Blinken To Join Meeting On Ukraine, Call For UNSC Reform Next Week At UNGA - State Dept.

WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th September, 2022) US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will participate in a UN Security Council ministerial meeting on Ukraine on Thursday during the high-level week at the United Nations General Assembly debate, Assistant Secretary of State for International Organizations Michele Sison said on Friday.

Blinken will arrive in New York City on Sunday and intends to remain until Friday evening September 23, Sison said.

"On September 22, the Secretary will participate in the UN Security Council ministerial on the maintenance of peace and security in Ukraine," Sison said during a conference call with reporters.

The United States will also make a call during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) debate next week for countries to forge a consensus on need to reform the UN Security Council, Sison said.

"We will advance efforts to reform the UN Security Council ... We do not believe that the United States should defend an outdated status quo," Sison said during a conference call. "While we're clear-eyed about the obstacles to Security Council reform, we will make a serious call for countries to forge consensus around credible, realistic proposals for the way forward to remain credible into the 21st century."

Sison said the United States during the high-level week will claim that Russia's special military operation in Ukraine is threatening the credibility of the UN Security Council.

The senior State Department official noted that President Joe Biden's plans to attend the late Queen Elizabeth's funeral on Monday has required some adjustments in next week's plans at the United Nations, which are still being finalized.

The United States will focus on three key priorities at this year's high-level week: combating the global food insecurity crisis, advancing global health security, and boosting the credibility of the United Nations in light of Russia's military operation Ukraine, Sison said.

On Monday, Blinken will spend most of the day in bilateral meetings, which are still in development, Sison said without revealing who the secretary plans to meet. She added that Bliniken's schedule for bilateral meetings remains dynamic and will likely change on a daily basis.

On Tuesday, Blinken will co-chair with the African Union, the European Union, and Spain, a global food security summit, Sison said. This summit will be an opportunity for world leaders to highlight innovative concrete solutions that respond to urgent food assistance needs, invest in food system resiliency, and build on previous work to address the global issue.

On Wednesday evening, Blinken will participate in a dinner with Group of Seven (G7) partners that will focus on Ukraine, Sison said, adding that the event will be hosted by Germany.

On Thursday, Sison said, Blinken will have a breakfast meeting with C5+1 countries Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, after which the group will issue a joint statement.

On Friday, Blinken will join a breakfast meeting with the Gulf Cooperation Council plus three, Sison said. The breakfast will advance the issues Biden discussed with his GCC plus three counterparts this past summer, and ensure continued high-level conversations on high-priority issues including Iran, Russia, Ukraine, food security and global health, she added.

Also on Friday, Blinken will meet with his counterparts in the Indo-Pacific Quad alliance to coordinate views on the strategic rules-based environment and key deliverables, including the signing of quad humanitarian assistance and disaster relief guidelines, Sison said.

Blinken is also scheduled on Friday to co-host with the foreign ministers of Bangladesh, Botswana and Spain, a ministerial to build on the global action plan to enhance international coordination and to strength readiness for future pandemic threats.