Taraba Delivers Speeches at UN Security Council and General Assembly

New York, 23 July (TASR) - Vice-premier and Environment Minister Tomas Taraba (a Slovak National Party/SNS nominee) delivered speeches at the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly during his visit to the United States on Tuesday (22 July), the Environment Ministry's communications department has informed TASR. At both forums, Taraba defined respect for international treaties and the peaceful resolution of conflicts as a fundamental feature of Slovakia's foreign policy. He also met UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Taraba addressed the participants in a conference organised by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and held talks with UN Economic and Social Council President Robert Rae. The promotion of sustainable development and competitiveness of economies was high on the agenda of their talks. Taraba called on countries to rationally reconsider the green transformation of economies, which he claims brings no benefits in many areas, only increasing costs and weakening competitiveness. He also stressed the need for countries to be able to choose themselves what electricity mix is beneficial for them. "Slovakia is an industrial country. No solar and wind parks are able to satisfy its industrial consumption. Therefore, it is essential that nuclear electricity be given the same status as a renewable source. We need electricity at competitive prices," said Taraba. Taraba will continue his working trip to the USA in the next few days. He'll leave for Washington, where he'll hold talks with the management of US company Westinghouse. ko/df