Bulgaria, 2008

It is a privilege and an

honour to address this distinguished audience on behalf

of Bulgaria, particularly as my country is celebrating

the centennial anniversary of the proclamation of its

independence. Throughout those 100 years, Bulgaria

asserted and safeguarded its independence, often

through active participation in international

organizations, including the United Nations. Having

recently become a member of the European Union

(EU), my country is now even more committed to the

universal and regulatory role of the United Nations in

today’s globalized world. We align ourselves with the

statement made by President Sarkozy of the French

Republic on behalf of the EU (5th meeting).

Permit me to congratulate you, Sir, on your

election to the presidency of the General Assembly at

its sixty-third session. We wish you every success in

the months ahead and pledge our full support for your

endeavours. Our deep gratitude goes to His Excellency

Mr. Srgjan Kerim for his able guidance of the

Assembly at its previous session.

Given the growing urgency of food security, the

topic that we are discussing today is of crucial

importance. We fully support the United Nations-led

efforts, reflected in the Rome Declaration, to ensure a

timely response to a problem that may have grave

consequences for the livelihoods of millions of people.

Food security is a cross-cutting issue that should

be considered against the background of other

interrelated global challenges, such as climate change

and energy security. These also demand an immediate

response based on the common but differentiated

responsibilities and capabilities of various countries.

The United Nations should continue to provide a

unique forum for the elaboration of the effective

multilateral approach needed.

Next spring, Bulgaria intends to host a summit

entitled “Gas for Europe: New Transregional

Partnerships and Projects”. It is important to bring

together heads of State and Government from all

interested countries in South-Eastern Europe, the Black

Sea/Caspian Sea region, Central Asia, the EU and the

United States in order to encourage political dialogue

at the highest level and to enhance transregional

cooperation with a view to achieving a balance among

energy and other strategic interests.

Effective multilateralism requires an intensive

partnership between the United Nations and regional

organizations. On the basis of the European Union-United

Nations Joint Declaration on Cooperation in Crisis

Management, the EU and the United Nations have

engaged in partnerships that have already delivered

results in many areas related to peacemaking and

peacebuilding. A good and pragmatic relationship

between the United Nations and NATO in the Western

Balkans, Afghanistan and Africa is also of crucial

importance.

Various forms of regional, subregional and

transborder cooperation may serve as building blocks

for a comprehensive collective security system. Peace

and stability are well rooted when local communities

and immediate neighbours live in harmony. That

philosophy guided the recent Bulgarian chairmanship

of the South-East European Cooperation Process.

Regional cooperation in South-East Europe has

recently gained momentum. South-East Europe is in

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the process of changing from an area recovering from

war to a thriving and dynamic region. Over the past 12

months, a whole new architecture of interaction has

come into being, connecting the countries of the region

to the rest of Europe and the international community.

In line with the concept of regional ownership, the

pivotal role has now been assumed by the new

Regional Cooperation Council.

Democracy, security and cooperation still have a

way to go in the Black Sea region. More coherent

efforts are needed for an ultimate settlement of the

protracted conflicts there. Frozen conflicts should not

be neglected, because they tend to reignite tension time

and again. The recent armed hostilities in South

Ossetia and in other parts of Georgia have provided

ample evidence to that effect. Bulgaria gave its full

support to the peacemaking mission of the French EU

presidency and remains actively involved in the

preparation of the EU Monitoring Mission. We are

convinced that the sovereignty and territorial integrity

of Georgia should be upheld and that the military

contingents should be withdrawn to their positions

prior to the conflict in order to allow effective

monitoring by the EU and the Organization for

Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) of the

implementation of the six-point plan.

Bulgaria contributes fully to the Eastern

Dimension of the European Neighbourhood Policy,

which should address the needs and priorities of all

partners in the region. We see opportunities for

launching projects in important sectors such as

transport, trade, energy, the environment and border

security. The EU’s Black Sea Synergy initiative is a

pragmatic way to intertwine various regional

initiatives, thus multiplying their effect.

As prevention and development are inextricably

linked, the Bulgarian Government and the country

office of the United Nations Development Programme

(UNDP) in Bulgaria are currently exploring the

potential for a Bulgaria/UNDP regional hub for the

Western Balkans and the Black Sea area to share

accumulated know-how, training and research.

We condemn terrorism unequivocally and reject

terrorist ideology in all its forms and manifestations.

The first review of the United Nations Global Counter-

Terrorism Strategy held recently proved that the United

Nations should continue to play a central role in

mobilizing the international community to counter

terrorism and all related phenomena, such as

radicalization and extremism.

In countering terrorism, it is essential to conduct

that struggle within the requirements of international

law and to overcome prejudices and stereotype

perceptions in a world of great diversity. Bulgaria’s

long history of tolerance has been based on the

common understanding that cultural diversity is a great

asset in our society. It is in that spirit that Bulgaria

actively participates in the United Nations Alliance of

Civilizations and supports other like-minded

initiatives.

This year, we mark the sixtieth anniversary of

United Nations peacekeeping operations. As we pay

tribute to the six decades of promoting peace and

protecting the vulnerable, we should also realize that

there is still much to be done. The United Nations is

facing a serious challenge due to the complex and

multidimensional character of a growing number of

peace operations and missions.

Bulgaria continues to make its contribution to the

international peacekeeping efforts in the western

Balkans, Afghanistan, Iraq and Africa. Our task today

is not only to keep the peace; we must also make

certain that peace is irreversible and sustainable. The

Peacebuilding Commission, an early achievement of

the reform process, has now become functional and has

achieved some practical results in Burundi and Sierra

Leone.

Global celebrations of the sixtieth anniversary of

the Universal Declaration of Human Rights this year

have reaffirmed the critical importance of universal

adherence to international human rights standards, the

realization of which should make the world better for

us all, free of poverty, intolerance and discrimination.

Despite the progress achieved, we should never relent

in our efforts. The Human Rights Council, with its

institution-building process successfully accomplished,

should engage in constructive, all-inclusive work

aimed at promoting and guaranteeing all human rights

for all.

Stable peace and security can be achieved only

through development. Therefore, there is an urgent

need to accelerate the implementation of the

internationally agreed development goals, including

the Millennium Development Goals. We are convinced

that the responsibility for the timely achievement of

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those Goals lies with both developed and developing

countries.

Solidarity with those in need, and in particular

with the developing countries, is an important and

irrevocable principle of Bulgarian foreign policy. We

are taking our first steps in building a new donor

capacity and shall strive to achieve the targeted levels

of official development assistance as part of the

European Union development cooperation policy.

In order to perform its role in the world

efficiently, the United Nations must follow persistently

the course of reforms initiated at the 2005 World

Summit. We welcome the progress achieved during the

sixty-second session of the General Assembly towards

improving the working modalities of the main United

Nations bodies. Bulgaria expects that the remaining

tasks on the United Nations reform agenda will be

pursued vigorously and without delay during the

current session.

In that regard, we welcome the efforts of the

Secretary-General and his determination expressed in

his opening statement. It is in our common interest to

ensure that this sixty-third session of the General

Assembly achieve tangible results. That is what the

peoples of our countries, the people of the world, are

expecting of us.