Statement by Ambassador Liu Jieyi at the Security Council High Level Briefing on Strengthening the Partnership and Synergy between the United Nations and the Organization of Islamic |
2013-10-28 05:00 |
Mr. President, China appreciates the initiative of Azerbaijan to host today’s high-level briefing on strengthening the partnership and synergy between the United Nations and the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC). We welcome Foreign Minister Mammadyarov, who has presided over this meeting. I thank Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon; Mr Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu, Secretary-General of the OIC; and Mr. Iyad Madani, the newly elected Secretary-General of the OIC, for their attendance. China has listened attentively to the briefings by Secretaries-General Ban Ki-moon and Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu. China welcomes the presidential statement just adopted by the Council. The United Nations is the core of our collective security system, and the Security Council shoulders the primary responsibility for maintaining world peace and security. At the same time, various regional and subregional organizations are playing an ever more important role in maintaining regional peace and security and promoting development. They have become a useful complement to the United Nations. At present, global and regional threats and challenges are on the rise, and national security interests are intertwined. Strengthening cooperation between the United Nations and various regional and subregional organizations is conducive to promoting multilateralism and solidifying and strengthening international collective security mechanisms and our common efforts to maintain international peace and security. China appreciates the important role played by the OIC in promoting unity and cooperation in the Islamic world and dialogues among different civilizations. China supports efforts to further deepen cooperation between the United Nations and this Council on the one hand, and the OIC on the other hand, in our common endeavour to promote world peace and economic development. I wish to highlight the following three points. First, the conduct of cooperation between the United Nations and the OIC should be guided by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and the basic norms governing international relations. The purposes and principles of the Charter represent the cornerstone of contemporary international relations. The Charter is the guiding document for cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations. This cooperation should uphold fundamental principles such as those established in the Charter, namely, sovereign equality and the peaceful settlement of disputes. This should be designed to strengthen coordination in a united effort to solve regional hotspot issues through good offices and mediation and to maintain international and regional peace, security, stability and development. Secondly, in conducting cooperation between the United Nations and the OIC, attention should be paid to the overall coordination with an eye on comparative advantages. Because of its advantages in terms of religion, history and culture, the OIC is uniquely placed to deal well with questions related to Islam. Over the past years, the OIC has played an important role, recognized by the international community, in assisting in the settlement of regional conflicts and bolstering post-conflict reconstruction. Cooperation between the United Nations and the Council, on the one hand, and the OIC, on the other, should be built on coordination and relative advantages in order to complement each other’s efforts and build synergy. Thirdly, cooperation between the United Nations and the OIC can take a variety of forms while focusing on results. In May 2012, the Secretariat and the OIC reached an important consensus on strengthening cooperation in conflict prevention, mediation, humanitarian assistance and cross-cultural dialogues. In May, the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate and the OIC held a seminar in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on international cooperation in fighting terrorism with positive results. Such interaction has furthered cooperation exchange between the United Nations and the OIC in areas of mutual concern, while accumulating useful experiences for future cooperation. In keeping pace with evolving situations and actual needs, both parties would do well to further explore and expand channels of coordination and enrich the means and ways of cooperation to achieve better results. China attaches top priority to the unique role of the IOC and supports its continuing, positive efforts to maintain regional peace and security and promote common development. Over time, China has actively developed friendly, cooperative relations with Islamic countries and has formed mutually supportive political partnerships, mutually beneficial economic partnerships, and humanistic partnerships built on exchanges and cooperation. China stands ready to join with the international community in further elevating the cooperation between the Security Council and the OIC in our joint efforts to build a harmonious world of enduring peace and a common prosperity. Thank you, Mr. President. |