GENEVA, June 25 (Xinhua) -- After 75 years, the UN Charter still matters because it was based on important principles that will be valid forever, such as solving international problems through cooperation, a senior UN diplomat told Xinhua.

"Inclusion and cooperation are extremely important, especially in this day and age," said David A. Chikvaidze, chef de cabinet to the director-general of the United Nations Office at Geneva, in a written interview.

The UN organization described in the charter is a tool designed to prevent another major world war and make the world a better place. If member states show more spirit of cooperation and engagement, the UN will play its role as designed, said the diplomat.

"The UN is an organization of member states. It's a tool that all the member states have created for themselves. So if they don't use it, the tool remains on the side of the road and becomes irrelevant," he warned.

However, he said that the UN is not irrelevant, certainly not because of its age. Even after 75 years, the most important thing is to improve the atmosphere that encourages member states to use the UN tool.

To solve problems through the UN, he stressed, member states need to make it active and do a lot of diplomatic work, and this is exactly what the UN is made for.

Unfortunately, as years go by, the world has witnessed more and more unilateralist approaches, instead of seeking solutions via consultation and negotiation, he said.

"Big countries have the biggest responsibility. That's why they have veto power in the UN Security Council. It's not a perk. It's a responsibility for peace and security," he added.

Taking the current deadlock in disarmament as an example, Chikvaidze said it's urgent for all the relevant parties to sit down and talk. After the Cuban missile crisis, there was an understanding that disarmament is a large part of national security, but this mindset has been weakened in recent years.

"There is a place called the UN. You need the will to open the door, go in and sit down and talk," he said.

For him, a place like the UN at least teaches young people one thing: how to interact with people of other nationalities. To do this, he said, one needs to respect and communicate, which is very important to shape a better future.

As one of the UN officials in charge of preparing Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Geneva three years ago, Chikvaidze still remembered the keynote speech Xi delivered inside the Palais de Nations, which is titled "Work Together to Build a Community of Shared Future for Mankind."

"It was a very impressive speech. It was a very statement-like speech. And I think China is presenting a very valid road to this concept of a shared humanity and a shared future, because we are on one planet, we are in the same boat, you can't get away from that and we have to find a way to coexist," he said.

Xi recently said that China and Europe should serve as two great civilizations that adhere to multilateralism and help improve global governance. In this regard, Chikvaidze said that it's a "very valid proposal" based on the concept of "inclusivity."

Both China and the EU are two very powerful centers of power, and it's good to see an "inclusive cooperation" open to others, he noted.

As for COVID-19, Chikvaidze said it is just the latest wake-up call, and that many current global challenges, such as climate change, natural disasters and poverty, need to be solved in a systemic and multilateral way.

"The new wake-up call is heard by everybody," he said, adding that a common reaction from many countries would be that they need to work together.

However, he was not sure whether COVID-19 would suddenly make multilateralism flourish, because multilateralism requires every member state to engage in. "This is where leadership comes in. This is where vision comes in." Enditem

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