Foreign affairs minister leads Ukraine's delegation at new U.N. session (10/04/98)

Foreign affairs minister leads Ukraine's delegation at new U.N. session

NEW YORK - A delegation from Ukraine led by Foreign Affairs Minister Borys Tarasyuk attended the 53rd session of the United Nations General Assembly here on September 21-24. According to the Embassy of Ukraine, during the first day of the Ukrainian delegation's work at the session, Mr. Tarasyuk met with his Chinese counterpart, Tan Xiasuang; Mexico's Minister of Foreign Affairs Rosario Green; and U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright, and held brief private meetings with representatives of a number of U.S. companies.

On the same day, Mr. Tarasyuk attended a roundtable held by the Eurasian Group, which unites political experts and economists from 40 countries. Addressing the guests, Mr. Tarasyuk informed them about the foreign policy of Ukraine, emphasizing Ukraine's integration into European and Euro-Atlantic structures, and stressed Ukraine's role as a strategic connection between different regions of Europe and Asia.

On September 23, Mr. Tarasyuk addressed the General Assembly. Mr. Tarasyuk praised the reforms taking place within the U.N. and confirmed Ukraine's commitment to the reforms initiated by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and implemented during the previous session of the General Assembly, which was presided over by Ukraine's Hennadii Udovenko.

Outlining the positive and negative aspects of globalization, Mr. Tarasyuk stressed the United Nations' responsibility for international stability and sustained development. He reminded the assembly of Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma's call for the establishment of a U.N. Economic Security Council during his address before the General Assembly in 1995.

Mr. Tarasyuk also drew attention to the issue of non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. He noted Ukraine's unprecedented contributions to nuclear disarmament and called on other states to further reduce their nuclear arsenals with the goal of ultimately eliminating nuclear weapons. He urged the so-called threshold countries to renounce their nuclear ambitions.

Mr. Tarasyuk presented Ukraine's vision of the future European security architecture, one that should be based on the principles of comprehensiveness, indivisibility and partnership. He praised the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe as an important pan-European mechanism for preserving stability on the continent. He called for closer cooperation between the OSCE and the U.N. and pointed to the need to coordinate activities.

Mr. Tarasyuk briefed the General Assembly about the outcome of the first round of consultations in Kyiv, conducted by delegations from several Black Sea nations, aimed at drafting mechanisms for promoting trust and security in the Black Sea region. He also reported on the broad acceptance of Ukrainian President Kuchma's initiative on convening a summit in Yalta in September 1999 on the topic "Baltic-Black Sea Cooperation: Into an Integrated Europe of the 21st Century without Dividing Lines." The Ukrainian minister called upon U.N. member-states to work harder to achieve progress in creating a more reliable and predictable world, and promote economic prosperity, social justice and ecological security. In conclusion, Mr. Tarasyuk underlined that the drive for a reformed and renewed U.N. must result in an organization that will cater to people's interests and human needs and be proven through actions.

Mr. Tarasyuk also met with U.N. Secretary-General Annan. Mr. Tarasyuk delivered to Mr. Annan a personal message from President Kuchma and renewed an invitation for Mr. Annan to pay an official visit to Ukraine. Mr. Tarasyuk expressed Ukraine's full support for Mr. Annan's programs for reforming the U.N., and confirmed Ukraine's intention to remain one of the most active members of the organization.

In response, Mr. Annan thanked the Ukrainian leadership for the invitation, and noted Ukraine's active role and constructive contributions to various aspects of U.N. activities. He also gave a high appraisal of Mr. Udovenko's presidency of the 52nd session of the General Assembly and expressed his hope for continuing cooperation between Ukraine and the U.N.

Mr. Tarasyuk met with German Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel on September 23. The Ukrainian foreign affairs minister urged more active support on the part of Germany for Ukraine's integration with European and Euro-Atlantic institutions. The two diplomats exchanged opinions about the global financial crisis, its regional and national repercussions, and the situation in Russia. They discussed ways to minimize the adverse effects of the global financial crisis on individual nations.

Also on September 23, Mr. Tarasyuk attended a ministerial-level session of the Third International Conference of Emergent or Restored Democracies held at the U.N. The session focused on progress made in implementing the Third Conference's recommendations, which were endorsed in Bucharest, Romania, on September 2-4, 1997. Mr. Tarasyuk's remarks at the session focused on Ukraine's advances toward a socially oriented market economy, the rule of law and establishment of democratic institutions inherent in a civil society.

Addressing delegates from over 80 countries, Ukraine's foreign minister focused on Ukraine's praiseworthy record on inter-ethnic harmony. Ukraine's experience may well be applicable in the global community's effort to resolve and prevent ethnic strife, which jeopardizes international peace, stability and security, he noted.

Mr. Tarasyuk's move to give the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization (BSECO) U.N. General Assembly Observer Status received full approval from the BSECO member-states. The BSECO delegations held a meeting on September 23 during which Mr. Tarasyuk called upon the meeting's participants to scale down naval activity in the Black Sea, to set up the BSECO's bank and to promptly ratify the BSECO Charter.

On September 24, Mr. Tarasyuk met with Hungarian Foreign Affairs Minister Janos Martonyi. The two men agreed to hold deeper consultations on specific issues of bilateral and international relations during Mr. Martonyi's visit to Ukraine this autumn. Hungary was one of the first countries to recognize Ukraine's independence, and open an embassy in Kyiv.

On September 24, Mr. Tarasyuk also met with his counterpart from the European Union, and a meeting was planned as well as with representatives of American Jewish organizations.

On the evening of September 23, a small reception was held for the Ukrainian delegation at Ukraine's Mission to the U.N., hosted by Ambassador Volodymyr Yelchenko.

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