Pellegrini Meets with UN General Assembly Presidents on Tuesday

Bratislava, April 9 (TASR) - President Peter Pellegrini received members of the Council of Presidents of the United Nations General Assembly (UNCPGA) at the Presidential Palace on Tuesday, stressing at the meeting that multilateralism is a key principle of Slovak foreign policy, the President Office's communications department told TASR on Tuesday, adding that it is through multilateral formats such as the UN that even a small state like Slovakia can exercise its voice and contribute to global solutions. Pellegrini also pointed to the growing erosion of multilateral institutions and called for joint efforts to strengthen them. "We are a small country, but we have often proved that we can pursue our priorities as a big state," said the president. The head of state also thanked the partners for their support for Slovakia's candidacy as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council and stressed that Slovakia actively participates in its peacekeeping missions. "An example is the Slovak contingent (SLOVCON) within the UNFICYP mission in Cyprus, which currently represents the largest foreign deployment of the Slovak Armed Forces. With 240 personnel, it makes up about a quarter of the total military personnel of this mission," said the communications department, adding that the UN representatives particularly praised Slovakia's attitude towards peace efforts in resolving the conflict in Ukraine, as well as its key position as a direct neighbour of this country. The Slovak head of state also stressed the need for mutual understanding between Slovakia and the UN and expressed his conviction that we must return to the values on which the organisation was founded, respect each other and cooperate. UNCPGA was set up in 1997 to support the president-in-office of the UN General Assembly, to provide diplomatic experience and institutional memory for the Office of the President of the UN General Assembly, and to support the development of international cooperation in general. am