Negotiation process on Belarus’ WTO accession should avoid politicisation
Politicisation of a negotiation process related to accession of new members to the World Trade Organisation is incompatible with the principles of creating a barrier-free system of international trade – as stressed by Belarus’ Deputy Foreign Minister, Yuri Ambrazevich, while speaking at the Forum on Follow-up Measures in the Field of Financing for Development of the UN Economic and Social Council, BelTA reports
"The world faces the task not only to restore the pace of pre-pandemic economic development, but also to overcome new geopolitical challenges and to ensure overall sustainability and subsequent economic growth aimed at improving the standard of living of ordinary people," Mr. Ambrazevich said, adding, “We believe the task of the present meeting should be the confirmation by the parties of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda of their commitments in the field of financing for development."
The Belarusian official stressed that, unfortunately, the actions of many developed countries, which are major international donors, contradict their commitments and destroy the prospect of global achievement of the SDGs.
"The commitments made in Addis Ababa on official development assistance must be fulfilled, not only to the least developed countries, but also to middle-income states. In this regard, the use of political pretexts to curtail projects through the World Bank and other international financial institutions is a direct violation by donor countries of their international obligations," the Deputy Foreign Minister stressed. "Restricting the membership of individual countries or co-operation with them in international organisations, including reducing their access to grants and technical assistance projects, is also a gross violation by donor countries of their international obligations and specifically the principle of non-discrimination."
Mr. Ambrazevich noted that the obvious politicisation of the negotiation process on the accession of new members to the World Trade Organisation is incompatible with the principles of creating a barrier-free system of international trade, one of the drivers of global development.
The scale of application of initiative unilateral economic sanctions by individual states is unprecedented. “This is not just a brake: it is a stick in the wheels of sustainable development. Everyone in this hall should know that the sanctions imposed by the European Union and the United States against exports of Belarusian potash fertilisers, an illegal ban on their transit through the territory of Lithuania have an extremely negative impact on ensuring global food security. These decisions of the US, the EU and Lithuania, taking into account Belarus’ 20 percent share in the world market of potash fertilisers, are the main reason for a record increase in prices for fertilisers and related food products and will cause the predicted famine in the least developed countries. The continuation of the thoughtless policy of restrictions, exceptions, discrimination of states in their rights, as well as the sanctions policy against politically unwelcome governments negates the efforts of the international community to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals," Mr. Ambrazevich stressed.
"We urge the UN members not to allow the donor countries to usurp the right of other states to determine their own path of sustainable development under the threat of funding cuts," Belarus’ Deputy Foreign Minister concluded.
