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Foreign Minister Heiko Maas issued the following statement today on his trip to the United Nations in New York:
"All too often, the United Nations Security Council is blocked on key issues because its members fail to agree on a joint position. This unfortunately also holds true for the major crises and challenges we are seeing in international politics. For us, the only conclusion to draw is that these very issues which are so crucial need to be put on the Security Council agenda. We need more debate, not less!
During my trip to New York, precisely these topics will therefore be on the agenda: nuclear disarmament, Libya and the humanitarian situation in Syria. I also want to use the Alliance for Multilateralism to strengthen human rights. The protection of human rights in the 21st century, digitalisation, climate change and women’s rights are key topics on which we need to move forward in New York with our partners.
During my stay, I will attend a Security Council meeting on the Non-Proliferation Treaty, which is up for review this year. In Berlin on Tuesday, the Stockholm Initiative countries underscored their determination to overcome the stalemate in the area of nuclear disarmament. We want to take up this momentum also in the Security Council, which bears prime responsibility for nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.
I will also attend Security Council meetings on the conflicts in Libya and Syria and brief its members on the outcome of the Berlin Libya Conference and the follow-up meeting in Munich. When it comes to these conflicts, we will once more only be able to avoid humanitarian tragedy and find viable solutions to bring peace if the international community works together. Here, too, a call goes out to all states to live up to their responsibility and implement decisions taken by the Security Council".
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Germany - Federal Foreign Office.
