On January 26, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Ms. Olena Zerkal visited UN Headquarters to participate in the United Nations Security Council Open Debate on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian issue. 

In her statement at the open debate, Ms. Zerkal drew attention of the Council to the latest developments within the context of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and reiterated the consistent support of Ukraine to the political settlement of the conflict based on the two-state solution, the Arab peace initiative and the Madrid principles. Deputy Minister expressed concern over the escalation of violence in the West Bank and Jerusalem calling all parties to resume the negotiating process and let the peace process to get out of the current dead end.

Along with representatives of member states of the UN Security Council Ms. Zerkal also participated in the meeting with UN Secretary-General Mr. Ban Ki-moon. During the meeting, she emphasized that Ukraine stands ready to play an active role in the UN efforts aimed at overcoming multiple crises in different regions of the world, particularly in the Middle East and in Africa.