On
behalf of Ukraine, I congratulate Mr. Ali Abdussalam
Treki of Libya on his election to preside over the sixty-
fourth session of the General Assembly. I wish him
every success in his activities.
Every year we all gather here at high level in the
General Assembly to present our own national views
on the life of our planet and its peoples. We strive to
get the feeling of the overall emotional setting and
pulse of human energy, ideas and quests. The
emotional setting of Ukraine is open, principled and
tolerant.
We have gathered here not to offend each other or
exchange insults, but to resolve our common problems.
I call upon all of us to use tolerance against bigotry,
malignancy and arrogance. I say this on behalf of a
nation whose last lustrum is unique in terms of
challenges and progress.
We in Ukraine live in an atmosphere of
strengthening freedom. This process is both grand and
complex. Its difficulties discourage idealists and
nurture authoritarian forces, yet they are another alpine
peak for all who are enlightened to ascend. The
milestone at which our nation stands today is the basis
for moving forward to a free and safe life, to revive our
own millennium-old tradition and its interrupted ties
and to be again an active part of global civilization.
Our democratic choice is irreversible. As a free
nation, we shall not accept any forms of interference in
the internal affairs of sovereign States, any pressure on
them or manifestations of authoritarian thinking in
international relations. We remember the price paid by
our fathers for our freedom, for the freedom of Europe
and the world, and for the future independence of
Ukraine.
We shall soon commemorate the sixty-fifth
anniversary of the victory over fascism. This joint
victory of the anti-Hitler coalition is sacred. The
mission of all countries which remember the horrors of
fascism is to avert any hint of a restoration of
totalitarian ideology and its derivative: the policy of
imperial ambitions, neglecting the value of human life
and violating the right of peoples to sovereign national
existence.
I raise this issue because we are witnessing the
re-emergence of very disconcerting signals from the
past, ranging from questioning the very existence of
newly independent States to denying nations’ own
views on their past and future. We are concerned about
the substitution of concepts and approaches.
Cooperation, openness and friendship between nations
are being explicitly confronted by aggressive national
egotism, which ignores the interests of close partners
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and dictates the right of the powerful. Unconcealed
information wars, energy blackmail and economic
blackmail, as well as interference in sovereign affairs,
fall outside the civilized framework.
Most important, we strongly condemn and shall
not accept any violations of fundamental international
principles — in particular, territorial integrity and the
inviolability of the frontiers of all sovereign States.
It is axiomatic for us that all United Nations
Member States, and especially the permanent members
of the Security Council, must be exemplary in abiding
by the principles of international law, of equality of
nations and of neighbourliness, for our Charter, which
remains unbroken, entrusts the Security Council with
the primary responsibility for maintaining international
peace and security.
Ukraine acts in strict compliance with the goals
and principles of the United Nations, and expects the
same from its partners and neighbours.
Today I have the honour to confirm Ukraine’s
resolve to become a Security Council member in 2016-
2017.
Our country has been and will always remain a
reliable partner of the United Nations in all peace and
security matters and in collective actions fostering
stability in every region, especially in Africa. This year
I approved the strategy of Ukraine’s international
peacekeeping activity, which will consolidate our
contribution and participation in this field.
Safety of peacekeepers has been constantly the
focus of Ukraine’s attention. As one of the initiators of
the Convention on the Safety of United Nations and
Associated Personnel, we propose that the General
Assembly consider additional measures to strengthen
the legal protection of participants in peacekeeping
operations.
Almost 15 years ago Ukraine voluntarily gave up
the third largest nuclear potential and acceded to the
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as a non-nuclear
State. We welcome the steps taken by the United States
and the Russian Federation to elaborate a new
agreement to replace the Treaty between the Union of
Soviet Socialist Republics and the United States on the
Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms,
of 31 July 1991, which expires this year.
At the same time, Ukraine continues to count on
the support of the Security Council permanent
members for our proposal to enhance security
assurances for non-nuclear States, in particular for
those which have voluntarily renounced nuclear
weapons or their development. That will become an
important incentive for many countries.
Ukraine will continue to act responsibly and
constructively in matters of military and security
cooperation.
We strictly abide by Security Council resolutions,
and adhere to all established international regimes. Our
position in this sphere is consistent with all our
international obligations. It is verified, balanced and
unchangeable.
I wish to dwell on an issue of the utmost
importance for Ukraine: the global fight against
maritime piracy. We value all the efforts of the United
Nations and the International Maritime Organization
(IMO) in this regard. However, the measures taken so
far have not been sufficient.
Almost 60,000 Ukrainian citizens are employed
on ships under foreign flags. Any developments on the
high seas affect us directly. In the last seven years
alone pirates have attacked 18 vessels with Ukrainian
sailors on board, and in the last nine months alone
35 Ukrainian sailors have been taken hostage. It is no
longer a local problem; it has become very dangerous
and threatens us all. We shall not turn a blind eye to it.
Ukraine was among the sponsors of IMO
resolution A.1002 (25), entitled “Piracy and armed
robbery against ships operating in waters off the coast
of Somalia”, which laid the ground for further Security
Council resolutions in that regard. We strongly support
the elaboration of uniform, clear rules to fight pirates
and to protect sailors. We are convinced that the
General Assembly has to become a coordinating body
for the efforts of all specialized institutions in this
field. We call for a more active stance by those United
Nations Members which are main countries of origin of
marine workers and by those States and organizations
capable of making an impact on the safety of
international maritime navigation.
On behalf of Ukraine, I propose to examine
carefully the idea of establishing in one of the African
countries a regional centre under the United Nations
aegis which would bring under its umbrella specialized
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agencies, programmes and funds, as well as political
offices, to counter piracy. I want to be clear: Ukraine
will be actively engaged in all international
endeavours, and we intend to join the European Union
Atalanta anti-piracy naval operation.
As President of Ukraine, I urge the General
Assembly to debate these very critical issues in a
separate meeting.
We face manifold challenges that we can resolve
only by concerted efforts. I am convinced that one of
the most acute problems for us all is the global
financial crisis. Ukraine welcomes decisions of
multilateral forums, in particular those of the Group of
20, as the leading instrument to counter the crisis.
In this process, our Organization can and should
play its role in preventing the financial perturbations
from spinning out into social upheavals. Perhaps it is
time to revisit the idea, put forward earlier by Ukraine
and recently by a number of other countries, of the
creation of a United Nations economic security
council. The large scale of this proposal should not
prompt us to shelve it or reject it altogether.
In addition, decisions on the financing of United
Nations activities within regular reviews of the scale of
assessments must be taken with due account of the
global crisis.
The principal and most important objective for
our universal Organization and for each of our
countries is to protect common people from the crisis
and to prevent the decline of their living standards.
Despite all the economic difficulties, Ukraine is
aware of its responsibility to support other countries
that have suffered even more. This year Ukraine has
become a World Food Programme donor. We hope that
our contribution will save millions of lives in Africa. I
say to our dear partners that Ukraine understands very
well your needs, and we shall strive to save people
suffering from hunger.
We have gathered here today to get the feeling of
the overall emotional setting of our planet. Ukraine’s
emotional setting is resolute, persevering and
benevolent.
We believe in our Organization. We are capable
of great achievements. I am firmly convinced of our
strength to move forward confidently for the benefit of
the world, our peoples and countries.