UN Photo - Marco Castro

Minister of Foreign Affairs H.E. Mr. Karel Schwarzenberg visited New York to deliver a statement at the General Debate of the 63rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly as well as to contribute to High Level Meetings on Africa and its development needs and on the UN Millennium Development Goals (to be attained by 2015). He also attended a Ministerial Meeting of the European Union and the United States of America and a Special Informal Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Council of Europe on Georgia. He was accompanied by Ambassador H.E. Mr. Martin Palouš, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Jan Kohout, Political Director Martin Povejšil, Director General of the Minister´s Cabinet Ms. Edita Hrda and other members of his delegation.

The Czech Republic will hold the Presidency of the EU Council in the first half of 2009. This implies an already strengthened role of Czech diplomacy in the EU framework during the second half of 2008. As a member of the EU Troika (as the country holding the next EU Presidency), the Czech Foreign Minister took part in EU meetings with regional groupings as well as individual countries (Gulf Cooperation Council, Pakistan, Iraq, Palestine, China, Rio Group, UN Secretary-General, Japan, Bosnia and Herzegovina). He also met with several of his counterparts in bilateral meetings to discuss issues of common interest and concern (Rwanda, Egypt, Albania, Serbia, Palestine, Montenegro, Iraq, Colombia, Nigeria, Peru, India, etc.).

For the transcript of the General Debate Statement of H.E. Karel Schwarzenberg please click HERE .
For the Statement in the UN Webcast video archive please click HERE .

Selected Media Reports

Reuters - Louis Charbonneau: Russia acted like colonia power in Georgia... (9/27/2008)

Czech Press Agency ČTK: Schwarzenberg v OSN kritizoval Rusko (9/27/2008)

Czech Press Agency ČTK: Schwarzenberg slams Russia over Georgia in UN

Reuters - Louis Charbonneau: Finance crisis could delay U.S. missile shield: Czechs (9/26/2008)

Le Monde - Phillipe Bolopion and Natalie Nougayrède: Les Occidentaux confrontés à la diplomatie russe du "niet" dans les instances internationales (quotations only) (9/25/2008)

AFP - Caucase: les Européens renoncent à tenir une réunion à haut niveau (quotations only) (9/23(2008)

Czech Press Agency ČTK: Czechs present report on human rights abuses in North Korea in UN (9/22/2008)

Czech Press Agency ČTK: Česká diplomacie uvedla v OSN zprávu o lidských právech v KLDR (9/22/2008)

Reuters - Louis Charbonneau: World seen neglecting N. Korea human rights abuses (9/22/2008)

AP: Report faults North Korean human rights (9/23/2008)