International

Argentine President inaugurates conference on Peace Operations

Photo: EFE

September 12 |

The opening of the II Latin American and Caribbean Conference on Peace Operations of the United Nations Organization (ALCONU) was held on Tuesday by the President of Argentina, Alberto Fernandez, in the San Martin Hall of the Libertador Building.

Also presiding the event with the President were the Ministers of Defense, Jorge Taiana, and of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship, Santiago Cafiero, and the Assistant Secretary General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix.

The event organized by the Argentine Ministry of Defense, hosted by Taiana, is an international meeting that brings together the Ministers of Defense of 24 countries of the region and the world.

“The United Nations has been developing peace missions for a long time, and we, who are Latin America and a region of peace (…) have learned to solve our problems with diplomacy and dialogue”, said the President to those present.

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The objective of this Conference, of which Argentina holds the Pro Tempore Presidency, is to strengthen the articulation with respect to the United Nations Peacekeeping Operations (PKOs).

“We will continue to accompany the United Nations, to the extent that it remains the center that brings us together as the world that we are and we will always continue to demand respect for peace,” said President Fernandez in closing his speech.

For his part, the Argentine Minister of Defense said: “We reaffirm our willingness to support the multilateral system in general, the United Nations system, and also, in particular, our support for the entire area of peacekeeping operations”.

At the conclusion of the Conference, the first institutional mechanism in the region and the world for UN-mandated peacekeeping cooperation will be signed, the so-called Statute of the Latin American and Caribbean Network for Peacekeeping Cooperation (RELACOPAZ), drafted in Lima in 2022.

Similarly, progress will be made in defining the objectives, strategic thinking and regional perspective on PMOs under UN mandate.

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In addition to the member countries gathered there, representatives from Spain, Canada, India, China, Slovenia, Pakistan and France will also participate as observers.

In recent times, Argentina’s links with UN Peace Operations have doubled from four to eight international missions in countries such as Cyprus, Colombia, Lebanon, Western Sahara, Central African Republic, Middle East, South Sudan and India-Pakistan.

Related Topics:Argentina conference on Peace Operations

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