The conference will be chaired by US President Donald Trump, who criticised the UN during his election campaign, calling it an inefficient and expensive institution.
After taking power, the Trump administration drafted a declaration on increasing the effectiveness of the UN. This includes a plan to limit the organisation’s budget. According to US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, more than 120 countries have supported the proposed reforms.
Waszczykowski has said that Poland is one of these countries. However, he voiced his scepticism about whether the UN Security Council can be reformed.
He said: “A debate has been in progress for many years on whether the five permanent members of the Security Council are representative enough of the international community. Unfortunately, these five countries are blocking reforms in this area.”
Busy schedule in America
During his six-day trip to America, Waszczykowski is pursuing a busy schedule of talks with US officials and attending a series of high-level meetings.
On Friday, he took part in a meeting of the so-called Community of Democracies, an intergovernmental initiative by Poland and the United States.
The meeting, organised by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Washington, focused on issues including the role of democracy in counteracting terrorism and the situation in North Korea, officials said.
On Saturday, Waszczykowski met Polish Americans at a Catholic shrine in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. During the meeting, he praised the commitment of the Polish diaspora to Polish affairs.
“The Polish government treats you as a partner, advisor and expert,” he said, thanking Polish Americans for their “tireless efforts to promote Poland and defend its good name and historical truth.”
He singled out their contribution to a campaign against the use of the phrase “Polish death camps” by the media in reference to Nazi German camps in occupied Poland during World War II.
Waszczykowski encouraged Poles residing in the United States to return to their homeland.
With its Shrine of Our Lady of Częstochowa, Doylestown is popularly known as the American Częstochowa. Like the Black Madonna Shrine in the Polish city of Częstochowa, the Doylestown sanctuary is run by the Pauline Friars.
Over the next few days, the Polish foreign minister plans to have a range of talks with White House officials, diplomats and experts.
He is also scheduled to meet with leaders of Jewish organisations and attend the 72nd UN General Assembly session in New York, which Polish President Andrzej Duda is set to address on Tuesday.
(gs-mk/pk)
Source: IAR