Head of State Stevo Pendarovski addressed the General Assembly of the United Nations this afternoon, saying that the international order has been thoroughly shaken in many parts of the world and that fear has become a common denominator for everyone. He emphasized that the Russian Federation's aggression against Ukraine continues with unabated ferocity, which is, as he says, a flagrant violation of the Charter of the United Nations and the principles of international law, in continuity.
According to him, it is the biggest security crisis since the Second World War, with global consequences that are more or less felt on all continents, and he pointed out that with each passing day, the suffering of the Ukrainian people increases, material goods are destroyed and the danger of escalation.

- We strongly condemn the aggression against Ukraine, as did a huge number of members of our organization. We stand for the unconditional withdrawal of the Russian occupying troops and for the respect of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity, within its internationally recognized borders. The Charter of the World Assembly in that sense is crystal clear - all open issues anywhere in the world must be resolved peacefully, through negotiations and dialogue, by renouncing the use of force, Pendarovski said.

The President of the country told the world that it is the last hour to silence the drums of war, to respect the Charter of the United Nations, starting from the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the states, as a fundamental principle and the main reason for the existence of the world organization, adding that peace is the basis of everything, however, the world is faced with challenges of a different format and to solve them, as he says, it is not enough to have only peace between countries, but also mutual trust and cooperation.

- It is clear that the trust, built for decades, mostly in this building, has been seriously damaged and that we will need time, efforts and above all, political will to re-establish it. Regardless of all the differences that exist between us – political, economic or cultural – we must act together in the interests of peace, stability and prosperity for present and future generations. The alternatives to dialogue between nations are frightening, and any procrastination will face us again with the same threat, as the price we will have to pay will be much higher, stressed Pendarovski in his address to the UN General Assembly.

Referring to the development of the country, Pendarovski emphasized that since the first day of our independence, more than 30 years ago, the country has manifested in the best possible way its attachment to the principles of peace, deepened regional cooperation and solving open issues through dialogue and continues to do so through the chairmanship of the OSCE this year.

- This year, we are presiding over the OSCE, the largest regional security organization, in a time filled with unprecedented challenges, but even in such conditions, we strive to maintain the Organization's relevance, starting from the fundamental principles of the UN Charter and the Helsinki Final Act. We remain among the biggest promoters of regional cooperation in Southeast Europe, striving, at the same time, to fulfill the criteria for membership in the European Union, no later than 2030. In our country, there is no doubt that the strengthening of democratic institutions, in continuity, with guaranteed equality of all citizens, is the only possible path to greater cohesion in a multi-ethnic society, emphasized the head of state.

According to him, it is the responsibility of political leaders to replace the existing feeling of fear with faith for a better world.

-At the beginning I mentioned that fear of the future is probably the most dominant feeling in the world today. However, this must not be accepted as a normal state. Before us, the political leaders gathered here, is the obligation to replace that feeling of fear with hope and faith for a more just world. A prerequisite for that is to reach, without delay, a renewed agreement to respect the fundamental values ​​and humane ideals for which this organization was founded 78 years ago, Pendarovski told the participants of the general debate of the 78th UN General Assembly.