The country will chair all official and unofficial meetings throughout the month
In November, Latvia will chair the UN Security Council for the first time in history, setting the situation in Ukraine and challenges from new technologies as its top priorities. This was announced by the press service of Latvia's Permanent Mission to the UN. This was reported by Delfi Latvia citing LETA, according to the portal PromPolitInform.
Throughout November, the Latvian delegation will chair all official and unofficial meetings of the UN Security Council. Permanent Representative of Latvia to the UN Sanita Pavluta-Deslandes noted that the presidency is an opportunity to demonstrate a responsible stance and defend national interests and values on the international stage.
Priorities at the Head of the UN Security Council
A significant portion of the structure’s agenda consists of mandatory regular meetings, yet the presiding country has the right to form one or two signature meetings. Riga will use this opportunity to draw the international community’s attention to its chosen priorities and crucial topics. Latvia concludes a sequence of presidencies by four European nations, which also included Denmark, France, and Greece.
Security Defense and Countering Aggression
According to the Latvian diplomat, working in the Security Council helps the state realize the necessity of daily defense of its own freedom and independence. The main goal of participating in the structure’s work is to strengthen national security, particularly through continuous support for Ukraine.
“We are making every effort to ensure that Russia’s war against Ukraine remains one of the most important issues on the UN Security Council agenda, to prevent the normalization of Russian aggression against Ukraine, to refute Russian propaganda and lies, and to explain to the international community Russia’s imperialist goals and the global consequences of its actions,” Pavluta-Deslandes stated.
Previous Meetings Regarding Ukraine
During the current year, the UN Security Council has held 16 official events dedicated to the Ukrainian issue, most of which were initiated by Latvia alongside European partners. Additionally, a meeting under the Arria-formula was organized with an emphasis on humanitarian consequences, the plight of civilians and prisoners of war, and the illegal recruitment of foreigners into the Russian army. Simultaneously, the Latvian side conducts informal briefings for other states regarding global conflicts.
Illustrative photo: UK Mission to the UN New York / CC BY 2.0
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