Statement by Foreign Minister Osman Saleh at the 7th Ministerial Meeting of the Group of Friends in Defense of the UN Charter
Statement by H.E. Mr. Osman Saleh
Foreign Minister of the State of Eritrea
During the 7th Ministerial Meeting of the Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the United Nations
New York, 26th September 2025
Mr. President,
Excellencies,
At the outset, let me congratulate the Group of Friends for holding its Seventh Ministerial Meeting on the margins of the 80th anniversary of the United Nations. I also express our sincere gratitude to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela for the tireless efforts in coordinating the works of our Group and let me also express our strong solidarity with the Venezuelan people and Government in preserving their political independence and dignity. We welcome the Political Declaration and the relevant Special Declarations including the one on the African Priorities.
Mr. President,
The convening of the Ministerial Meeting comes at a critical global transition period in which the world order is undergoing through transformative changes. The defunct unipolarity, unilateralism, and the so-called ‘rules-based-order’ have proved to be futile to address existing and emerging global crisis. Under this unjust order, our nations, particularly in the Global South, have been and continue to bear the brunt of the hegemonic interests of the few powers.
Nevertheless, recent global developments intimate that such unjust and inequitable international order can no longer sustain and should pave the way for a polycentric global order that embraces the aspirations of all nations and peoples so as to play their deserved role and cooperate on level-playing grounds. A more equitable world order anchored on the principles of international law and genuine multilateral cooperation is not only desirable but judiciously imperative.
As we recommit to rectify the ramifications and legacies of the lingering injustices and thereby envisage for more equitable world order after 80 years, it is incumbent upon all member states to uphold the sacred principles of sovereign equality, territorial integrity, political independence, non-interference in the domestic affairs, peaceful settlement of disputes, and prohibition of the threat or use of force. These core principles of the UN Charter and international law must govern the friendly relations and cooperation among all states – big or small, developed or developing.
Eritrea, a law-abiding nation that has immensely paid to achieve its independence and preserve its sovereignty and political independence, firmly upholds the cardinal principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations. It categorically rejects any reckless attempts transgressing these principles in pursuit of perceived geopolitical interests as these will lead to unprecedent regional and international destabilization.
Mr. President,
Several members of our Group, including Eritrea, have been and continue to be subjected to the illegal and unwarranted unilateral coercive measures (UCMs) – foreign policy toolboxes enacted to systematically deprive nations from their right to development. All types of UCMs must be rejected and annulled immediately and unconditionally. We further urge all member states, particularity our Group of Friends, to work in solidarity and unity to eradicate the negative impacts of UCMs and in this regard, we welcome the designation of the 4th of December as the “International Day Against Unilateral Coercive Measures.”
Mr. President,
The requisite political goodwill and convergences galvanized among our Group of Friends in the last years certainly deserves applaud. We need to leverage on these achievements by taking further concrete steps to coordinating and harmonizing positions in matters of common interests and concerns. As we endeavor to broaden our coordination activities, the fundamental principles including the preservation, promotion and defense of the UN Charter should continue guiding our collective vision and aspiration. In this connection, we welcome the activation of the Vienna Chapter to coordinate common interests within the framework of the United Nations Industrial Organization (UNIDO) and we further express the need for a qualitative expansion of our membership to strengthen and deepen our shared objectives.
Finally, at this crucial global transition, the Group of Friends in the Defense of the Charter of the United Nations needs to redouble its efforts and resolve to seize the momentum for a more just, peaceful and representative international order. Eritrea reassures its commitment to engaging constructively within the Group and the wider membership to advance the stated objectives of the Group as stipulated in the UN Charter.
I Thank You!