A speech in the UN is not the only objective of the President's visit to the USA. The program of his stay is very intense Alexander Lukashenko already visited the September 11 memorial in New York and met the head of the IMF and had a number of other bilateral meetings.
By Olga Makei: The current United Nations Summit is featuring more than 150 heads of state and government and is being covered by over 3,000 journalists representing the world's major publications and TV channels.
Alexander Lukashenko arrived at the United States’ largest international airport for the first time in 10 years. Previously, the Belarusian leader visited New York in 1995, 2000 and 2005, including to take part in the General Assembly session. Upon the arrival, the Belarusian delegation laid a wreath at the Ground Zero Memorial to pay tribute to 9/11 victims.
The 70th anniversary of the UN has been marked by the adoption of a sustainable development programme containing socio-economic guidelines until 2030. The Millennium Summit in 2000 adopted 8 goals, including poverty eradication, access to primary education, the fight against serious diseases and others, with 21 tasks set for their implementation. The current programme has 17 goals and 169 tasks. The first 7 goals are socio-oriented, the next 5 are aimed at developing economic aspects and another 3 focus on the planet’s problems. The 16th goal calls for peace and justice; the 17th one is about partnership in implementing those guidelines. According to experts, up to 4.5 trillion dollars annually are required to bring them to life.
The opening of the summit saw UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Shakira performing John Lennon’s Imagine. The youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai spoke on behalf of the young generation, surrounded by young people from the organisation’s member states. For the first time in the UN history the General Assembly was addressed by the Pope.
As part of the UN working group, the Belarusian delegation has contributed to defining the sustainable development guidelines. However, Belarus has already fulfilled 5 of the 8 Millennium Development Goals set in 2000. Those include eradicating extreme poverty, achieving universal primary education, reducing maternal and child mortality. As pointed out by Alexander Lukashenko in his speech, the world has faced a system crisis and national egoism and needs dialogue and trust. The President cited Belarus as an example of the arena of the 20th century’s bloodiest battles, stressing the impossibility of a country’s sustainable development without peace and security.
Alexander Lukashenko held talks with current Cuban leader Raul Castro. The diplomatic relations between Minsk and Havana were established 23 years ago. 2012 saw the volume of trade turnover exceeding 100 million dollars, with half of that amount observed last year. Cuba is interested in updating its agricultural machinery fleet. Last year, the country imported 60 Belarusian tractors. The plans for 2016 include purchasing 400 machinery units, namely trucks, tractors and buses.
President Alexander Lukashenko also met with IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde to discuss cooperation prospects. In 2009-2010, the International Monetary Fund successfully implemented its stand-by programme in Belarus. In the near future Minsk and the IMF are likely to launch a new financial project.
Today, Belarusian President is scheduled to hold a series of bilateral talks prior to the general debate in New York, which will last until 6 October.
