New York: Montenegro, as factor of stability in region, is committed to peacebuilding and sustaining peace

Minister of Foreign Affairs Srđan Darmanović participated in New York in high-level UN General Assembly Summit on peacebuilding and sustaining peace, at the invitation of President of the 72nd General Assembly of the United Nations Miroslav Lajčak.

Minister Darmanović said that the maintenance of peace and security is not only a task of the UN and other international organizations, but a process of individual, collective and institutional transformation based on the universal values of respect for life, justice, solidarity and human rights.

Emphasising the commitment of Montenegro to achieving common goals and results, he pointed to the importance of conflict prevention and the building of lasting peace that require sustainable and adequate solutions.

Minister Darmanović also pointed to the importance that Montenegro attaches to the role of women in peacebuilding and underlined the strong link between their more intense involvement in conflict prevention and participation in decision-making processes in the direction of building sustainable peace. He noted that Montenegro recently joined the Group of Friends of Women, Peace and Security.

The officials estimated that this meeting represents another confirmation of the strong commitment of President of the General Assembly Miroslav Lajčak to strengthening the UN system and the implementation of the priorities of his presidency. They pointed out the importance of intensified UN cooperation with the member states in the field of conflict prevention and support at all stages of the conflict.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Minister Darmanović spoke with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Minister Darmanović expressed satisfaction with the meeting, which is another confirmation of the continuous dialogue between Montenegro and the UN at a high level. He stressed that Montenegro, under the auspices of the UN and promoting the fundamental values of the organization, will continue to contribute to finding sustainable solutions to the current challenges facing the international community.

In this regard, he assessed that special emphasis should be placed on strengthening activities towards the peacebuilding and sustaining peace at the state, regional and global level, as well as strengthening and improving the role of women and youth in conflict prevention.

Secretary-General Guterres expressed gratitude to Montenegro for its commitment to the United Nations. He congratulated on the reforms and said that Montenegro is a factor of stability in the region.