Russia will be urged to open Black Sea Corridor, Rama says

Albanian PM, Edi Rama gave a statement on Wednesday just before the start of the UN Security Council meeting. Rama said the main topic of the meeting is the war in Ukraine and discussions will take place to find ways on how to help Ukraine to achieve peace.

According to the head of the Albanian government, Russia will also be urged to open the Black Sea Corridor for grain shipments.

Today, the Security Council will convene for a high-level open debate on Ukraine. The meeting, titled “Upholding the purposes and principles of the UN Charter through effective multilateralism: Maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine”, is a signature event of Albania’s September Council presidency. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama is expected to chair the meeting, at which Secretary-General António Guterres will brief. Several heads of state, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, are expected to participate in the meeting. This will be Zelenskyy’s first in-person address to the Security Council since the onset of the war in Ukraine in February 2022. No outcome is anticipated in connection with today’s meeting.

Albania has prepared a concept note ahead of tomorrow’s meeting, which says that the open debate seeks to “address the implications of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine for multilateralism” and to offer member states an opportunity to consider potential collective efforts to “reinforce the international rules-based order and strengthen multilateralism”.

The concept note underscores the profound changes that the world is experiencing and suggests that, 78 years after the UN’s founding, its Charter’s principles are facing unprecedented risk. It points out that, in addition to challenging the core tenets of the “international rules-based order” by flouting border sanctity and violating Article 2 (4) of the UN Charter, which prohibits the threat or use of force, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has also strained multilateralism. Such actions have exposed the limitations and vulnerabilities of the multilateral system, casting doubt on the UN’s role, particularly that of the Security Council, in managing such crises.

Against this backdrop, the concept note highlights the renewed appeals for Security Council reform, aiming to make it more representative and responsive to global crises. It further emphasises the ongoing need to bolster multilateral institutions and have them evolve so as to effectively address intricate global issues and maintain international peace and security.