Albania, 2014

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.