Quotes from Miroslav Lajcak

If there is one thing we need to avoid, it is competition between E.U. institutions.

The U.K. should be treated with respect because it deserves respect.

Our people have not been exposed to Muslims, and they are frightened. It's a new phenomenon for them... Hundreds of Muslims mean nothing in Belgium or London, but it does mean something in Slovakia.

Everyone who has ever asked for asylum in Slovakia was granted asylum if that person met the conditions. There was never any discrimination based on religion.

Mediation is one of the most effective tools of non-violence. It can turn parties away from conflict, towards compromise.

I really don't want to live in a world where the U.N. will not be relevant, will not be seen as the enterprise we turn to when we have a problem.

I want to use but not misuse my position as President of the General Assembly.

If we hand over a planet with an uncertain future, history will not forgive us.

The negotiations on the future of the U.K. and the E.U. must be led... in the interest of our citizens.

I have absolutely no doubts that the best for the U.K. is to stay in the European Union.

The United Nations should serve as a forum to address our common challenges. And it must also be a space to generate solutions for mutual benefit. This is the very essence of what the United Nations is about. We must position the multilateral system to better serve our people and deliver on their aspirations.

I'm a career diplomat. I spent 30 years as a diplomat, out of which seven years as foreign minister. I've always believed in the United Nations as a centre of multilateralism and multilateral diplomacy.

The United Nations has an irreplaceable role in dealing with global issues. While other international bodies play important roles, the U.N. is the only truly global arena where we can achieve results for the global good.

Indeed, it is a common goal to create a stronger United Nations able to meet the multitude of expectations placed upon it. To that end, I will facilitate a constructive, informed, and open interaction among Member States and with the Secretary-General.

What keeps me awake at night is the issue of relevance of the United Nations.

Human rights represent absolute and universal values. They should be protected by all means we have at our disposal.

Real political will for change is achieved when the risks associated with the necessary political and structural changes are articulated at the planning stages, the key stakeholders acknowledge and accept those changes, and all stakeholders participate in the relevant processes.

If we want the next generation to be born into a better world, we only have one option. And that is strong multilateralism, with the U.N. System at its core.

We need to address issues our people think about and talk about. Because there is a feeling that Europe elites are addressing different issues. Not the ones that people care about.

Better governance helps realize the full potential of the many young Africans who are currently giving their families' savings to criminal networks and risking their lives in the vast expanses of the Sahara or Mediterranean instead of starting their own businesses and using their lives to benefit their families and communities.

We all have to acknowledge a simple fact: Africa is growing.

By unwillingly robbing post-conflict nations of their most talented people, we in Europe are improving the odds these states fail, and feed the vicious circle of future conflicts.

It's the right and also the responsibility of member states to express their views. And my role as the present of the General Assembly is not to comment on this. I'm here to protect and respect the rules.

The U.N. has brought peace and order to many places around the world. However, terrorism, violent extremism, violations of human rights, natural disasters caused by climate change - they all threaten the lives of people today. Add migration, insufficient health care, lack of education, and the picture gets even bleaker.