"This is a blatant attempt to refute the official communiqué issued by the office of the UN Secretary-General, a communiqué that clearly outlines all claims against the Lukashenko regime," stated Pavel Latushka, Deputy Head of the United Transitional Cabinet and Head of the National Anti-Crisis Management, during an interview with Belsat TV. Latushka was addressing statements made by Maksim Ryzhenkov, the newly appointed Belarusian Foreign Minister, regarding Lukashenko’s meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
The meeting between Lukashenko and Guterres took place during the SCO summit in Astana, Kazakhstan. The UN press release following the meeting noted that the Secretary-General “expressed concern about the human rights situation in Belarus” and emphasized “the need to end the war in Ukraine based on the principles of the UN Charter, international law, and respect for territorial integrity.” However, Ryzhenkov disputed this account, claiming that the meeting primarily focused on UN activities within Belarus, not on human rights. He dismissed the UN’s statement, saying, “Someone wrote there that supposedly, someone reproached us for something about some human rights violations.”
Pavel Latushka pointed out that a report on the human rights situation in Belarus had been presented at the UN Human Rights Council, just before the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit on July 3rd. “Is he truly unaware that the Human Rights Council specifically addressed the case of Belarus, where speaker after speaker, representing various countries, associations, and organizations, condemned the human rights violations taking place in Belarus? To attempt to refute the official communiqué from the UN Secretary-General’s office — a communiqué that clearly outlines all claims against the Lukashenko regime — is a significant diplomatic blunder on Ryzhenkov’s part,” Pavel Latushka stated.
The Head of NAM emphasized that it is exceptionally rare in diplomatic protocols to disclose which party initiated a meeting. “The fact that the UN press release stated that it was Lukashenko who requested the meeting — one could even say he was eager for it — speaks volumes,” he noted.
Ryzhenkov’s comments were primarily intended for a domestic audience, a clumsy attempt to “challenge the undeniable.” However, Ryzhenkov seems to forget that the words of a foreign minister resonate far beyond Belarus’ borders.
Full version of the interview on the Belsat website
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