As we enter a crucial session
of the General Assembly, we will define our post-2015
direction. Our way ahead must be based on the triangle
of security, development and human rights. If one of
those elements is not present, the other two will fail.
This year, we commemorated the grim anniversaries
of the First and Second World Wars. Both wars began
in Europe, but quickly spread throughout the world,
destroying the lives of countless millions. The League
of Nations and the United Nations were built on the
ashes of those wars.
Today again, global security and peace are
challenged by forces willing to rewrite the history
and rules of the international order. The aggression of
Russia against Ukraine has defied the basic principles
of the United Nations, uprooting the very foundation
of the international system. It has grabbed part of a
sovereign European country, using previously unseen
tactics of warfare and immense propaganda against
its neighbour. It enabled the tragic shooting down of
a civilian airplane. It has shown that agreements and
commitments do not matter, and it wantonly ignores
and manipulates international opinion. Those actions
cannot be qualified otherwise than as a threat to global
peace and security. The world, including the General
Assembly, has supported Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
The illegal annexation of Crimea and Sebastopol by
Russia has been condemned and will not be recognized
by the international community.
Russia has a vital role to play in security and stability
in Europe and should be part of the solution — not part
of the problem. Latvia hopes that the ceasefire agreed
to on 5 September will be implemented in a sustainable
manner. Latvia therefore calls on Russia to immediately
withdraw its armed forces from Ukrainian territory and
stop sending weapons and mercenaries to the terrorist
groups. We call upon Russia to return to respecting its
international commitments and upholding international
law.
Seventy-five years ago, the decay of the
international system proved fatal to the Baltic States.
Two totalitarian regimes — one under Hitler and the
other under Stalin — divided Europe, and we lost our
freedom for 50 long years. Twenty-five years ago, more
than 2 million people joined hands and formed a human
chain across Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The Baltic
way clearly illustrated the people’s demand for freedom
and restoration of their statehood. The Baltic people
made their choice. The Ukrainian people have the same
right to choose their own democratic path, human rights
and fundamental freedoms.
Latvia supports the complementarity of efforts
among international organizations at both the global and
regional levels to use all instruments at their disposal to
prevent the emergence of a frozen conflict in the eastern
region of Ukraine; to help and support Ukraine; to
uphold agreements and commitments and demand their
fulfilment by all parties, including Russia; to maintain
unity and reject attempts to divide Ukraine by reviving
spheres of influence and establishing hidden support to
terrorists as part of the new norms of Europe.
There is no alternative to an international order
based on the rule of law, democracy and respect
for human rights and providing the foundation for
long-term peace and security. The resolution of the
protracted conflicts in Transnistria, Abkhazia, South
Ossetia and Nagorno Karabakh should remain high on
the international agenda.
In addition, the security situation in the wider
Middle East is very fragile. A solution to the Israeli-
Palestinian conflict is paramount in order to establish
lasting stability in the region. Following the escalation of
violence in recent months, the international community,
including Latvia, has helped to address the emergency
humanitarian needs of the people of Gaza. We hope
that the current ceasefire will be fully respected by
both sides. However, only an agreement on a two-State
solution, achieved through direct negotiations, will
accomplish those goals.
We welcome the elimination of Syria’s chemical
weapons and related materials. While easing the
continuing human suffering of Syrians is the immediate
goal, the international community must continue
political efforts to find a solution to that horrific
conflict. Those responsible for war crimes and crimes
against humanity in Syria must be held accountable by
the International Criminal Court.
The limited ability of the Security Council to
address the urgent situations in Syria and Ukraine in
a timely manner underlines the need to move forward
with reform of the Council. Latvia supports the
expansion of the Security Council in both categories
of membership. At the same time, the French initiative,
aimed at restricting the use of the veto, merits our joint
attention.
The completion of the International Security
Assistance Force mission in Afghanistan this year
will be an important step towards assumption by the
people of full responsibility for peace and stability
in the country. Despite all the challenges, the legacy
of the mission is clear. Peace and security have been
strengthened, including greater respect for human
rights and greater opportunities for the Afghan people
than ever before.
The recent presidential elections clearly showed
the will of the Afghan people to live in a peaceful and
democratic society. The people of Afghanistan will
not be abandoned after 2014. International support
to Afghanistan, including security protection, will
be continued. I am convinced that cooperation and
confidence-building between Afghanistan and its
neighbours, including in Central Asia, will be key to
long-term security solutions in the region.
The growing negative impact of violent extremist
ideologies in Syria, Iraq and other countries is
alarming. Militant fighters of the Islamic State in Iraq
and the Sham (ISIS) have exploited instability in those
countries and now pose a threat to ethnic and religious
communities. In that context, Latvia joined the United
States in coordinated efforts by the international
community to counter ISIS. We strongly welcome the
adoption of Security Council resolution 2178 (2014) on
foreign fighters. Latvia has already begun to prepare
measures to prevent the recruitment of and support to
foreign fighters.
Latvia is concerned about the safety of journalists
during political unrest and conflict. All imprisoned
journalists must be released. Freedom of the media
and free access to information, including online, are
essential components of any democracy.
Armed conflicts in Africa have an impact upon
stability and the sustainable development of the people.
Latvia takes part in peace and security operations
in Mali and the Central African Republic in order to
contribute to conflict settlement and to improve the
security situation in those regions. Latvia is ready to
commit itself to strengthening United Nations global
peacekeeping.
Latvia welcomes the ongoing dialogue between
the E3+3 countries and Iran, which aims to negotiate a
comprehensive agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme.
The parties involved, in particular Iran, must make
every effort to use the extended time frame to find a
solution. We must work towards revitalizing the global
disarmament and non-proliferation agenda. The success
of the 2015 Review Conference of the Parties to the
Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons
depends on re-establishing trust and a common purpose
among the States parties. Latvia was one of the first
States to sign and to ratify the Arms Trade Treaty. We
urge all United Nations Members to do the same.
Peace and security are both enablers of sustainable
development and objectives in their own right. Without
peaceful societies, we cannot achieve sustainable
development. Each country has its own responsibility
for achieving that goal. Our societies need honest
and accountable Governments that protect them from
violence and crime and ensure fundamental freedoms
and sustainable economic growth.
Fourteen years ago, we, the States Members of
the United Nations, made a historic commitment to
eradicating extreme poverty and to improving the health
and welfare of the world’s people within 15 years. The
new development agenda should go further. We must
address global challenges, such as conflicts, terrorism,
inequalities, the absence of the rule of law, climate
change and natural disasters. The social, economic and
environmental dimensions of sustainability should be
addressed in a balanced way.
I thank the Secretary-General for his personal
engagement in bringing together representatives of
Governments, business, industry, finance and civil
society to discuss climate change this week. Latvia
supports the initiatives of the Secretary-General. The
post-2015 agenda must be consistent with all human
rights and be underpinned by the rule of law. It should
address inequalities and discrimination, including
by means of the advancement of information and
communications technology. Those are key enablers
for all spheres of development. Gender equality is
essential to shaping respectful and equal relationships
in society. Those values are important for Latvia. As
an aspiring member of the Human Rights Council for
the term 2015-2017, we will continue to promote such
values globally. Last but not least, the post-2015 agenda
should be built on strong accountability mechanisms
and a strengthened global partnership. That requires
the active engagement of Governments, civil society,
the private sector and the United Nation system.
In the first half of 2015, Latvia will assume the
presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Europe needs the world as much as the world needs
Europe. That is why the Latvian presidency will focus
on strengthening the European Union’s involvement
globally. We will actively work to promote Europe’s
cooperation with its neighbours and with the countries
of Central Asia. I affirm my country’s commitment
to actively engaging in efforts to shape our common
future.