Day: September 20, 2022

Posted on

Guterres opens the 77th UN General Assembly

The world is in “great danger and paralyzed”, the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Tuesday in his opening remarks at the 77th session of the UN General Assembly, in the presence of more than 150 world leaders.

 

Guterres added that the world is in danger and geopolitical differences are undermining international law, trust in democratic institutions and all forms of international cooperation.

 

“We cannot continue like this,” Guterres said. “We have a duty to act. And yet we are mired in colossal global dysfunction. The nations of the world were not ready or willing to face the great challenges that threaten the future of humanity and the fate of the planet,” he noted.

 

“Trust is collapsing, inequalities are spreading, our planet is burning. People are hurting, with the most vulnerable suffering the most,” Guterres said.

 

He also pointed out that there is hope and that cooperation and dialogue is the only way forward. At the same time, he warned that “no force or group alone can fire”.

 

“Let us work as one, as a coalition of the world, as united nations,” he urged the leaders in the General Assembly hall.

 

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Posted on

Cyprus President meets Serbian counterpart, Vatican’s Secretary of State

Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades who is in New York to attend the 77th UN General Assembly met on Tuesday with his Serbian counterpart, Aleksandar Vucic, and the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

 

According to a press release issued by the Presidency, Anastasiades attended the opening of the UNGA by UN chief, Antonio Guterres, who will host a reception to the Heads of State attending the General Assembly.

 

Later on, the President held separate meetings with his Serbian counterpart, Aleksandar Vucic, and with the Holly See’s Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin.

 

Government Spokesman, Marios Pelekanos, said in a written statement that Anastasiades and Vucic discussed the state of play in the Cyprus problem, the bilateral relations and military cooperation between the two countries, Serbia’s and the Western Balkans’ EU course, as well as other issues of mutual concern, such as the developments and the consequences of the war in Ukraine.

 

The two Heads of State also discussed the developments with regard to the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina and the need to exert pressure on Kosovo, with a view to engage in the process more constructively.

 

As far as the meeting with the Vatical Secretary of State is concerned, Pelekanos said the two sides expressed their joint position to further upgrade their bilateral ties, while Anastasiades and Parolin exchanged views regarding the war in Ukraine its consequences.

 

The Cypriot President briefed the Carinal on the latest developments to the Cyprus problem, Pelekanos added.

 

Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded and occupied 37 per cent of its territory. Numerous rounds of talks under the aegis of the UN, to reunite the island, failed to yield results.

 

Source: Cyprus News Agency