the European Union engage collectively in a dialogue about a strategic vision for building new constructive relations. The Republic of Belarus, for its part, stands ready to serve as a convening place. We are willing to carry out such a task with the same high degree of responsibility that marked our efforts aimed at settling the conflict in Ukraine over the past few years. Minsk stands prepared to become a bridge that would link the old with the yet unborn,” state-run news agency BelTA quotes Makey as saying.

The desire of the Belarusian authorities to become Helsinki-2 and to maintain a monopoly in the Minsk negotiations on Donbas was expressed by Alyaksandr Lukashenka at a meeting on foreign policy held in Minsk on July 11:

“The events taking place in the world and on the continent demonstrate, again and again, the relevance of the Belarusian initiative to start a new large-scale dialogue between the East and the West similar to the Helsinki process. I confirm: Minsk is ready, at any moment, to become the venue of dialogue aimed at understanding the new rules the world order.”

At the same time, the alliance with the aggressor leaves Minsk no chance for peacemaking role, independent experts believe.

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