Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus M.Ryzhenkov participates in high-level events in Geneva

On 24 February 2025, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, Maxim Ryzhenkov, took part in the opening of the 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) and spoke at the High-Level Segment of the HRC.

Maxim Ryzhenkov gave specific examples of the high level of observance of fundamental human rights and freedoms in Belarus and stated that any claims about the existence of serious issues in the country in this area were absurd. The head of Belarusian diplomacy noted the cynical manipulation of human rights mechanisms by Western politicians against the background of their own ignoring of basic human values in favour of political interests. He drew attention to the desire of certain Western countries to suppress freedom of information and destroy any alternative opinion, including in order to inflate negative myths regarding Belarus.

The Minister called on UN states to carry out a global reboot in the field of human rights, to actually recognize the diversity of political systems, development paths and cultural values and to return international cooperation to its constructive potential in the field of human rights.

The Minister’s work at the 58th session of the HRC continued with a statement at the high-level discussion on “Thirtieth anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action”. He confirmed the willingness of Belarus to share its unique experience in promoting women in political, economic and public spheres. Maxim Ryzhenkov noted the key role of the People’s Republic of China in harmonizing the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which allowed women’s rights to reach a qualitatively new level.

During the day, the Minister held meetings with the Deputy Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan, Edil Baisalov, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bahrain, Abdullatif bin Rashid Alzayani, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba, Bruno Eduardo Rodríguez Parrilla, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, Maka Botchorishvili, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran, Abbas Araghchi, the Minister of Popular Power for Foreign Affairs of Venezuela, Yván Gil Pinto, the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs of Zimbabwe, Ziyambi Ziyambi, the Prime Cabinet Secretary of Kenya, Musalia Mudavadi, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, Elnur Mammadov, who attended high-level events in Geneva.

During the contact with the Councillor of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland, Ignazio Cassis, Maxim Ryzhenkov expressed gratitude for ensuring the participation of the Belarusian delegation and personally the Foreign Minister of Belarus in the 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council.

At a meeting with the State Minister for Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of Palestine, Varsen Aghabekian, Foreign Minister of Belarus expressed his readiness to continue supporting the Palestinian people, including in protecting their interests in the international arena.

During a working meeting with the heads of delegations of the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union, Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov focused on the foreign policy aspects of the priorities of Belarus’ EAEU Chairmanship in 2025. There was an interesting exchange of views on practical joint steps to increase the visibility of the Union in the UN as a successful and dynamically developing regional organization. Special attention was paid to the holding of the EAEU Days at the UN Office in Geneva this year.

Print version