Ukraine, 2009

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.