The curtain has fallen, the actors left the stage with the sense of a duty fulfilled, and the audience was confused. So the highly advertised 70^th session of the UN General Assembly closed at the end of this week in New York. It was expected that the global elite would take concrete decisions on the most pressing issues of the planet, including the conflict in Syria, generating an unprecedented migration wave to the rich countries of the Old Continent, and also the growing threat arising from the Islamic state. But alas!  "Stronger UN. Better world!" – this was the motto of the session. Both messages in it remained only wishful thinking.

At the forum Bulgaria was represented by President Rossen Plevneliev. Speaking at the general debate of the 70^th session of the UN General Assembly, the Bulgarian Head of State said that the concerted action of the international community against militant extremism was crucial, as the UN was the best platform for managing and coordinating international efforts. Plevneliev did not specifically mention the Islamic state, but said that while the conflict in Syria continued, the refugee crisis would not go away. He also urged the international community to find a way to distinguish between people driven away by war and those who seek better economic living conditions. The Bulgarian President added that the migration crisis was a cause for concern in terms of security. Besides opportunities for infiltration of extremists on European soil, it puts forward the issue of human trafficking, which requires immediate attention and coordinated action, Plevneliev said.

In fact, the threats from the expansion of the Islamic state, the crisis in Syria and the migrant wave to Europe are closely intertwined. In order to put pressure on ISIS and minimize migration, it is quite clear that we must find a solution to the conflict in Syria. But in order for this to happen, first the USA and Russia need to reach an agreement between each other. The meeting between Obama and Putin within the framework of the 70^th session of the UN General Assembly has shown showed that the two superpowers are at quite different, even opposite positions. According to many observers, until they find a compromise, all the speeches, reports, appeals, petitions, resolutions, etc. will remain only verbal exercises from the rostrum of the United Nations.

English Rossitsa Petcova