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J.C. Cleto Cobos: Address to Peace Summit 2023, Session III-B
Written by Hon. Julio Cesar Cleto Cobos, Vice President (2007-2011), Argentina
Wednesday, May 3, 2023
Address to Peace Summit 2023
May 2-5, 2023
Good afternoon. Thank you very much for the invitation. It is truly an honor to be in this beautiful land, which is far away for me and required a long journey, but it is close to our hearts for so many displays of affection and hospitality. I thank UPF International and its co-founder, Dr. Hak Jan Han Moon, for calling this Summit and for their sustained efforts and initiatives for peace.
In challenging times like the one we are living in, I do not want us to stop calling for all the peoples of the world to live together in peace and keep alive the dream of the reunification of the Korean Peninsula. It has taught us the incalculable value of life in harmony and prosperity, something that the peoples of the world yearn for and deserve.
At the end of 1978, as a student newly graduated from the Military Lyceum, I was in charge of a company on the border of my country with the neighboring Republic of Chile, about to go to war over a territorial dispute. The opportune intervention and mediation of Pope John Paul II brought peace to our region and avoided bloodshed between brothers. As I was very young and we were about to start a war, I am infinitely grateful that dialogue and an agreement for peace prevailed. In fact, after this critical situation, we can say that we managed to transform the energy put into the conflict to strengthen our cooperation and our ties and today our relationship with the Republic of Chile is an example to the world of how we can resolve differences with an eye on peace and mutual understanding.
Peace is not simply the absence of conflict and tension. It is not an empty word or related to inaction. On the contrary, it is a fundamental asset in all societies that invites us to action. Mainly, it is a synonym for justice. Peace is thinking and it is doing. It is only through the peaceful and harmonious coexistence between the different political, cultural, religious and ethnic expressions that progress is achieved. It is significant in social relations, thus contributing to a more just, egalitarian and supportive world.
Respect for human rights is also a driver of peace. There can be no peace without memory, without truth, without justice. After the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, with the constitution of the National States, the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other States was consolidated. We adhere to that principle, but on the basis of an ethical balance. Argentina has fervently promoted the projection of another principle that is the protagonist of our times: the principle of non-indifference between States. It is necessary that States do not hide behind the comfortable premise of non-interference in the internal affairs of other States when it comes to the issue of human rights. This principle is also applied to armed movements or the lack of compliance with international law, both of which put regional peace or world peace at risk. It is not admissible for North Korea to execute missile launches that, even by mistake, can affect millions of innocents, nor is it admissible that Russia has decided to invade the Ukraine to fulfill a supposed imperial dream that, far from it, turned into a nightmare of death and destruction for the citizens of both countries. I do not want to fail to mention the situation of our Malvinas Islands, for which we have suffered firsthand the misfortune of war. It is still a pending issue that requires dialogue and effective commitment to ensure a peaceful agreement and compliance with Resolution 2065, among others, of the General Assembly of the United Nations.
The use of these five pillars, individually and collectively, is the path to a more peaceful world, with greater stability and progress. Certainly, peace is not something abstract. It is tangible and impacts the life of every human being that inhabits this planet. As happened to me in the story that I told at the beginning, surely there must be an example in each of you. We are united by universal and unalterable values of great importance in the progress of our peoples. Let’s build together the opportunities for a new world order
based on Peace, the restructuring of leaderships, legitimate representation and the harmonious and mutual development of all the nations of the world.
Thank you so much.
To go to the Peace Summit 2023 Schedule page, click here.