Respect for international law, the protection of civilians and strengthening multilateral cooperation have so far been the main agenda of talks held by Foreign and European Affairs Minister Juraj Blanár (Smer-SD) in New York.
At the United Nations, Blanár delivered a speech during a ministerial event on international humanitarian law and also attended an event on multilateralism.
"Slovakia is a strong advocate of compliance with international law, regardless of whether it's violated by the "good guys" or the "bad guys". We need rules that provide stability and predictability, and institutions capable of responding to new challenges. We stand ready to contribute to this effort not only with words, but above all through concrete steps," the foreign minister stated at the Partners for Multilateralism, International Law, Peace and Prosperity (P4M) summit. The event was co-organised by European Council President Antonio Costa, Kenyan President William Ruto and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
According to Blanár, conflicts are increasing around the world, while pressure is growing on the rules that protect people and maintain international stability. "Protecting civilians, ensuring humanitarian access and the international community's ability to cooperate are concrete expressions of respect for these rules. Slovakia therefore supports a strong and effective United Nations and diplomatic solutions to conflicts," Blanár said.
Blanár went on to say that the United Nations (UN) is grappling with the erosion of international law and disrespect for UN Security Council resolutions. He therefore expects reform of the global organisation's functioning to be one of the issues on the agenda of the general debate of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, which begins on Tuesday.
"We're witnessing a massive erosion of international law and, essentially, the unenforceability of all the resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council," stated the minister, describing the current situation as a crisis in which the UN has found itself for several years.
Blanár expects the discussion at the General Assembly to also address future reform of the UN and its Security Council. According to him, attention may also focus on the organisation's future leadership and the election of the UN Secretary-General, as the first indicative polls are currently underway.
At the same time, Blanár stressed that the current way the UN operates, in which adopted resolutions are disregarded, is not sustainable in the long term. However, he noted that reforming the organisation wouldn't be easy.
The general debate of the 81st UN General Assembly will begin in New York on Tuesday. Slovak President Peter Pellegrini will deliver his address on Wednesday afternoon (local time), in the same session as Polish President Karol Nawrocki. Before that, the Slovak head of state will address the UN Security Council, which will discuss the war in Ukraine.
Source: TASR
