President: Lithuania is ready to contribute to solving key international security issues
Speaking about Lithuania's experience in mediation, the President underlined that over twenty years of independence Lithuania has become an active member of the international community, increasingly entrusted with responsible duties and the resolution of complex global issues. Lithuania has chaired the Community of Democracies, the OSCE, and it will hold the EU presidency in 2013.
Next year, in June, Lithuania will also assume chairmanship of the UN General Assembly and in 2013 it will seek non-permanent membership in the Security Council - UN's main institution responsible for international security issues. The Security Council which adopts key international security decisions is comprised of fifteen UN members - 5 countries hold permanent seats and 10 countries are elected every two years.
"In recent years Lithuania invested a lot in building its capacity to become a broker in dealing with various international security issues. We are determined to take global responsibility and to run for the Security Council's non-permanent seat for the 2014-2015 period," the President said to the world leaders.
According to the President, in order to ensure international security it is important not only to be able to overcome traditional crises, but also to address new threats and challenges - energy security, cybercrime, food safety, climate change.
President Dalia Grybauskaitė called the attention of world leaders to nuclear safety and security issues and welcomed the ambitious nuclear safety action plan approved at the ongoing IAEA General Conference in Vienna.
"Chernobyl and Fukushima obligate us to create strict legal international imperatives and to ensure compliance with them. We cannot allow any compromises on safety and security," the President emphasized.
President Dalia Grybauskaitė put forward Lithuania's proposals on ensuring nuclear safety: each and every nuclear power plant, its site, nuclear technology and expertise of personnel should be subjected to tighter quality requirements. Stress tests should become routine practice and information about nuclear projects must be absolutely transparent and open to public access.
Lithuanian statement is available online (text in English and video): http://gadebate.un.org/66/lithuania.
