Council of Presidents of UN General Assembly Adopts Bratislava Declaration

       Bratislava, April 9 (TASR) - The Council of Presidents of the United Nations General Assembly (UNCPGA) on Wednesday adopted the so-called Bratislava Declaration at the end of the official part of its two-day session in the Slovak capital, which, among other things, responds to the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine, the Gaza Strip and Sudan, TASR learnt on the same day.
        This official document will be distributed and will lead to action, said Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD).
        "I can already say today that in the history of this Council, which began to be formed in 1996, this will be a historic meeting because it will have the largest number of UN General Assembly presidents, 16 in total. Fourteen were present in person and two participated online," noted Blanar. The former presidents of the UNGA were joined in person on Wednesday by its current head, Philemon Yang.
        In the Bratislava Declaration on the Gaza war, the UNCPGA condemns the attacks on Israel by the Palestinian militant movement Hamas on October 7, 2023, which caused more than 1,200 casualties, as well as the subsequent Israeli military operation, the ongoing blockade of the Palestinian enclave, and the ground operations that have caused "a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, including the deaths of more than 50,000 innocent Palestinian civilians".
        The Council also expressed deep concern at the breakdown of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and called for the unconditional release of the remaining Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip as well as Palestinian prisoners from Israel. It also recommended to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to come up with a peace initiative based on a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Blanar stated that the declaration in the case of the Gaza Strip accurately reflects the position of Slovak diplomacy and the Slovak Republic as such.
        Regarding the war on Ukraine, the UNCPGA welcomed the negotiations regarding a possible ceasefire between Moscow and Kiev, brokered by the United States. The Council declares that this conflict has no military solution but requires an urgent diplomatic solution that will lead to a lasting peaceful settlement based on the principles of the UN Charter. For a start, the declaration says, a comprehensive ceasefire must be implemented as soon as possible.
        However, in addition to the ongoing conflicts, the meeting also discussed climate change, non-discrimination against women and empowering young people. Slovak diplomat and president of the 72nd UNGA Miroslav Lajcak said that the election of a new UN Secretary-General was a big and topical issue. Specific candidates have not yet been discussed, but the Bratislava Declaration recommends that the Security Council should submit the name of more than one possible candidate to the UNGA.