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Black Sea region needs greater UN presence, countries tell General Assembly
Lazar Comanescu, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Romania
27 September 2008 ` Senior officials from Romania and Bulgaria have
called on the United Nations to play an enhanced role in promoting
democracy and regional peace and stability across the Black Sea area,
saying the recent conflict in Georgia signalled some of the challenges
the region faces. Romanian Foreign Minister Lazar Comanescu told the
General Assembly's annual high-level debate today that the benefits
that would flow from a more stable region are enormous.
`If we take a closer look we see a region with a large population, an
important hub for energy and transport flows, a great economic
potential,' he said.
`The United Nations should be there to assist the region not only in
de-frosting conflicts, but also to help coastal countries in
cooperating to solve problems related to pollution, illegal migration,
organized crime and drug trafficking, so as to project stability and
to support development.'
Mr. Comanescu said the conflict in August in Georgia's breakaway South
Ossetia region, `with its reverberations in Abkhazia and the entire
State of Georgia and beyond, should focus the attention of the
international community on all protracted conflicts in the area,
including Transnistria and Nagorno-Karabakh.'
In his address yesterday to the Assembly, Bulgarian Prime Minister
Sergei Stanishev said the UN's experience in peacemaking and conflict
prevention could be much better utilized by the Black Sea region.
`Democracy, security and cooperation still have their further way to
go in the Black Sea region,' he said. `More coherent efforts are
needed for the ultimate settlement of the protracted conflicts
there. Frozen conflicts should not be neglected because they tend to
re-ignite tension time and again.'
Mr. Stanishev said the fighting in South Ossetia between Georgian,
Russian and South Ossetian forces provided `ample evidence' of the
need to resolve frozen conflicts sooner rather than later.
`Should the plans for a regional centre for UN mediation in the
Western Balkans/Black Sea area meet approval by Member States,
Bulgaria stands ready to host it in Sofia, and to facilitate in every
possible way its activities in South-East Europe, in the South
Caucasus and other neighbouring areas,' he added.
Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader, also speaking yesterday in the
General Debate, said it was vital to keep working towards greater
stability across South-East Europe, particularly given the `unfinished
business' in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
`The foundations for stability in this country reside in the respect
for equal rights for all three constituent and sovereign people:
Croats, Bosniaks and Serbs,' Mr. Sanader said.
`The Republic of Croatia, along with the international community,
stands ready to support and assist Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as
all the countries in the region, through an active policy of
cooperation. Such cooperation paves the way for long-standing security
and prosperity in South-East Europe.'
Black Sea region needs greater UN presence, countries tell General Assembly
Lazar Comanescu, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Romania
27 September 2008 ` Senior officials from Romania and Bulgaria have
called on the United Nations to play an enhanced role in promoting
democracy and regional peace and stability across the Black Sea area,
saying the recent conflict in Georgia signalled some of the challenges
the region faces. Romanian Foreign Minister Lazar Comanescu told the
General Assembly's annual high-level debate today that the benefits
that would flow from a more stable region are enormous.
`If we take a closer look we see a region with a large population, an
important hub for energy and transport flows, a great economic
potential,' he said.
`The United Nations should be there to assist the region not only in
de-frosting conflicts, but also to help coastal countries in
cooperating to solve problems related to pollution, illegal migration,
organized crime and drug trafficking, so as to project stability and
to support development.'
Mr. Comanescu said the conflict in August in Georgia's breakaway South
Ossetia region, `with its reverberations in Abkhazia and the entire
State of Georgia and beyond, should focus the attention of the
international community on all protracted conflicts in the area,
including Transnistria and Nagorno-Karabakh.'
In his address yesterday to the Assembly, Bulgarian Prime Minister
Sergei Stanishev said the UN's experience in peacemaking and conflict
prevention could be much better utilized by the Black Sea region.
`Democracy, security and cooperation still have their further way to
go in the Black Sea region,' he said. `More coherent efforts are
needed for the ultimate settlement of the protracted conflicts
there. Frozen conflicts should not be neglected because they tend to
re-ignite tension time and again.'
Mr. Stanishev said the fighting in South Ossetia between Georgian,
Russian and South Ossetian forces provided `ample evidence' of the
need to resolve frozen conflicts sooner rather than later.
`Should the plans for a regional centre for UN mediation in the
Western Balkans/Black Sea area meet approval by Member States,
Bulgaria stands ready to host it in Sofia, and to facilitate in every
possible way its activities in South-East Europe, in the South
Caucasus and other neighbouring areas,' he added.
Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader, also speaking yesterday in the
General Debate, said it was vital to keep working towards greater
stability across South-East Europe, particularly given the `unfinished
business' in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
`The foundations for stability in this country reside in the respect
for equal rights for all three constituent and sovereign people:
Croats, Bosniaks and Serbs,' Mr. Sanader said.
`The Republic of Croatia, along with the international community,
stands ready to support and assist Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as
all the countries in the region, through an active policy of
cooperation. Such cooperation paves the way for long-standing security
and prosperity in South-East Europe.'