Belarus attends UNSC debate on new trends in peacekeeping

MINSK, 13 June (BelTA) – Belarus pursues a responsible policy in maintaining international peace, Yuri Ambrazevich, head of the main department for multilateral diplomacy of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry, said at the UN Security Council Open Debate on Trends in United Nations Peacekeeping, BelTA learnt from the press service of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry.

The diplomat underlined that Belarus conducts a consistent and responsible policy in maintaining international peace and security. Indeed, Belarus was the first of the former USSR republics to abandon nuclear weapons in 1993.

“Belarus gradually joins the United Nations peacekeeping efforts. Today Belarusian representatives work at the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon,” Yuri Ambrazevich said.

In his words, Belarus lost a third of its population during the Second World War, therefore, the participation of the Belarusian military in operations abroad is a very sensitive matter in the country. A possibility to expand Belarus’ involvement in the United Nations peacekeeping missions is analyzed very carefully, with all possible factors taken into consideration.

The Foreign Ministry said that the United Nations peacekeeping operations were key stabilizing factors in areas of tension. Yuri Ambrazevich is convinced that the United Nations peacekeeping missions should be carried out in strict compliance with the mandate and with respect to the sovereignty and non-interference with domestic affairs of the host nation.