Foreign Minister attends UNGA 74 opening session

New York, Sept. 24(BNA): The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa participated in the opening session of the General Debate of the 74 session of the United Nations General Assembly, which was held today in New York City, in the presence of their Majesties, Highnesses, Excellencies, Heads of State and Government and high-level officials from Member States and governmental and non-governmental organization. The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, addressed the General Assembly and condemned the attack on oil facilities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, stressing that it is totally unacceptable. He also called for the need for international action to bring peace and sustainable development around the world and maintain the global economy. In regards to the Palestinian issue, he criticized unilateral measures that threaten the two-state solution. He also touched on the situation in the Syrian Arab Republic, the Republic of Sudan and the State of Libya, thus stressing the need to stop the arms race and external interference in the internal affairs of other countries. The President of the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, reviewed the challenges facing the international community at this stage, most notably: poverty eradication, terrorism, education and health promotion, job creation, better social welfare, climate change and mitigation, emphasizing the need for cooperation and action to eliminate these challenges and achieve these goals. In his address to the UN General Assembly, U.S President, Donald Trump criticized what he described as corrupt regime in Iran, which rejects peace and follows a destructive strategy. He stressed that Iran continues to be a leading country in sponsoring terrorism, as it ignites wars and conflicts in the Syrian Arab Republic and in the Republic of Yemen, and dissipate the wealth of the Iranian people, restating the need to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. President Trump further added that the United States of America will continue to impose strict sanctions on Iran. Keynote speakers at the General Debate of UNGA on its first day include: President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Abdel Fattah El Sisi, King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, His Majesty King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein, as well as a number of heads of State and heads of delegation present at UNGA 74.