Blanar: Slovakia Supports Presidency of UN General Assembly's 81st Session

New York, 14 July (TASR-correspondent) - Slovakia is a reliable and constructive partner of the United Nations (UN) and is ready to support the presidency of the UN General Assembly's 81st session under Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman, according to Slovak Foreign and European Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) who held talks with Rahman in New York on Tuesday, TASR learnt from its special correspondent on the same day. Rahman was elected President of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly by secret ballot in early June. The two ministers also reaffirmed their interest in strengthening bilateral relations between Slovakia and Bangladesh. "We look forward to close cooperation with the new President of the General Assembly and are ready to support his presidency. I am convinced that the future president's many years of experience within the UN will be particularly valuable during the preparations for the 2027 Sustainable Development Goals Summit," stated Blanar. According to the Slovak Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, the ministers discussed the priorities of the upcoming September session, including the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, the use of artificial intelligence for sustainable development, the reform of the international financial architecture, and support for the least developed countries. At the same time, Slovakia is continuing its active diplomatic campaign to be elected as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2028-29 term. Blanar presented the priorities of Slovakia's candidacy to Rahman, who confirmed Bangladesh's support for the bid. During the talks, the ministers also confirmed their interest in developing bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Slovakia, particularly in water management, energy, infrastructure and the defence industry. "Mutual trade exceeded €500 million in both 2024 and 2025, and there's room for further growth, especially in energy technology, water management and joint industrial projects," added the ministry. The head of Slovak diplomacy also praised Bangladesh's long-term humanitarian efforts in providing aid to more than one million Rohingya refugees. Blanar is on a working visit to the United States from Sunday (12 July) to Thursday (16 July) in order to attend UN meetings in New York. During the visit, he spoke at the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development and held bilateral talks with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. He also addressed an informal meeting of UN Security Council members on the relationship between natural resources, peace and security. Furthermore, at UN headquarters, he launched Slovakia's campaign for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2028-2029 term. Blanar is due to hold talks with Saudi Arabia's Minister of Economy and Planning Faisal F. Alibrahim and Tongan Prime Minister Fatafehi Fakafanua, while he will also meet the staff of Slovakia's Permanent Mission to the UN. jrg