YouSaid · the spoken record

Péter Szijjártó

lines on the record: 90
first: 2015-09-24
most recent: 2021-09-24
sittings or episodes: 6
sources: un-general-debate

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“Those documents describe a similar basic approach for State authorities to meet their human rights obligations involving language. Unfortunately, the Parliament of Ukraine adopted a new law on education on 5 September. That new law drastically curbs the already acquired level of minority rights in education and language use. The new law takes away the right to receive an education in their mother tongue from all children older than 10. It is a shame that we are seeing that kind of legislation adopted in the twenty-first century in a country that is making great efforts to make quick progress on the economic integration process of its Association Agreement with the European Union. That law clearly discriminates against the minorities living in Ukraine.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“One of the most important elements of national minority rights is the right to use and receive education in one’s mother tongue. Why is that so important? Because the best way to create difficulties for national minorities is to prohibit them from using their native language by law. It is not an accident that language rights are also enshrined in a variety of guiding documents and international standards on the matter, such as the 1992 United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities, the three principles on language and education of UNESCO and the various recommendations of the United Nations Forum on Minority Issues on the implementation of the the Declaration.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“That is why we call for a better and more pragmatic relationship and cooperation between the East and the West based on mutual trust and respect for each other and for international law. In my third, and final, point from a Central European angle, I would like to highlight the importance of the rights of national minorities, which is a highly sensitive issue for Hungary, as millions of Hungarians live outside our borders. The rights of national minorities are among the most highly protected in international relations. There is an international consensus — we believe, at least — that the rights of national minorities must be respected by all members of the international community, and discrimination against any kind of minority is simply unacceptable.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“Cooperation between the East and the West is necessary if we wish to overcome the war and create peace in Syria, thereby making it possible for people to return and in order to decrease the migratory pressure on Europe. It is necessary to create peace in Libya and ensure stability there for the future. It is also necessary to address the extraordinary challenge posed by a communist dictator who is threatening the world with a nuclear programme, violating all possible international regulations and values. We Central Europeans read this from history: whenever there is a conflict between the East and the West, Central Europe will certainly lose out. We do not want to be losers anymore.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“However, we are all aware that a complete and definitive solution for the migration crisis can emerge only by tackling the root causes, which includes overcoming military conflicts beyond Europe’s borders and eliminating terrorist organizations. I would like to turn now to my second point, namely, the relationship between the East and the West. I represent a small Central European country, and we are all aware that major international conflicts can be resolved through agreements between the super- Powers of the West and the East. This is why pragmatic cooperation between East and West is necessary if we wish to eliminate the most dangerous terrorist groups worldwide. Hungary is therefore proud to contribute 200 troops to the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Sham.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“We have spent almost €2 million rebuilding 200 houses in the Iraqi township of Telsqof, making it possible for more than 1,300 people to return. We have spent €4 million on building schools, covering medical expenses and ensuring that Christian communities are able to stay and flourish. We offer 100 scholarships on an annual basis to youngsters whose families are being persecuted in the region. We understand that the rights of people should be restored when they have been violated. We must work to help people stay as close to their homes as possible, and we have to help people return to their homes as soon as possible. We call for more support for countries that have taken care of refugees from war-torn areas, such as Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon and the Kurdish region of Iraq.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“We have spent €800 million on protecting not only ourselves and the border of Hungary but also the external border of the European Union and the external border of the Schengen Area. We have also built physical infrastructure and mobilized human resources. Again, altogether that has cost €800 million. I must remind the Assembly that this is not the first time in history that we have had to protect the Western part of Europe as well as ourselves. But of course, as we are a Christian country, we accept our responsibility to help those in need. Hungary’s principle is to provide help when it is needed, and that is why we help and assist Christian communities in the Middle East so that they can stay or return once conflicts are over.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“That is extremely irresponsible and unacceptable behaviour. Encouraging waves of migrants endangers tens of thousands of people — there are those who risk their lives to reach a place where they think they might find a better way of life, and those who are put at risk of becoming victims of the terrorists who seek to take advantage of those migratory waves. Hungary’s position is quite clear. All States have the fundamental right and responsibility to ensure the security of their own people, all States have the fundamental right and responsibility to protect their own borders, and all States have the fundamental right and responsibility to make decisions on their own — including as to whom they allow to enter their territory and whom they do not. Hungary has made enormous efforts to comply with its international obligations.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“Secondly — and here I will surely offend some by breaking taboos and challenging dogma — we must admit that the earlier social integration procedures in the Western part of Europe have failed. Some of the attempts to integrate migrants who arrived in Europe previously have been totally unsuccessful and, in many places in Western Europe, parallel societies have been constructed. We must honestly admit that we are shocked, after the barbaric terrorist attacks in Europe, the massive violations of national and international laws and regulations, and the loss of thousands of lives on the Mediterranean Sea and elsewhere, that there are still leaders of international organizations and representatives of powerful countries who claim forcefully that migration is a favourable phenomenon that is to be encouraged.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“To the contrary, the fear of terrorist attacks has become a part of everyday life. Between 2015 and 2017, Europe suffered 30 major terror attacks, which took 300 innocent lives. Churches, airports, beaches and concerts have become sites for execution, which can take place within a couple of seconds. That development is a direct consequence of two phenomena. The first is the massive influx of illegal migrants. During the past two and a half years, 1.5 million illegal migrants have entered European Union territory without any kind of control, checks or regulation. That has definitely provided an opportunity for terrorist organizations to take advantage of that flow and send their terrorists and fighters to the European continent.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“Coming from Central Europe, I would like to highlight three very important issues from our perspective: migration and the threat of terrorism, the relationship between the East and the West, and the rights of national minorities. Europe currently finds itself on the front lines of significant global changes. Since the end of the Cold War, Europe has never had to face as many challenges as it does now. As a result of the migration crisis, Europe is facing the most serious threat of terrorism in its history. The European Union is facing its toughest challenges since its foundation. Western Europe used to be the most secure, safest and most peaceful region globally. A couple of years ago, we watched the news on television about terror in the Middle East, and we were sure that such events would surely never take place in Europe.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“At the outset, I would like to congratulate Mr. Miroslav Lajčák on his election to the presidency of the General Assembly. For those of us from Central Europe, it is highly significant that a Central European candidate was elected to such an important position. It shows that Central Europe is a strong region that has attained success through policies that are based on rationality and common sense. His election, along with the fact that Poland was elected to the Security Council as a non-permanent member, serves as proof that the Visegrad Group is strong and capable of speaking with a loud, united voice. Now, as we convene at the General Assembly, it is evident that we are living in extremely challenging times. Economic, political, defence and military relations are changing extremely rapidly.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“Such a Secretary-General could be very helpful in enabling the Central European countries to overcome some of their historical tensions and issues. Finally, I have the honour to announce Hungary’s candidature for the Human Rights Council for the 2017-2019 term. We are grateful to those countries that have already pledged to support us. I would like to emphasize here that we are ready to work together with our fellow States Members of the United Nations in order to contribute to making the United Nations human rights mechanisms more effective, with the goal of creating a better world for everyone.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“Finally, I would like to speak as a representative of a country from Central Europe. The Central European region must face some difficult and complicated challenges. There is a war in Ukraine that affects energy security; we have tensions in the western Balkan region; and we have to deal with the Russia/ Europe relationship. The Central and Eastern European countries form a group within the United Nations from which so far no Secretary-General has been chosen during the more than 70-year history of the Organization. This time, therefore, we are appealing to the generosity of the other four country groups in urging them to appoint a Secretary-General from Central Europe, who would understand the mindset of the people of Central Europe and their region and its challenges.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“I think we have a right to expect beneficiary countries to carry out reforms and to create conditions that will encourage their people to stay in their homelands. The United Nations must play a vital role in settling those serious conflicts and in overcoming those serious challenges. But, in order for it to do so, we need credibility. Hungary has joined the Accountability, Coherence and Transparency Group because we believe that we must improve the accountability and transparency of the United Nations. That is particularly true as it relates to the appointment process for the Secretary-General. We would like to congratulate the President of the General Assembly, Mr. Lykketoft, for having ushered in the new phase of appointing the Secretary-General by organizing a hearing and for increasing the Assembly’s role in that process.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“That is why we, the international community, have to support Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon and the Kurdish regional Government in Iraq, because those countries and the Kurdish region have been taking care of millions of refugees. If we do not help them, and if those countries and that region become unstable, then the refugees will hit the road, risking their lives trying to reach Europe. Europe will be unable to meet such a challenge. Hungary has contributed €3 million to the Madad Fund and has made a €5 million pledge to build a hospital in Syria. We have also launched a special scholarship programme for youngsters from Syria to study in Hungary, because we must help those in need. We must place conditions on our development projects and funding programmes.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“The uncontrolled and unregulated mass migration has offered terrorist organizations the opportunity to send their fighters and their terrorists to other countries and continents. The outcome and consequence of the uncontrolled and unregulated mass migration in Europe is the growing threat of terror and the worsening of public security. It is obvious now that people in Europe expect their politicians to make the restoration of security a top European policy priority. Our position is absolutely clear — we must help those in need. We must help people to stay as close to their homes as possible, because that will allow them to return to their homes as soon as the crises are over.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“Secondly, regarding human trafficking, the Hungarian Parliament has adopted stringent regulations against human traffickers, which can serve as best practices in the global struggle against smuggling networks. Thirdly, regarding migration, Hungary ranks the security of its people as its top priority. We have protected our borders thus far, and we will not allow any mass border violation in future. In that connection, we must make clear that migration policies all over the world have failed. Migration policies that consider all migrants to be refugees have failed. Migration policies that seek to force countries to host thousands of migrants against the will of their own citizens have failed. Migration policies based on accusing countries that protect their own borders have also failed.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“In that regard, I would like to mention that we urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to start investigating crimes committed by ISIS against Christian communities. We regret and deplore that, despite letters sent to the Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC, no real action has been taken. We are also saddened that the Security Council was not ready to refer the situation in Syria to the ICC. I would like to take this opportunity to inform the Assembly that the Hungarian Government has established a State secretariat that monitors the position of Christian communities all over the world, determines whether they are being persecuted and organizes help for those communities whenever necessary. By doing so, we hope to prevent crimes committed against Christian communities from going unpunished.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“But the option to pick which country to live in is not a fundamental human right. We must make it clear that there is no excuse for violating the border between two safe and peaceful countries. Regarding Hungary, I am proud to report that with the policies that we have been carrying out, we were able to contribute to appropriate responses to recent global challenges. First, Hungary is one of 23 countries that sent troops to fight ISIS. There are 143 Hungarian men and women serving in Iraq. They have been taking part in actions against ISIS as a force protection unit and as Peshmerga trainers. We have sent the Peshmerga army a significant amount of ammunition, and we have been taking part in the rehabilitation programme for wounded Peshmerga. We are also beginning to train Iraqi army officials.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“We must destroy their business models and recognize that they have caused the deaths of thousands of innocent people. I am sure we can all agree that their crimes against humanity must not remain unpunished. Thirdly, we must change the migration policies that inspire people to take their lives in their own hands to violate borders and to move to countries thousands of miles away. Migration is an extremely serious issue and challenge. That is why, instead of emotional debates, we need debates based on common sense and rationality. Instead of accusing and bashing each other, we must stand on the very stable basis of international law. I think it is especially pertinent to say that here, in this Hall. International law stipulates that the right to a safe life is a fundamental human right.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“However, in order to reach this goal, all of us together have to be successful in carrying out three global policy initiatives. First of all, we must eliminate the key factor of global terrorism: the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Until we finally destroy ISIS, there will be no peace or stability in Europe’s southern and south- eastern neighbourhoods, namely the Middle East and North Africa. Until we finally destroy ISIS, thousands upon thousands of people will continue to be forced to leave their homes. Until we finally destroy ISIS, Christian communities will continue to be threatened and will continue to suffer heavy attacks. Until we finally destroy ISIS, migratory pressure on Europe will not decrease. Secondly, we must eliminate the global network of human traffickers.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“Obviously, at this rostrum we do not need to say that the world has expeienced enormous global challenges that have recently led to dramatic changes in the tradional world order. Let me just emphasize three of the important factors responsible for those changes. All of us have witnessed, and unfortunately experienced, the worldwide spread of terrorist organizations. Day by day we witness the destabilization of some key and vulnerable regions of the world. And day by day we face the fact that around 60 to 65 million people globally are on the move, or being displaced, for various reasons. These three factors have led to dramatic changes in the world order. I think that it is no longer an exaggeration to say that this is the twenty-fourth hour and that there is but little time left for us to channel those changes in a positive direction.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“It is an honour for me to stand here in front of such a distinguished audience, especially in 2016, the year marking the sixtieth anniversary of the 1956 uprising, when the Hungarian people rose up and fought for their freedom against the Communist oppressors. In 1956, Hungary did not receive external help and so our revolution and fight for freedom was defeated, but the heroic efforts of our freedom fighters gave us the strength to survive the dictatorship and to finally gain freedom in 1990. So today I can stand here before everyone as a representative of a free and proud nation, a nation that is proud of its traditions, culture, Christianity and past struggles for freedom.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“We honour and respect the Muslim faith, and we would like to cooperate, as we must, in addressing the root causes of mass migration. To summarize, mass migration is a global challenge. We must respond globally. All major players must contribute. The burden must be shared. The United Nations should play a leading role in that initiative. We are ready to work together according to the agreed Sustainable Development Goals, which call for action to ensure that migration is safe, orderly and regulated.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“They are now caring for hundreds of thousands or even millions of migrants and refugees. So we propose that the European Union take over the financing of the refugee camps and, if more camps are necessary, then we must finance them. Here we would like to ask the Secretary-General to consider how the United Nations can increase its efforts to help Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon and how it can share the burden relating to migrants and refugees. Finally, I would like to draw members’ attention to the danger of anti-Muslim policies spreading throughout Europe or even beyond. We must stress that the Muslim faith has nothing to do with the root causes of this mass migration. I come from Hungary, a Christian country, and a Christian approach does not tolerate anti-Muslim policies.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“However, until long-term solutions are in place, we Europeans will have to take effective short-term measures to avoid becoming unstable ourselves as a result of the heavy pressure. Our first task in that regard is to regain control over our borders. If we cannot regain control over Europe’s borders, we will not be able to stop the influx of migrants 6/33 15-29946 03/10/2015 A/70/PV.28 and we will be defenceless. It is our responsibility to establish a joint European Union force to protect the external borders of the European Union. Our second task is that we must pay tribute to all those countries, such as Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon, that have been bearing enormous burdens to properly supply and treat refugees. We cannot, of course, expect them to bear that burden on their own.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“For that reason, we ask the Secretary-General to prepare a proposal to ensure that we address the challenge globally and that all major players in global politics and economics do their part to share the burden. My fourth point was that we have to maintain and increase the efforts of United Nations peacekeeping missions. If we are successful in peacekeeping missions and if we are capable of creating peace in unstable parts of the world, then we can hope to successfully handle the migration crisis. Hungarian troops have taken part in missions in Cyprus, Western Sahara and Lebanon. We support those missions, and we urge the United Nations to increase its efforts in that regard.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“The only acceptable means, and maybe the only successful means, is through negotiations. There I agree with the German Chancellor, who said that we have to ensure maximum political inclusiveness. That might be the successful way to settle the conflict in Syria. That returns us to the critical point that there will be no forward progress and no possibility for resolving the crisis in Syria unless there is agreement and cooperation between the transatlantic community and the Russian Federation. If we study the nature of mass migration, we see that migrants are usually transported by human traffickers. That is why I urge the international community to take international action to harmonize and tighten its legislation against human trafficking. Thirdly, there should be a system of world quotas.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“There also needs to be close cooperation between the transatlantic community and the Russian Federation. Hungary has already done its homework. We have deployed 112 troops in Iraqi Kurdistan. Our original mission was to act as a force protection unit but, based on a request from the United States, we are now participating in training Peshmerga troops as well. We must not forget that ISIS has committed crimes against humanity, so we urge the International Criminal Court to investigate and sanction those brutal crimes properly. My second point was that we have to create stability in the region of the Middle East and North Africa. The major challenge there is Syria, but it is obvious that if we fail to make peace in Syria, then the migration pressure on Europe will not decrease.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“Fourthly, we have to continue and strengthen United Nations missions. And fifthly, we have to fully implement the Sustainable Development Goals. If we are not able to comply with those five requirements, I doubt that we will be able to address the challenges entirely. With respect to ISIS, we need to take into account that, although we have put together a very broad military coalition, we have so far achieved only limited success. ISIS is still acquiring additional territory, killing people and committing brutal crimes. We have all seen the videos. ISIS has caused more damage to our common historical heritage than all armed conflicts in the world since the end of the Second World War. So we have to increase our efforts and take coordinated action.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“I have to say that if that does not change, if we cannot regain control over our borders, if we cannot reduce the influx and the pressure, Europe could be destabilized as well, first at the periphery and then even at the centre. I would therefore like to stress again that this is a global challenge that needs a global answer, a global solution based on global participation. What should be done? In principle, instead of addressing only the consequences, we should handle the root causes. That is the key issue. For that we have a five-point proposal. First, we have to increase our international efforts to combat ISIS. Secondly, we have to stabilize the situation in the region of North Africa and the Middle East. Thirdly, we have to create a system of world quotas for the relocation of migrants.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“The overall picture we are seeing is one of a destabilized region in the Middle East and North Africa, with 15 new armed conflicts and wars in the past five years and limited success in combating climate change and water shortages. And it is obvious that for those three reasons, a mass global migration has begun. “Global” is the most important word here. We have to agree that this is a global challenge. And if mass migration is a global challenge, we need a global answer, a global solution with global participation. Currently, it is Europe, or more precisely the European Union, that is bearing most of the burden of the latest waves of mass migration.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“We have not even mentioned the struggles in Libya and the lack of a unity Government there; we have not mentioned Boko Haram or sub-Saharan Africa, where there are already more than 12.5 million IDPs. In the meantime, we also need to focus on the fight against climate change, in which our success so far has also been limited, since the average temperature on Earth has increased by almost 1 per cent since the last century. Global warming leads to rising sea levels, which lead to extreme weather conditions, which lead 15-29946 5/33 A/70/PV.28 03/10/2015 to droughts, a lack of food, and because of that, to further migration movements. Today, there are between 25 and 30 million people who are migrants because of environmental conditions, and some forecasts say that by 2050 there could be around 100 million.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“One is that there has been a series of bad international political decisions, in which Europe was not the only participant. The other is that the Islamic State in Iraq and the Sham (ISIS) has been gaining additional territory. If we are honest with one another, we have had only limited success so far in fighting ISIS. Owing to those two reasons, a significant part of the Middle East and North Africa has been destabilized. As a result, more than 8 million people in Iraq and more than 12.2 million in Syria now live on humanitarian aid. In Afghanistan, after the mission of the International Security Assistance Force concluded, the international military presence there was to be reduced by 90 per cent. There are already 1 million Afghan refugees in Iran and 1.5 million in Pakistan.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“As far as its size is concerned, this mass migration has an unlimited supply of people, and if we cannot stop the influx soon, the problem will stay with us for a long time. I totally agree with the statement made by the Secretary-General at the start of the general debate to the effect that there have never been so many people on the move as there are right now (see A/70/PV.13). There are 60 million people all over the world who have had to leave their homes because of armed conflicts or wars, and in 2014 we saw the biggest increase of all in the numbers of migrants and refugees. There have not been this many refugees, migrants and internally displaced persons (IDPs) at one time since the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was established. There are two reasons for that.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“One does not have to be an economist to see that that is an unsustainable situation. Currently, however, the European Union is confronting the most complicated challenge that it has seen since its foundation, namely, mass migration. Unfortunately, we have not been able to find the right answers — yet. That is because we have no consensus in Europe, or worldwide either, about the nature, size and volume of this mass migration. In that regard, I should underline that what we are facing is not a refugee crisis. It is much greater and more complicated than that. We are situated on the most travelled migration route, and I have to say that this mass migration is composed of asylum seekers, economic migrants and also, unfortunately, some foreign fighters.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“The European Union runs a programme called the Eastern Partnership, through which we promote cooperation with six former Soviet republics that would like to have some type of European perspective. But Belarus is the only country of the six that is not involved in some kind of territorial dispute or frozen conflict. And Europe still faces economic challenges. I do not want to discuss that in detail, since another entire general debate would not be enough to lay out all the economic and trade challenges that we have been dealing with, but what I can say is that Europe, whose share of the world’s population is between 7 and 8 per cent, produces 15 to 16 per cent of the world’s gross domestic product and at the same time contributes 50 per cent of the world’s spending on social welfare.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“And if we are talking about the world as the whole, putting things in a global context, we can say that since the end of the Cold War, the world has not had to face as many simultaneous difficulties as it is facing now. Over the past five years, we have seen 15 wars and armed conflicts launched or renewed. And now Europe is facing a war as well. A couple of years ago, we would not have thought that Europe would have to face a war again in the twenty-first century, but now that has happened. There is a war going on in Ukraine, in our neighbourhood; and if we look at the eastern region of Europe, we see a series of frozen conflicts and territorial disputes.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“I am pleased to be addressing the General Assembly on the occasion of this seventieth anniversary. Seventy years ago, the United Nations was founded to promote cooperation among its Member States and 4/33 15-29946 03/10/2015 A/70/PV.28 to establish international peace and security. That would be a good reason to celebrate, but here we are, 70 years later, and if we are frank with one another —and we should be — it is obvious that there are no major reasons to be satisfied or to celebrate. That is because, on the seventieth anniversary of the foundation of the United Nations, it is not an exaggeration to say that in the years since the end of Second World War, Europe, where I come from, has not had to face at any one time challenges as numerous and as serious as those that it is facing now.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)