It is a great pleasure for me to
address the General Assembly at its sixty-ninth session.
First, allow me to congratulate the President of the
Assembly on his election to that post and to assure him
of the full support of my country during this session.
I believe that, under his leadership and given his prior
experience, he will further advance the achievements of
his predecessor, who worked with dedication to achieve
concrete results.
In addition, I would like to take this opportunity to
express our deep appreciation to the Secretary-General
for his vision and leadership at the helm of the United
Nations and his continuing efforts to revitalize and
reform the Organization.
Albania is committed to an efficient and
coherent United Nations, fit for its purpose as a
multidimensional system. We support its strengthened
role and contribution to efforts to preserve peace and
security, eradicate poverty, inequality and disparity,
achieve sustainable human and economic development,
and promote respect for and protect human rights as a
universal value of humankind. A more fitting United
Nations, with the ability to swiftly respond to man-
made or natural crises and effectively use available
human and financial resources, is key to achieving
those objectives in view of an increasingly chaotic and
hungry world.
Maintaining, restoring and strengthening peace
and security constitute one of the three pillars of the
work of the United Nations. With so many resources
and so much knowledge and manpower invested in
dealing with the various and complex crises around the
globe, it is simply impossible to ignore the contribution
the Organization has made to the world, year upon
year, decade upon decade. Yet in 2014 the challenges
to peace, security and human values have continued,
necessitating more responsive, coordinated and swift
reactions on the part of the United Nations.
We deplore the events in South Sudan, where
tragedies have been played out and continue to shake
human consciences. Fighting along ethnic lines
has brought far too much suffering to the innocent
population. Only a negotiated political solution that
considers, protects and respects the rights of all the
communities concerned can help rebuild trust and
understanding, turning the page on a better future for
the youngest country in the world.
It is hard to find the words to describe the situation
in Syria. After more than three years of deadly fighting,
the country is barely liveable. Every kind of horrible
act has happened there. More than 170,000 people
have died, millions are refugees, and large parts of the
country are in ruins. With fighting and mass atrocities
being committed every day, any hope of ending the war
is a remote dream for those still trapped there. Albania
joined the initiative taken by some 60 States Members
of the United Nations to refer the situation in Syria to
the International Criminal Court. Unfortunately, like
many other initiatives on Syria, the effort was vetoed
in the Security Council. We reiterate and reaffirm that
the perpetrators of atrocities in Syria must be held
accountable and that the people of Syria deserve relief
and justice.
The events this year in Ukraine have been deeply
worrying. What we thought was behind us once and
for all, what we believed belonged to the history books
and would serve as a lesson for today’s generation and
those of the future — acts violating the sovereignty
and territorial integrity of another country, blatantly
infringing and undermining the Charter of the United
Nations — was unfortunately exhumed by a Member
of the United Nations, a permanent member of the
Security Council, the Russian Federation.
Despite all the propaganda that Russia spewed
forth, the Ukrainian crisis had nothing to do with
protecting the rights of ethnic Russians. It was much
simpler — from the first, it was about the ambition of a
more powerful country to redraw another’s borders in
order to satisfy its appetite for its neighbour’s territory.
Although the Security Council has been unable to act on
this issue, the General Assembly voted overwhelmingly
not to accept Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea.
The States Members of the United Nations, including
Albania, made clear their support for the territorial
integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and their full
respect for the norms and principles of international
law, and we reiterate that international relations must be
governed by full respect for the principles and norms of
international law and the Charter. The case of Ukraine
is no exception.
With these crises and disasters erupting in a
frightening pattern and the world spiraling into
insecurity, development has also been under stress.
The United Nations has contributed to raising global
awareness of the challenges facing development and the
sustainable solutions that can bring economic growth,
social inclusion and environmental protection and put
our planet on a sustainable path.
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
created one of the most successful global anti-poverty
drives in history. Covering poverty, hunger, maternal
and child health, gender equality, education and the
environment, the MDGs have seen important progress
at the national, regional and global levels and have
improved the lives of millions. The number of people
living in extreme poverty has been halved since 2005,
but with the deadline just months away, a lot remains
to be done.
But another ambitious long-term sustainability
agenda, designed to succeed the MDGs, is in the
making. Albania has been an active participant in
the global consultations focused on making the
people’s voices part of the formulation of the post-
2015 development agenda. Albania has agreed to test a
proposed development goal on governance and the rule
of law designed to help countries achieve sustainable
development. We hope our experience in monitoring
governance, the rule of law and effective, capable
institutions will help to inform the upcoming post-2015
agenda of the United Nations.
Terrorism remains a major threat to international
peace and security, and the fight against terrorism is
a priority that requires a greater commitment. We are
aware that this global threat can be countered only with
collective action and a powerful response. Albania
condemns in the strongest terms all terrorist attacks
by terrorist groups and organizations in Iraq and Syria,
including and especially by the Islamic State in Iraq and
the Levant (ISIL). Conscious that terrorism is a threat
without borders, a threat to human values and principles
as well as to individual countries and regions, Albania
has joined the recently created international coalition
aimed at deterring and eventually defeating ISIL.
European integration and cooperation in our
region, and the geopolitical and security situation in
Europe, have changed significantly in recent months.
The Western Balkans, of which my country is part, is
an important geo-strategic European region and one
that recently committed fully to a path of increased
political stability, economic progress and sustainable
development, with strengthened cooperation, security
characterized by good relations with its neighbours,
and peace consolidation. The European route is the best
guarantee for achieving these objectives in our region.
We are committed to resolving various bilateral
issues as soon as possible, in the interests of our people
and our neighbourly relations. We are fully aware
that we must enact a number of measures to eradicate
corruption and organized crime. Like every country
in the region, we have expressed our willingness
to conduct joint reforms that will bring increased
economic stability and prosperity for our citizens and
that will open markets and attract foreign investment.
The Republic of Kosovo is one of the members of
our Western Balkan community, the youngest State
in the region. In less than six years as an independent
State, Kosovo has managed, through a transformative
development agenda, to enjoy wide, uninterrupted
international recognition and to successfully integrate
into international, regional and global organizations,
such as the World Bank, the International Monetary
Fund, the European Bank for Reconstruction and
Development, the European Bank for Development,
the Venice Commission, the South-East European
Cooperation Process and others. Kosovo has become an
important factor for peace and stability in the region,
and Albania fully supports its overall development, as
well as its stability and territorial integrity within its
current borders.
Kosovo’s progress, the new atmosphere in the
region, and the need for the region as a whole to move
towards more cooperation and prosperity have led
down the path to successful European Union-sponsored
talks between Kosovo and Serbia as two equal partners
in seeking concrete solutions to technical issues of
importance to their citizens. Time has shown that
engaging in dialogue was a wise decision. Dialogue has
produced concrete results, brought the two countries
closer to each other, and facilitated and sped up the
European Union integration path for both States.
Albania fully supports the process of dialogue and calls
for the full implementation of the agreements reached.
To date, Kosovo has been recognized by 108 States
Members of the United Nations, representing more than
half of the United Nations membership. Recognition
has without doubt been an important factor in Kosovo’s
progress. That is why, as before, we call on the countries
that have not yet recognized Kosovo to do so, since in
so doing they would not only help the people of Kosovo
advance towards their future but also contribute to
peace and stability in the region.
We remain convinced that the quick and full
implementation of the Ohrid Framework Agreement
represents a condition indispensable to the sustainable
stability of Macedonia, to the consolidation of
democracy and the rule of law, and to fulfilling and
realizing the rights of Albanians. Albania encourages
the continuation of dialogue between the Belgrade
authorities and the Albanians of the Presheva valley to
promote their rights in accordance with international
standards, focusing especially on solving economic,
social, educational and cultural problems.
During the past two decades, Albania has been
transformed from a totalitarian State into a functioning
democracy. Progress is evident, above all, in the field
of human rights. The protection and promotion of
human rights are one of the national priorities and
part of Albania’s foreign policy. Albania offers a
valuable model of respect for diversity, tolerance and
coexistence for the Balkan region and beyond. For the
Albanian people, tolerance and hospitality are inherent
values derived from our national tradition.
The presentation of Albania’s candidacy for
membership on the Human Rights Council for the
2015-2017 term is only a logical consequence of
our road towards building a society based on human
rights. We are confident that Albania has accumulated
valuable experience in democracy over the years that
it can share with other member countries of the United
Nations. Moreover, by reaffirming the universality,
indivisibility and interdependence of human rights,
Albania is committed to bringing a national and
regional perspective into the Council’s deliberations
and advocacy of human rights worldwide.
We are aware that our membership in the Council
for the 2015-2017 term is a challenge bearing great
responsibility to justify the confidence of Member
States. On the other hand, Human Rights Council
membership would serve as an impetus for my country
to further democratization and to raise human rights
standards. Therefore, Albania, after obtaining the
endorsement of the group of Eastern European States,
would welcome and appreciate the support of all other
Member States for its candidacy to the Council.
In conclusion, I wish to reiterate Albania’s
determination to continue its support of the United
Nations agenda and strengthening the role of the United
Nations globally.