The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus Vladimir Makei addressed the XVI Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in Tehran on August 30th.
The Foreign Minister started his speech with greeting Iran as a new Chair of NAM. According to Vladimir Makei, Iran commences its tenure "at the time of both challenges and opportunities." "You can always count on Belarus," said Vladimir Makei addressing the Iranian delegation.
During his speech the Belarusian Minister emphasized the necessity to shift NAM’s focus from political matters onto global economics, as, according to him, this is what the current global situation demands.
The head of the Foreign Ministry pointed out that nowadays well-endowed and economically empowered countries hold sway in global politics. "We consistently talk about the Non-Aligned Movement as a serious player on the world stage, one whom others must respect and reckon with. Can we acquire such a stature in a contemporary self-serving world by sticking to political approaches and the power of conviction alone? I am afraid the answer has to be negative as far as Belarus is concerned," said Vladimir Makei.
"The Non-Aligned Movement and its Member States will be able to gain in authority and influence only if they significantly increase their "foothold" in the domain of economics, namely, in economic and technological development," considers the head of the foreign service of Belarus.
