Lazar Comanescu speaks at UN about frozen conflicts in Black Sea area

The crisis in South Ossetia and its reverberations in entire Georgia should focus the attention of the international community on all the frozen conflicts in the area, inclusively Trans-Dnister and Nagorno-Karabah, said Romanian Foreign Minister Lazar Comanescu in his 27 September speech in the plenum of the UN General Assembly.

An important aspect approached by the foreign minister in his speech was the situation of the frozen conflicts in the Black Sea area, informs a release issued by the Romanian Foreign Ministry on Sunday.

‘No conflict remains frozen forever and without consequences. The recent crisis in Georgia has shown us the international community cannot treat uncertain situations with the assumption they will disappear eventually. The postponement of finding a solution is not an adequate response. Only a negotiated formula, with international and regional mediation and assistance can generate lasting solutions ‘, said Lazar Comanescu.

According to the quoted source, the annual speech of the heads of the delegations in the high-level debates of the General Assembly represents a special moment for presenting the national positions and visions on major issues on the global agenda.

Presenting Romania’s vision, the speech of Minister Comanescu was structured around the ideas of responsibility and solidarity.

‘The international decision and cooperation can offer solutions on condition that the responsibilities be assumed and solidarity be exercised. Only this way can we give substance to the idea of community’, said Minister Comanescu referring to the evaluation of the phase of meeting until 2015 the Development Objectives of the Millennium.

Speaking about the reform of the Security Council, the Romanian chief diplomat said ‘any reform project of the Security Council must reflect the legitimate wishes of the regional groups, with the final objective of having a more representative, legitimate, transparent and efficient Security Council’.

On 27 September, Minister Comanescu met with the Under-secretary General and head of the UN Department for peacekeeping operations, Alain Le Roy. The discussions referred to Romania’s contribution to the UN peacekeeping operations, the European dimension of the participation with troops in operation theaters and the issue of the frozen conflicts and the role of the UN in preventing and managing crises.

Alain Le Roy thanked for the substantial contribution with the troops in the UN operation theaters, Romania being among the top 50 contributing states in the world. A number of 266 Romanian troops and police officers are participating in 10 UN peacekeeping operations and over 1,500 Romanian troops are deployed in operations under Security Council mandate.

Minister Lazar Comanescu reaffirmed Romania’s support for the UN efforts, both in its national capacity and in its capacity of EU and NATO member. AGERPRES