site.btaBulgarian President Takes Part in Opening of General Debate of 74th UN General Assembly Session

New York, September 24 (BTA) - Bulgarian President Rumen Radev took part in the opening of the general debate of the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, the President's press secretariat reported. Radev told journalists that the new session is expected to achieve substantial progress in preventing and dealing with conflicts and enhancing security in the world, but in reality these expectations are difficult to fulfill.

The President noted that the most important prerequisite for guaranteeing stability and overcoming conflict is the commitment to dialogue and the direct communication among state leaders in the framework of the UN. This year, he said, the theme of the General Assembly session also implies invigorating multilateral efforts to eradicate poverty, which is at the core of many conflicts, raising the quality of education, addressing climate change and promoting social inclusion.

Taking a reporter's question about the bitter rhetoric and the security environment in the Persian Gulf, Radev expressed hope that Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's de-escalation proposals and the views of the United States and the other partners will indeed lead to an easing of tensions and will prevent a new potential conflict in the Middle East.

Asked to comment on political leaders' calls for a new nuclear deal with Iran, Radev said the European Union has already stated its stance clearly by upholding the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which should be implemented. If the plan is neglected, this will bring everything back to where it started, ushering in an accelerated and dangerous course of nuclear armament in the Middle East. MY/VE
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