World Leaders Sound Alarm on AI, War, Global Fractures at UN
Addressing the UN General Assembly in New York, Pavel said human beings "must remain" in control of technology, rather than become subject to it.
"AI can bring enormous benefits to humanity, but without effective safeguards, it can also cause immense harm," he added.
Pavel warned against allowing an unrestrained race for technological supremacy to dictate AI's trajectory, cautioning that the rush to move first risks sidelining safety, oversight and accountability. Drawing a parallel to the Manhattan Project — the World War II initiative that produced the first nuclear weapons — he noted how quickly that breakthrough reshaped global power balances and how slow politics and international rules were to catch up.
Today's AI presents a different technology and different dangers, he said, "but with a similar lesson: governance that comes only after the fact may come too late."
"If AI is to serve humanity, it must develop within a framework of international rules ... No country and no company can meet this challenge alone," he added.
"We Need Something That Holds Us Together"
Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs told delegates that distant crises no longer stay distant. "Instability travels. Conflicts cross borders. What happens in Ukraine does not stay in Ukraine. What happens in the Middle East, in the Red Sea, in Sudan does not stay there," he said.
Rinkēvičs argued that technology has further shrunk the relevance of distance, noting that artificial intelligence brings vast opportunity but, misused, can become a "powerful tool for deception, disruption, and conflict."
"And nature respects no borders either. Heat waves do not stop at checkpoints. Rising seas threaten to erase island nations," he said, adding: "When we share the same boat, we need something that holds us together, and we already have it: the United Nations Charter and its principles."
Estonia: West Bank, Gaza Situation "Remains of Great Concern"
Estonian President Alar Karis voiced alarm over the trajectory of events in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, calling the situation one of continuing gravity. "Innocent civilians and children must not bear the devastating human costs of war," he said.
Karis reaffirmed Estonia's support for a credible political track toward a negotiated two-state solution between Israel and Palestine. He warned that eroding respect for international law and the UN Charter — compounded by a culture of impunity — "too often dominates over adherence to the rule of law and cooperation between countries for a better future."
"Aggression, wars, and conflicts is becoming the new normal," he said, calling for sweeping UN reform to meet 21st-century challenges.
Romania Joins First Ladies' Digital Safety Initiative
Romanian President Nicușor Dan turned to the threat of coordinated social media manipulation, warning that armies of fake accounts can silence genuine voices. "And if thousands of fake accounts launch a coordinated attack on the ideas expressed by an individual, they discourage others from joining that person's cause, and freedom of association is denied," he said.
On the Russia-Ukraine war, Dan noted that Romania, Türkiye and Bulgaria participate in the Mine Countermeasures Task Group in the Black Sea, formed in response to disruptions of free navigation. "This initiative safeguards freedom of navigation and the region's energy security.
And in order to enhance security in the Black Sea area, Romania places particular emphasis on the EU strategic approach," he said.
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