Lavrov reveals context in which Belarus was discussed at Geneva summit

Belarus was mentioned at the Russia-U.S. summit in Geneva as part of the discussion about the importance of respecting values and traditions of various countries, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters answering a question of a BelTA journalist following his meeting with his Belarusian counterpart Vladimir Makei in Moscow on 18 June, BelTA has learned.

“Indeed, Belarus was also discussed at the summit but not as a separate topic, but as part of conceptual discussions between the presidents. They were conceptual yet specific at the same time. I mean the following: it was admitted that every nation has its own history, its own culture, its own traditions, its own values. And this fact should be accepted, if not respected. This is a reality of today's world; modern civilization is too diverse to fit the one-size-fits-all philosophy, and this is already clear to everyone. And this diversity, these nation-specific values shaped by many generations for many centuries must be taken into account when preparing, coordinating approaches to those fundamental, not quite predictable changes that are taking shape all over the world. Every country is about to experience these changes, no matter whether it calls itself a liberal, democratic state, or something else. With this in mind, the situation in the Republic of Belarus was discussed, though the discussion was not very long,” Sergey Lavrov said.

“We reaffirmed that we must be guided by international law, the UN Charter, respect for the sovereign equality of states, respect for the right of peoples to independently determine their own future without external interference. That was the baseline of this discussion, though the context was much broader than discussing just one country. It seemed to me very useful,” the Russian top diplomat concluded.