GENEVA, December 1. /TASS/. Russia is in favor of preserving and strengthening the UN, as there is no alternative to this organization at the moment, Gennady Gatilov, Russia's permanent representative to the UN office and other international organizations in Geneva, has said.
"There is no alternative to the UN as of today. If there is no UN, there will be nothing. It is unclear on what basis international relations will then have to be built. We are in favor of preserving and strengthening the UN," Gatilov said in an interview with TASS First Deputy Director-General Mikhail Gusman.
Russia supports reforming the UN, which "would meet the interests of all states and all groups of states," Gatilov continued.
"In this regard, the UN, regardless of its current shape and the dramatic episodes in its current activities, still remains the only universal international organization, where we should look for points of agreement and answers to the challenges facing humanity," Gatilov said. "With this in mind, we work in Geneva and try, no matter how difficult it may be, to rise to the expectations and continue constructive cooperation with all countries."
"Even during the Cold War, we managed to find mutually acceptable solutions in the UN, including its Security Council, thus preventing the world from sliding to the brink of a world war," Gatilov said. Now the situation "has become more complicated, in particular in the UN, we have to recognize that," he acknowledged. "Our opponents refuse to listen to what we tell them and take into account our interests." In the UN "it has become much more difficult to work in this regard. This is true of the UN as a whole, including the Geneva office. It has become more difficult to identify common solutions," Gatilov noted.
However, Russia "does not close the door to a dialogue with the Western opponents," the diplomat added. "We do not shirk discussion. We participate in it," Gatilov said. "We feel rejection and unwillingness to talk to us on their side. They have even become wary of maintaining personal contacts, which is very strange for diplomatic practice. They refuse to meet to discuss issues bilaterally."
"This is very sad, because diplomacy should not follow the way of stopping contacts. We should turn an attentive ear to each other and, if possible, to take into account each other's interests," the Russian ambassador concluded.