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He stated that he came to Latvia after visiting Ukraine. In Francis’ view, being in the region, it was important to visit Latvia as well, taking into account the unbreakable ties between the UN and Latvia and the fact that Latvia is a reliable partner of the UN. The president of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly emphasized that Latvia plays an important role in various intergovernmental processes taking place in New York, USA.
“These are difficult times. There is a war of aggression started by Russia against the people of Ukraine. The most worrying thing is that there is no quick change or solution. Therefore, the issues of peace and security are again taking center stage in the work of the UN. People may not understand that peace and security is only one third of the UN’s work. There are also two other pillars – human rights and sustainable development,” Francis told reporters.
He pointed out that all these pillars are equally important, they are being worked on, but there is a feeling that more needs to be done and a renewed commitment to respect the fundamental principles of the UN Charter. The president of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly explained that it is a rules-based system – becoming a UN member state, one takes an oath to respect and defend the principles of the UN Charter and, in his opinion, this should be important.
“You can’t break these rules and hope that there won’t be any consequences. If everyone started breaking the rules, there wouldn’t be a UN. The premise of the UN is that every member state must respect the UN Charter, and Russia should do the same. I know that Latvia and other countries in the region, for example, Poland have paid a high price for the Russian aggression in Ukraine. You have opened your doors and hearts to many Ukrainians. You have provided humanitarian aid to people you do not know. I would like to commend Latvia, its people and the government for their work Francis.
He emphasized that hostilities are currently taking place in Ukraine, but it is not clear what will happen in the future and what the situation might be in another country. In the opinion of the president of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly, there is no better word to describe all of this. According to him, this is the magic of multilateralism, because there is a common goal – to help those who need help, to strengthen the weak and to create hope that tomorrow can and will be better.
“What I have seen in Latvia and other countries shows that Latvian society is fully involved in supporting and caring for the people of Ukraine. It will probably be a long road. Therefore, we must commit to long-term action. We need a lot of determination to fight for our values. Exactly these principles and values define what the UN and the UN General Assembly do,” Francis stressed.
He emphasized that the UN General Assembly clearly understood during the “paralysis” of the UN Security Council that it could not sit aside and allow Russia’s aggression in Ukraine to continue as if it were something normal. The UN General Assembly has convened an emergency session on the issue of Ukraine. Francis also mentioned the veto initiative, which requires the offending country – a permanent member of the UN Security Council – to explain its actions to the UN General Assembly. He mentioned that there should also be a provision of liability.
“This has created quite a lot of transparency [..], however, there is a risk that it becomes routine work – the resolution goes to the UN Security Council, it is not approved because the country uses the right of veto, then the country that violated the rules explains what is happening to the UN General Assembly and everyone goes home. I have asked to clarify if there are any other instruments to be considered to change the veto mechanism, because this is too important to simply ignore,” said the president of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly.
He emphasized that during his visit to Ukraine, he saw a country determined to succeed, a country with great pride and confidence in the future. Francis stressed that Ukraine deserves the support of the international community, so the issue of the war in Ukraine will be important on the agenda of the UN General Assembly until it is resolved and the war is over.
Latvian Foreign Minister Braže emphasized that the UN is extremely important to Latvia. She pointed out that Latvia joined the organization in 1991 after the restoration of independence. It was an important day when, among the flags of many other countries, the flags of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia were hoisted on the flagpole, and with the restoration of sovereignty they were fully included in the international community.
She emphasized that the first works were related to the withdrawal of the Russian army from the territory of Latvia. Braže called to remember the time when the army of a foreign country was in Latvia. With the help of the resolutions of the UN General Assembly, consensus, support of the international community, involvement of the UN Secretary General, the informants jointly managed to achieve that three years later the Russian army was withdrawn from Latvia. On August 31, it will be 30 years since the foreign army is no longer in Latvia.
Braže pointed out that the work with the UN has been continued year after year. Currently, the work is focused not only on Latvia’s absolute priority, which is security, the complete restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, the end of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the restoration of the implementation of the principles of the UN Charter, but also on working with issues that are essential for other countries and regions. We are talking about the consequences of climate change, for example, there are extremely strong storms and hurricanes in the Caribbean region, changes in the Lake Chad region that have caused famine, mass displacement of people, conflicts, the minister emphasized. They are also issues that relate to other countries’ challenges and practical problems, such as insufficient food and water leading to migration and other complications that affect the entire world.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia emphasized that Francis has been an effective head of the UN General Assembly, who has ensured that when the UN Security Council is unable, for example, to make a decision because a country has used the right of veto, the issue is quickly considered in the UN General Assembly. where all member states can express their views. This happened not only in matters related to Ukraine.
“The UN is, will be and will remain an important organization for Latvia, as a proof of our sovereignty. However, as an active member state, we plan to promote the further reform of the UN, hoping to work actively in the UN Security Council, [ja Latvija tiks ievēlēta par nepastāvīgo locekli]representing all member states and ensuring respect for international law, the principles of the UN Charter,” said Braže.
On Friday, Francis also met with Prime Minister Evikas Silina (JV). During the meeting, the Prime Minister assured that Latvia is ready to invest in international peace, development and stability.
“Latvia, as a small country, must not be passive or silent in international relations. We are aware of the importance of sustainable development, the fight against climate change and the defense of human rights, which is largely in line with the work priorities of the Latvian government,” said Siliņa.
The Prime Minister also emphasized that Latvia has “a lot of reform experience”, so it can share its knowledge with other countries, especially in areas such as digital solutions and women’s rights.
The Prime Minister also expressed interest in continuing bilateral dialogue and cooperation with Trinidad and Tobago, including in areas such as tourism, higher education and digital solutions.
LETA already wrote that Latvia is a candidate for membership in the UN Security Council from 2026 to 2027. Latvia’s candidacy is one of the long-term goals of foreign policy, which is also mentioned in the Latvian National Development Plan 2021 to 2027. Elections are scheduled for June 2025 in New York, USA, and in order for Latvia to be elected, it is necessary to obtain the support of two-thirds of the UN member states.
As written, last year Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy emphasized in the UN Security Council that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is criminal, and also urged to deprive Moscow of its right of veto as a permanent member of the Security Council. He emphasized that the veto power in the hands of the aggressor is what has led the UN to a stalemate. According to the Ukrainian president, it is impossible to stop the war, because the aggressor or those who justify the aggressor veto all efforts.
added paragraphs 16-19
2024-07-05 22:05:35