‘Green agenda is meaningless amid confrontation’

The President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko, took part in the World Climate Action Summit in Dubai. This major international meeting was attended by heads of state and government from more than 150 countries. In general, the event brought together more than 70 thousand people from all continents — ministers, businessmen, public figures, scientists and experts — in the capital of the United Arab Emirates.

In Dubai’s Expo City the Belarusian Head of State was welcomed by UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
On the sidelines of the summit Aleksandr Lukashenko had a number of meetings with his counterparts from various regions of the world, including with leaders of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Mongolia, Serbia, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Congo, Togo, Mozambique, Rwanda, and Botswana. The Belarusian Head of State also negotiated with the Presidents of Zimbabwe, Kenya, as well as with the Chairman of the Union of the Comoros, who is the Chairman of the African Union. In fact, the Belarusian leader’s negotiating marathon lasted the whole day. 
The opening of the summit was preceded by an official photography ceremony. Aleksandr Lukashenko is in the first row among world leaders.
The goal of the global forum is to restore a peaceful existence on the planet by solving global problems of ecology, food security, energy resources, and creating an economy safe for people.
The speech of the President of Belarus was very bright and piercing, and his words were given a standing ovation in the hall!
Aleksandr Lukashenko called on the international community not to express ‘concerns’, but to act in the name of preserving life on Earth. The Belarusian leader voiced Belarus’ approaches and proposals to address global issues of climate and environmental security. The Head of State, in particular, said, 

“Today we, the leaders of the world, are talking about the future of planet Earth — our common home. We have and will have no other home. We talk about the future of our children and grandchildren. About the future of everyone who comes into this world after us. We represent different cultures, different value systems, different civilisations. But we are united in the face of the global challenge that nature itself has thrown at us.” 

 Aleksandr Lukashenko drew attention to climate change and the gloomy forecasts of scientists, “It is very progressive that we hear them and respond to them. But in order to effectively counteract the threat, we have to honestly and openly identify its underlying causes. First of all, it is the absence of the sense of moderation in the drive towards geopolitical supremacy, including military supremacy (I’d say it is primarily military supremacy) on the part of those, who provoke and start wars in various parts of the planet. And wars are the main source of dirt on our continent. It is also the thirst for profiteering, which converts natural resources into personal capital and steals from future generations. It is attempts to remove the countries, which stand in the way of dominating the entire world and destruction by sucking the land dry. And sometimes everything gets done allegedly for the sake of sustainable development (there is such a UN programme).”
According to the President, under the Paris Agreement Belarus fully honours its commitments and even exceeds them, “We provide invaluable ecosystem services to our continent by preserving a unique source of oxygen — natural swamps, forests, lungs of Europe. We develop green energy and nuclear energy and minimise climate change risks. It is paradoxical that in response we get new economic sanctions, international trade barriers, and restrictions on access to technologies. And we’re not the only ones. 

It is time to admit that green agenda is meaningless amid confrontation. It demands respect for the sovereignty of countries and unconditional fairness. Furthermore, it is inadmissible to pressure political opponents with sanctions while simultaneously demanding that they implement solutions that are costly for the national economies. Solutions, on which the purity of the entire atmosphere, all the ground waters, and the world ocean depends. And another point. How can one expect costly and effective climate preservation measures from countries and nations that have yet to recover from colonial oppression?”

Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasised that Belarus calls on everyone who is obliged to take on the burden of historical responsibility: Belarus encourages everyone, who has to undertake the burden of historical responsibility: first, to make a commensurate contribution to the resolution of climate security issues after centuries of a thoughtless attitude to nature; second, to step up support for developing countries and transition-economy countries; third, to stop expressing ‘concern’ and to start acting for the sake of preserving life on Earth.
“We have no moral right to live only for our own selves. We have to look beyond the horizon. We have to respect nature laws and create the foundation for continuation of the human race here and now. On our planet. We have and will have no other home. And in conclusion. All the speakers, particularly those, who spoke here first, expressed concern about sources of funding. Come on! Even reporters, who are here, can tell you where you can find money. In order to answer this question, one has to look at recent history. An example. In order to destroy Iraq and Afghanistan and ‘do good’ to these nations, an estimated amount of $1.5–2 trillion has been spent. Iraq and Afghanistan cost about $2 trillion to the aggressor. Can you calculate how much money has been spent on protecting these countries? How many people died? It cannot be calculated in U.S. dollars. A war is going on in Ukraine now. It will cost more than $1.5–2 trillion. It will cost $5 trillion if a peace agreement is achieved soon. Why is peace absent in this part of the planet today? Because the speakers, who spoke first, talk about peace, talk about a clean planet. They care about grandchildren, and yet they have started and are waging the scariest war on the planet. How much will the slaughter in the Middle East cost? What if a war begins in the Pacific? It will cost trillions upon trillions of U.S. dollars. So let’s spend them on cleaning the planet. And we won’t have to look for this money, as we say, ‘around the corner’,” the President of Belarus believes.
In conclusion, Aleksandr Lukashenko called on his colleagues to take decisive action, “It has been said here by the people, who spoke at the beginning, that 80 percent of pollution on the planet comes from 20 leading countries...  Mister chairman, instead of concern let’s use the declaration to write down our demand for them to at least halve their atmospheric emissions... And let’s act. If we don’t start acting, nature will force us to live according to its own laws.”

The Belarusian Head of State also answered questions from representatives of foreign media on the sidelines of the summit
The President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko said that to solve climate problems it is necessary to stop all wars and conflicts on the planet.
“Everyone looks for sources of funding to reduce greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. They are easy to find. Firstly, it is necessary to stop wars and conflicts on the planet and everything that goes with it. And we will find about $5 trillion. “It is five times as much as what we are trying to find today in order to reduce emissions,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
Speaking about prospects of the establishment of peace in Ukraine, the Belarusian leader referred to the speech of his Brazilian counterpart. In particular, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva pointed out that $2 trillion spent on weapons last year should have been spent on fighting hunger and climate change instead of wars.
“If all the leading world powers, key players, who are interested in ending the war in Ukraine, think like Brazil does, then there will be no war,” Aleksandr Lukashenko is convinced.
During the interview, co-operation between Belarus and Africa was also touched upon (the Head of State called this a new trend for our country), issues of hydrocarbon production and the Middle East crisis.
By the way, Belarus plans to increase exports to African countries by at least 2.5 times in 2024. Support points include Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Equatorial Guinea.

Summit results
Countries participating in the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) decided to create a Loss and Damage Compensation Fund to help poor and developing countries cope with the consequences of climate change. The United Arab Emirates, as the summit organiser, said it would contribute $100 million. The fund will be replenished every four years, with contributions coming from a ‘wide range of sources’, including grants and concessional loans.

Based on materials of sb.by and belta.by
Photos by belta