Dapkiunas: Changes in interstate cooperation can help fight extremism
MINSK, 25 April (BelTA) – The world community cannot address the issue of violent extremism without conscious efforts to change the rules of interstate cooperation, Belarus’ Permanent Representative to the United Nations Andrei Dapkiunas said at the high-level thematic debate of the UN General Assembly on promoting tolerance and countering violent extremism held in New York on 21-22 April, BelTA learnt from the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“The phenomenon of violent extremism can be considered both locally or regionally and globally. The international community cannot address the issue of violent extremism without conscious efforts to change the rules of interstate cooperation,” Andrei Dapkiunas said.
The Belarusian representative called for the UN member states to learn to treat each other as equals regardless their income, military strength or natural riches. “In no other way can people learn to live together and make the world safe for diversity, even when this diversity looks unusual,” he added.
According to Andrei Dapkiunas, the victory over the Fascism in the Second World War and the creation of the United Nations marked a warning red line for the mankind but did not change the rules of the global policy which remained a so-called null-result game where one’s victory means the other’s defeat. Unfortunately, this situation continues to be the source of antagonism and distrust in international relations. It is necessary to use the forthcoming UN summit not only as a traditional place for official statements but, first of all, as a platform for informal contacts between world leaders, whose dialogue and understanding mean wellbeing and safety of the nations on the planet, he said.