New York, 3 May 2023 (MIA) — Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski gave a speech on United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres's New Agenda for Peace at the UN Security Council on Wednesday, becoming the first Macedonian prime minister to speak before the council.

PM Kovachevski's speech was in honor of the 30th anniversary of North Macedonia's membership in the UN.

He said the country had always been an example of resolving conflicts and open issues at home and with neighbors. He also said the UN and its multilateral system had proven effective in contributing to world peace in the past.

"Today, when we have a moral duty to contribute to the New Agenda for Peace, we should also recall the old agenda from 1992 and the beginnings of the UN's first preventive mission in our country, which was widely regarded as successful," Kovachevski said.

He added that in the case of North Macedonia, peace building was confirmed in practice.

"Our first president, Kiro Gligorov, in the difficult years of war on the soil of former Yugoslavia, through his wisdom, responsibility and committment to peace, made possible the peaceful independence and international establishment of North Macedonia as an independent and sovereign state," Kovachevski said.

In times of war in the region, he said, the country had its own national peace agenda supported by internal consensus but also backed by the UN, the OSCE and the EU.

"The UNPREDEP mission prevented the conflict from spilling over. We preserved peace and stability, which saved countless lives and needless desctruction," the prime minister said, adding that the country even then promoted a culture of dialogue toward overcoming challenges.

It is through developing this culture of dialogue that North Macedonia has become an example and a role model for solving open issues at home and with neighbors, according to Kovachevski.

Also, he said, the country had to make many difficult decisions over the past 30 years.

"These were difficult but visionary decisions, which made it possible for us to become a member of NATO and start negotiations with the EU, with our Macedonian language, identity and culture recognized and protected," he pointed out.

Once a country welcoming international peace missions, North Macedonia was now a factor of stability, hosting peace negotiations between other countries, Kovachevski said.

However, he noted, a lot of work remains for the country, regarding the Sustainable Development Goals for example.

Unfortunately, the prime minister said, the ongoing Russian military aggression in Ukraine has changed global relations to that extent that now it was urgently needed to first fulfill the UN Charter's goal of avoiding the scourge of war.

He said North Macedonia made the choice to be on the right side of history, standing with the democratic world and supporting the right of every country to self-determination.

"As an equal part of the then [Yugoslav] federation, which was one of the founders of the UN, but also as a state that independently gained its place in the UN 30 years ago, the Republic of North Macedonia raises its voice and shares the extreme concern over the crisis threatening the UN but also the international order, world peace and stability."

Concluding his speech, the Macedonian prime minister urged the world to adhere to the UN Charter. Guterres's New Agenda for Peace "is a chance we need to take" in light of growing risks, Kovachevski said. "We need peace now, at once," he added. mr/

Фото: Влада на РСМ