Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel underlined the role of small countries as he addressed the 61th session of the UN General Assembly on Monday. "The smaller countries rarely threaten or endanger other countries. They have knowledge of small systems and minorities in large systems. They can perform special tasks that demand special qualities and particular capabilities," he told the delegates.
Rupel said that countries should help each other in this tightly inter-connected world. It seems easier for the large nations to be great nations; smaller nations must make a special effort to contribute in an important way, but their chances to do it are not bad at all.
In the second part of his speech Rupel touched on several crises, in particular the suffering of the civilian population in the Sudanese region of Darfur, which he said calls for our immediate resolve. "We should not allow the repetition of the tragedy of Rwanda or Bosnia and Herzegovina in the case of Darfur or anywhere else," he stressed.
Speaking about the Balkans, he said that attention to the Western Balkans must not diminish. "We are committed to standing by our partners in the region in their endeavours to expand their relationship with the EU and facilitate prosperity for their citizens."
Rupel added that Kosovo was approaching an important stage in the peace process, saying he was confident that all the sides would summon sufficient courage to make a critical step forward and thus enable peaceful coexistence and cooperation among all ethnic groups in that region.
"We hope that the integration process in Europe will provide the appropriate vehicle for stabilisation of the region," he said. He noted that the disintegration of rigid systems like the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia has produced a number of new states but, contrary to expectations, many have not regressed but rather progressed, democratised and reintegrated.
Rupel voiced support for the idea behind the dialogue of cultures. "However, we should be careful not to develop it into a clearing house for one set of standards. If so, failure is a certainty. A dialogue between two sides each convinced in the absolute truth of its existence is impossible," he said.
He also denied the existence of a clash of civilisations: "It is the extremisms perpetuating the misperception of the clash of civilisations for furthering their extremist agendas," he said.
"On the other hand, we should not underestimate local and temporary clashes that may serve purposes far away from genuine cultural or religious issues. There is one welcome and necessary clash: clash of our common and global civilisation against illegitimate radical groups that strive for power by means of terror and that abuse religious beliefs and ethnic bonds for their own particular agendas," he stressed.
|
Subscribe
To receive our weekly newsletter by e-mail subscribe here.
HOME
Government | Calendar of Events | Media Room | About Slovenia
Sitemap | Contact us | About us | Graphic version | Slovensko
© Government Communication Office