Pellegrini: UN Backbone of World Order Despite Shortcomings

New York, September 25 (TASR-correspondent) - The UN, despite its shortcomings, is the backbone of a world order based on rules and international law, Slovak President Peter Pellegrini said during the 79th UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday. Pellegrini noted in this vein, that "there are countries and entities among us that believe that the absence of rules will be the breeding ground for their future success" and that "they believe that force is above the law", adding that such an attitude will one day come back to haunt them. The president noted that there has been a war in Ukraine, Slovakia's neighbour, for almost one thousand days. Pellegrini called the war "the result of Russia's aggression, which violated such basic principles of international law as sovereignty and territorial integrity". Pellegrini noted that Ukraine is legitimately defending itself against this aggression. He expressed concern at the escalation of the conflict and called for a "peaceful, sustainable and just end" to the conflict on the basis of international law. At the same time, the president touched upon the war in the Gaza Strip and the collapse of the state in Haiti and Sudan. Pellegrini went on to criticise the lack of political will among members of the UN Security Council to resolve armed conflicts. According to him, this is a consequence of the fact that Council members can keep each other in check. Addressing the discussion of a possible in-depth reform of the UN, Pellegrini declared that Slovakia is ready to help with this "legitimate effort". At the same time, he highlighted the role of regional associations, such as the EU and NATO. He spoke against the division into the global North and South and instead recommended looking at which countries follow rules and which countries don't. Pellegrini also touched on the spread of misinformation. "It is of utter importance that we speak out against those who abuse words by giving them alternate or even opposite meanings," he said. On this note, he also mentioned climate change and criticised its denial. According to the president, the role of the UN and its institutions is protecting freedom, human rights and dignity, but also fighting against poverty and improving public health, including maintaining vaccination standards. Another topic that the president touched upon was migration. "We must not forget that most of our ancestors across Europe were refugees too - when they fled before war, poverty or persecution during Nazism or Communism," he declared, calling for the introduction of clear rules and measures to help source, transit and destination countries of migration. It is also legitimate, he said, to point out security risks of migration, in particular irregular migration, but this must be done in a calm manner. zel/mcs