YouSaid · the spoken record

Sergey Lavrov

lines on the record: 265
first: 2004-09-24
most recent: 2023-09-24
sittings or episodes: 12
sources: un-general-debate

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“The failure to settle the Palestinian issue over several decades remains, as is widely recognized, one of the main factors of instability in the region, and that helps extremists to recruit more and more new jihadists. Another area of our common work together demanding attention is uniting our efforts to implement the decisions of the General Assembly and Security Council to combat the Ebola virus. Our doctors are already working in Africa. There are plans to send additional humanitarian assistance, medical equipment and instruments, medicine and teams of experts to assist the United Nations programmes in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. The United Nations was established on the ruins of the Second World War, and it is entering the year of its seventieth anniversary.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“We are delivering large-scale supplies of arms and military equipment to Iraq, Syria and other Middle Eastern and North African countries, and we will continue to support their efforts to suppress the terrorists. The terrorist threat requires a comprehensive approach if we want to eradicate its causes and not be doomed to reacting to the symptoms. ISIL is only part of the problem. We propose to organize, under the auspices of the Security Council, an in-depth study of the threat of extremism and terrorism in all of their aspects throughout the Middle East and North African region. That integrated approach also presupposes that chronic conflicts should be considered, above all the Arab-Israeli conflict.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“From the very outset of the Arab Spring, Russia urged that it not be abandoned to the control of extremists, that a united front be created to counter the growing terrorist threat. We have warned against the temptation to take as allies almost anyone who declared himself an enemy of Bashar Al-Assad, whether Al-Qaida, Jabhat Al-Nusra and other fellow travellers of regime change, including the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which today is the focus of attention. As they say, better late than never. This is not the first time that Russia is making a real contribution to the fight against ISIL and other terrorist groups in the region.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“At the same time, of course, the fight against terrorism should be based on the solid foundation of international law. An important stage in that fight was the unanimous adoption of a series of Security Council resolutions, including those on the issue of foreign terrorist fighters. On the other hand, attempts to act contrary to the Charter of our Organization do not contribute to the success of joint efforts. The fight against terrorists in Syria should be built on cooperation with the Syrian Government, which has clearly stated its willingness in that regard. Damascus has already demonstrated its ability to cooperate with the international community and to fulfil its obligations in the framework of the programme for eliminating its chemical weapons.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“However, the problem of uncontrolled Libyan chemical arsenals is too serious to turn a blind eye to. We believe the Secretary-General must show his responsibility in that matter. The main thing today is to see the global priorities and avoid making them hostage to a one-sided agenda. There is an urgent need to refrain from double standards in approaches to conflict resolution. By and large, everybody agrees that the key task is to resolutely counter the terrorists, who are trying to gain control of increasingly larger areas of Iraq, Syria, Libya, Afghanistan and the Sahel-Sahara region. That being the case, that problem cannot be sacrificed to ideological schemes or to settle a score. Terrorists, whatever slogans they hide behind, must be outlawed.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“United efforts can be built only on the principles of mutual respect and mutual consideration of interests, as is done, for example, within the Security Council, the Group of 20, the BRICS States of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, and the Shanghai Cooperation Council. The theory of the advantages of collective work are confirmed in practice, for instance, the progress in settling the situation concerning the Iranian nuclear programme and the successful completion of the chemical demilitarization of Syria. By the way, speaking of chemical weapons, I would like to obtain honest information on the state of Libya’s chemical arsenals. We understand that our NATO colleagues, having bombed the country in violation of Security Council resolutions, do not want to stir up the disorder they created.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Today there is no alternative to developing consensus on the rules of sustainable global governance in the new historical conditions, with full respect for the cultural and civilizational diversity of the world and the multiplicity of development models. To attain such a consensus on every issue will be difficult, perhaps tedious. But recognizing that in every State democracy is “the worst form of Government except for all the others” also took a long time, not until Churchill issued his verdict. It is time to recognize the inevitability of that axiom in international affairs, which currently suffer from a huge deficit of democracy. Of course, someone will have to break the age-old stereotypes, to abandon claims to eternal exceptionalism. But there is no other way.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Another important aspect of that work would be to launch a pragmatic, de-ideologized conversation on politico-military architecture in the Euro-Atlantic area, so that not only members of NATO and of the Collective Security Treaty Organization but all the countries of the region, including Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia, would enjoy equal and indivisible security and not have to make a false choice of “either with us, or against us”. New dividing lines must not be allowed in Europe, especially because in the context of globalization they could become a watershed between the West and the rest of the world. It must be stated honestly that no one has a monopoly on the truth; no one can forcibly tailor global and regional processes to suit their needs.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“The Minsk Agreement of 5 and 19 September about the ways out of the Ukrainian crisis and the compromise about the dates of entry into force of the Association Agreement between Kyiv and the European Union are good examples to emulate, as is the readiness, at last, of Brussels to begin negotiations on establishing a free trade area between the EU and the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, as Mr. Putin suggested back in January. Russia has consistently advocated the harmonization of integration projects in Europe and Eurasia. Agreement on political benchmarks and terms such as “convergence of integration” would be a real contribution to the work of the OSCE on the topic of Helsinki+40.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“A policy of ultimatums and a philosophy of superiority and domination do not meet the needs of the twenty-first century; they are in conflict with the objective processes of forming a polycentric, democratic world order. Russia promotes a positive, unifying agenda. We have always been and will be open to discussing the most difficult questions, no matter how intractable they may seem at first. We will be ready to seek a compromise and a balance of interests and to agree to exchange concessions, provided only that the conversation is respectful and equitable.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“At that time, Washington feared the revolutionary virus, and such guarantees were secured between America and the Soviet Union, on the basis of reciprocity. Perhaps it makes sense to return to that subject and reproduce the then demand of the American Government on a universal scale. Why not adopt a General Assembly declaration about the inadmissibility of interference in the domestic affairs of sovereign States and non-recognition of coups d’état as a method of regime change? It is time to fully exclude from international interaction attempts at illegitimate pressure by some States against others. The meaningless and counterproductive nature of unilateral sanctions is obvious in the example of the American blockade of Cuba.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Russia is ready to continue to actively promote a political settlement, both under the framework of the well-known recommendations of the Minsk process and in other formats. But it should be quite clear that we are doing this for the sake of peace, tranquillity and the well-being of the Ukrainian people, and not to appease someone’s ambitions. Attempts to put pressure on Russia to force it to abandon its values of truth and justice are absolutely futile. I will allow myself a digression into recent history. As a condition for the establishment of diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union in 1933, the United States Government demanded from Moscow guarantees of non-interference in the internal affairs of the United States, obligations not to undertake any actions aimed at changing the political and social structure of America.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“We are convinced that with goodwill and the refusal to support the party of war in Kyiv, which is trying to push the Ukrainian people into the abyss of national catastrophe, a way out of the crisis is within reach. A way to overcome the situation has opened with a ceasefire agreement for south-eastern Ukraine on the basis of initiatives of Presidents Poroshenko and Putin. With the participation of representatives of Kyiv, Donetsk, Luhansk, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and Russia, practical measures are being agreed on for the consecutive realization of those agreements, including the separation of the parties, the withdrawal of the heavy weapons of the Ukrainian military forces and of the militias, and the organization of monitoring through the OSCE.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“As early as this April, Kyiv made a commitment in the Geneva Statement on Ukraine — agreed upon by Russia, Ukraine, the United States and the European Union (EU) — to immediately start a nation-wide dialogue involving all of Ukraine’s regions and political forces to implement constitutional reforms. The fulfilment of that obligation would allow all Ukrainians to agree on how to live in accordance with their traditions and culture and would allow Ukraine to return to its organic role as a link between the different parts of the European space, which certainly implies the preservation and respect by everyone of its non-aligned, neutral status.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Recently, horrifying new facts came to light when mass graves were discovered near Donetsk. Despite Security Council resolution 2166 (2014), a thorough and independent investigation into the circumstances of the loss of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH-17 over Ukrainian territory has been delayed. Those guilty for all those crimes must be found and brought to justice. Otherwise, national reconciliation in Ukraine can hardly be expected. Russia is sincerely interested in the restoration of peace in a neighbouring country, and that should be well understood by anyone even slightly acquainted with the deep-rooted and fraternal relations between the two peoples. The path to a political settlement is known.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“It is precisely the aggressive assault on those rights that compelled the population of Crimea to take its destiny in its own hands and make a choice in favour of self-determination. That was an absolutely free choice, no matter what was invented by those who were responsible in the first place for the internal conflict in Ukraine. There have been attempts to distort the truth and hide facts behind blanket accusations at all stages of the Ukrainian crisis. Nothing has been done to track down and prosecute those responsible for the bloody February events at Maidan and the massive loss of human lives in Odessa, Mariupol and other regions of Ukraine. The scale of the appalling humanitarian disaster provoked by the acts of the Ukrainian army in south-eastern Ukraine has been deliberately understated.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“NATO’s instant switch to hostile rhetoric and the reduction of its cooperation with Russia, even to the detriment of the West’s own interests, and the additional build-up of military infrastructure along Russia’s borders revealed the inability of the Alliance to change the genetic code embedded in it during the Cold War. The United States and the European Union supported the coup d’état in Ukraine, recklessly justifying any acts by the self-proclaimed Kyiv authorities, who opted to suppress by force that part of the Ukrainian people who had rejected the attempts to impose an anti-constitutional order throughout the country and wanted to defend their rights to their native language, culture and history.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“The Western partners did not heed our numerous warnings with regard to the unacceptable violations of the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and the Helsinki Final Act, and time and again they have avoided serious joint work to establish a common space of equal and indivisible security and cooperation from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans. The Russian proposal to draft a European security treaty was rejected. We were told directly that only the members of the North Atlantic Alliance can have legally binding security guarantees, and the NATO expansion to the East continued in spite of the promises to the contrary given earlier.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“The situation there has revealed the deep-rooted and systemic flaws remaining in the existing Euro-Atlantic architecture. The West has embarked on a course towards a vertical structuring of humankind tailored to its own standards, which are hardly inoffensive. After the West declared victory in the Cold War and the so-called end of history, the United States and the European Union opted to expand the geopolitical area under their control without taking into account the balance of legitimate interests of all the peoples of Europe.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Washington has openly declared its right to the unilateral use of military force anywhere to advocate its own interests. Military interference has become a norm, despite the dismal outcome of all the operations involving the use of force that the United States has carried out in recent years. The sustainability of the international system has been severely shaken by the NATO bombardment of Yugoslavia, the intervention in Iraq, the attack against Libya and the failure in Afghanistan. It was due only to intensive diplomatic efforts that aggression against Syria was prevented in 2013. The various colour revolutions and other schemes aimed at changing unsuitable regimes inevitably give the impression that their goal is to create chaos and instability. Today Ukraine has fallen victim to that policy.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“There is growing evidence today of a contradiction between the need for collective and partnership efforts in order to develop adequate responses to the challenges common to us all, on the one hand, and, on the other, the aspiration of a number of States to domination and a revival of the archaic bloc thinking based on military drill discipline and the erroneous logic of friend or foe. The United States-led Western alliance, which portrays itself as a champion of democracy, the rule of law and human rights within individual countries, acts from a directly opposite position in the international arena, rejecting the democratic principles of the sovereign equality of States enshrined the Charter of the United Nations and trying to decide for everyone what is good or evil.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“I firmly believe that, by joining forces on the basis of genuine respect and considering the interests of each and everyone, we will be able to achieve the lofty goals that are enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“The main priorities are the eradication of poverty and support for economic growth through the expansion of investment opportunities and the creation of new jobs. Some of the most urgent issues are the strengthening of the energy and transport infrastructures, the fight against infectious diseases and road safety. Cooperation among States should rely on efficient mechanisms and an adequate resource base. In that context, we support the further strengthening of the coordinating role and potential of the United Nations Economic and Social Council. During its chairmanship of the Group of 20, Russia has consistently pursued a policy of developing its interaction with the United Nations. We believe that the General Assembly, in cooperation with the G-20, will develop a realistic programme of long-term cooperation.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“The prevailing majority of States are interacting within the framework of the World Trade Organization and in that sense they are already operating in a common economic space. This creates the prerequisites for working towards harmonization of integration processes in various regions of the world instead of trying to artificially pit them against each other by creating new division lines. Russia is proceeding from that exact understanding in its joint work with its partners in the establishment of the Eurasian Economic Union. Russia attaches great importance to achieving the Millennium Development Goals and the drafting of the global development agenda for the post-2015 period on their basis.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“That means in particular that the recognition of the right of peoples to independently determine their destiny and to choose the optimal forms of social and political structure and social and economic systems should become an indisputable norm of conduct. In the same way, the complex of exclusiveness and supremacy regarding one’s own customs in the human rights area should be abandoned and instead the universal criteria enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights should be used as a guideline. Moreover, it is important to respect the traditional values that are common to all the religions. It is obvious that a genuine partnership is hardly achievable without reliance on the foundations of economic cooperation.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“As President Vladimir Putin noted in his recent article in the 11 September 2013 issue of The New York Times, “We must stop using the language of force and return to the path of civilized diplomatic and political settlement.” This would help to improve the international environment and contribute to stepping up collective efforts to counter global challenges, including terrorism and drug trafficking. Russia intends to attach priority attention to these challenges during its presidency of the Group of Eight, in 2014. Today, when the rigid frame of the bipolar system has been long relegated to the past, a mark of the time is the strengthening of the democratic foundations both within States and in international relations.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“While duly recognizing the efforts made by the United States in the Middle East settlement process, we deem it necessary to intensify the activity of the Quartet, the internationally recognized mechanism for providing assistance to the peace process in the region on the basis of the relevant decisions of the United Nations, the Madrid principles and the Arab Peace Initiative. It is also important to ensure the close involvement of the Arab countries in the activities of the Quartet. Approaches based on negotiation are also required with respect to other situations, including the Iranian nuclear programme and the nuclear problem in the Korean peninsula.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“Virtually the only possibility remaining today to put an end to this turmoil is to break the deadlock regarding the process of a political settlement of the Syrian crisis. We continue to work tirelessly for the earliest convening of a peace conference to implement the Geneva communiqué of 30 July 2012 (S/2012/522, annex). We hope that, following the example set by the Government of Syria, the opposition will also constructively respond to the Russia-United States initiative. The Syrian crisis should not overshadow the need to address the Palestinian problem. We expect the Israeli and Palestinian leaders to shoulder their responsibility for the future of their people at this current critical stage, where the parties have resumed direct talks after a lengthy interruption.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“Progress in the area of chemical disarmament in Syria should give impetus to the implementation of existing arrangements to convene a conference on establishing a zone free of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery in the Middle East. We know that there are a number of complicated issues related to ensuring full participation of the countries of the region in such a conference, but they cannot be discussed endlessly. That is exactly when true leadership and resolve must be demonstrated for the common benefit. People are continuing to die and innocent civilians to suffer every day in Syria. Religious minorities, including Christian communities, are becoming victims of the conflict, which is increasingly acquiring a sectarian character.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“However, today it can only be collective leadership based on agreed actions of the leading members of the international community, with strict respect for the principles and norms of international law. It is the growing understanding of that reality that has opened the way towards achieving Russia-United States understandings relating to the placing under international control and subsequent elimination of the Syrian chemical arsenals. That became possible thanks to the decision by Damascus to join the Chemical Weapons Convention and fulfil the relevant obligations following the expedited procedure. We expect that the decisions of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons Executive Council and the Security Council will contribute to creating the framework required for the elimination of chemical arsenals in Syria.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“There have been attempts to extrapolate such an approach to the situation in Syria as well, despite the fact that recent experience with such interventions has proved that they are ineffective, meaningless and destructive. That is an extremely dangerous path leading to the erosion of the foundations of today’s world order and the subversion of the weapons of mass destruction non-proliferation regimes. It is alarming to hear statements about the right to use military force to ensure one’s own interests in the Middle East region under the pretext of a persistent leadership gap in the international arena. Recent history shows that no State, no matter how big or powerful, can cope alone with challenges of the scope faced by humankind today. There is no doubt that leadership is required.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“All of the incidents associated with the use of chemical weapons in Syria, by whomsoever committed, must be investigated in a professional and unbiased manner and then considered by the Security Council exclusively on the basis of facts rather than of allegations or assumptions. In that respect, at the Group of 20 (G-20) summit held in June, an agreement was reached by leaders of the eight key States. Recently a common argument has been increasingly made to the effect that the threat or use of force, directly prohibited by the Charter of the United Nations, is virtually the most effective method of addressing international problems, including the settlement of domestic conflicts.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“It is common knowledge that jihadist groups that include numerous radical elements from all parts of the world are the most combat-capable units of the opposition. The goals that they are pursuing have nothing to do with democracy but are based on intolerance and aimed at the destruction of secular States and the establishment of caliphates. It is difficult to qualify as far-sighted a policy that entails fighting in Mali the same extremist groups that are being supported in Syria. The use of chemical weapons is inadmissible. That does not mean, however, that one can usurp the right to accuse and to render verdicts.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“We have consistently supported the choice of the evolutionary way of development and the peaceful settlement of crises through national dialogue and reconciliation. Another perspective has been reflected in the attempts made to determine who is and is not legitimate among the leaders of the Middle East and North Africa region, to impose a view as to which side should be supported in domestic national conflicts, and to dictate external, ready-made prescriptions for democratic transformation. Attempts to portray, in a simplified way, the developments in the Arab world as the struggle of democracy against tyranny or of good against evil have long obscured the problems associated with the rising wave of extremism, which is spilling over into other regions today. The terrorist attacks in Kenya have demonstrated the full gravity of that threat.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“From the very onset of the turmoil in that region, Russia has consistently called for the development by the international community of a common approach combining support for the Arab peoples on their path to transformation with an understanding of the fact that, objectively, those processes will be lengthy and sometimes painful, and that it will be quite important not to undermine them through gross outside interference. We have emphasized the need to act in a balanced way and to take account of the fact that current complex developments are associated with, among other things, a tireless quest for compromises among the various ethnic and religious groups that make up the mosaic of Arab societies.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“However, there is also another tendency whereby collective actions are understood primarily as agreement with the viewpoint of one group of countries. Such views manifest themselves in various areas: international security, the settlement of conflict situations, the functioning of the world economy, and the choice of development models and core values. Many problems affecting today’s world are reflected in the tragic situation in Syria and in the uncertainty surrounding the development of events in the Middle East and North Africa overall.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“International relations are becoming increasingly complex and multidimensional, while developments in the world are even more rapid and less predictable. Under these circumstances as never before, there is an urgent need to agree upon collective responses to the key issues of today. It is solely within the power of such a truly universal Organization as the United Nations to do so. Moreover, such solidarity-based efforts will be productive only if they reflect the entire spectrum of views of the international community on global challenges and threats, a broad range of historical experiences and the full cultural and civilizational diversity of the modern world. For most of the Members of the United Nations family, that approach is axiomatic.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“It would be possible to resist this objective trend and try to preserve the old order for some time, but such resistance would cost yet more lives, suffering and destruction. Let us display our vision and, instead of looking back at the history of previous centuries, take the side of the events unfolding before us today, and answer the call for strong collective statesmanship.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“This means that freedom of speech and assembly cannot be used to justify the promotion of Nazi or other radical or extremist views, in violation of the basic principles and norms of international law. Yesterday, the Human Rights Council endorsed a resolution proposed by Russia on the interrelation of human rights and traditional values. It is regrettable that a number of Western States voted against this document, which is especially relevant today. Progress towards genuine partnership in international relations is possible only on the basis of equality and mutual respect. The course of events in the world leaves no alternative for anyone but to join efforts in order to build a stable, equitable and democratic international system.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“This is a moral foundation of modern society. It is the cement that bonds together nations and peoples. In recent years, these values have been put to the test by displays of immorality, extremism and racial intolerance. Of similar concern are the even more assertive actions of those who, citing freedom of speech, condone the glorification of the Nazis and their accomplices and desecrate the memory of the victims of the Second World War and the victors of fascism. Such actions are incompatible with the obligations of States under the Charter of the United Nations. Let me recall that the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights directly prohibits the propaganda of war and incitement of national and religious discord.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“The events of recent years confirm that, without lasting peace and sustainable development, it is impossible to ensure human rights. In turn, the protection of human rights should contribute to security and development, rather than serve as a pretext for illegal interference in the domestic affairs of States. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that everyone is entitled to an international order in which their rights can be fully realized. Those who use military force and sanctions, bypassing the Charter, engage in illicit supplies of arms, or provide cover for terrorists grossly violate this right. Russia stands for the implementation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and respect for the traditional values on which human civilization is based and where all world religions converge.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Such a state of affairs clearly contradicts the concept of collective security embodied in the Charter and the deep interdependence of the modern world, where most challenges and threats are common to us all and have a cross-border dimension. Strengthening confidence and collective principles in international affairs, with the emphasis on negotiating the pursuit of compromise solutions, would help substantially reduce the level of instability and move forward in the settlement of crisis situations, not only in the Middle East, but also with respect to Iran, Afghanistan, the Korean peninsula and other situations throughout the world. The final goal of the efforts to settle a conflict is to ensure the right to life and other fundamental human rights, be they political, economic or social.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Let us not forget that the founders of the United Nations, in their wisdom, agreed upon and endorsed a Charter that enshrined principles for the regulation of a multipolar world order. Now that the abnormal bipolar period of the Cold War is over, and now that it has become clear to all that there is no place for monopolarity in the modern world and international affairs can only be polycentric, we have a unique chance to fully implement the original potential of that Charter. This is a difficult challenge. International relations are clearly experiencing a lack of credibility. We regard this as the main obstacle to practical progress towards the establishment of universal foundations for equal and indivisible security, whether in the Euro-Atlantic area, Asia-Pacific region or other parts of the world.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Violations of international law should not be portrayed as some sort of creative development. All of this is related to the debate regarding the concept of the so-called responsibility to protect. Further discussion of this concept should be held on the basis of the approach agreed on at the 2005 World Summit, which reaffirmed the need to observe the principles of the Charter of the United Nations when responding to conflicts within States. The protection of civilians is an issue far too serious to be exploited to achieve political goals. The ambiguity of the so-called responsibility- to-protect concept can be better understood in light of initiatives formulated by Brazil and several other States to move towards consensus.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Russia, together with the overwhelming majority of members of the international community, calls for the swift lifting of the blockade, which is a relic of the Cold War. Special attention should be given to the practical enforcement of Security Council decisions regarding sanctions against non-State actors and illegal cross- border formations. In general, the events of recent years have clearly shown that unilateral action which violates international law and circumvents or distorts the decisions of the Security Council does no good. Of course, the legal norms of international affairs will be further adjusted as necessary. But these transformations should be treated with the greatest sense of responsibility and full consciousness of the serious risks involved. Consensus should be the sole route to their adoption.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“In the past the Security Council has discussed the issue of the humanitarian limits of sanctions, but somehow the discussions have faded away. We believe it is important to resume them. Another issue that needs to be discussed in the Security Council is the consequences of unilateral sanctions imposed by a State or a group of States sidestepping the United Nations to advance their political goals. We have no doubt that such sanctions, especially when they are applied extraterritorially, weaken the unity of the international community and undermine the effectiveness of its efforts. For many years, the commercial, economic and financial restrictions imposed by the United States on Cuba have remained an illustration of the negative impact of unilateral sanctions.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Their erosion would deprive the international community of an essential mechanism for developing joint approaches to the settlement of crisis situations. It is appropriate to mention the compulsory instruments at the disposal of the United Nations. Under the United Nations Charter the imposition of sanctions falls exclusively under the jurisdiction of the Security Council. Decisions must be made on a collegial basis, with the understanding that sanctions should not lead to isolation of the State targeted for sanctions, but rather encourage it to engage in a dialogue to remove questions that the Member States may have. It is essential that sanctions should be well-measured and that they not cause any suffering to the population.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“We should not allow irresponsible actions dictated by expedient interests to shatter the system of international law. The world order is threatened by arbitrary interpretation of such essential principles as the non-use or threat of force, the peaceful settlement of disputes, respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of States and non-interference in their domestic affairs. Those are the key principles of the United Nations Charter, which confers the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security on the Security Council. In advancing the reform of the United Nations, it is essential to preserve the capacity of the Security Council to perform those functions.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“We believe it is an obligation of all States to protect from provocations and blasphemy the religious feelings of people of any religious affiliation. At the same time, of course, there can be no justification for acts of terror, regardless of where they are committed, be they in Libya, Syria, Iraq, Yemen or anywhere else. Attacks against diplomats or United Nations personnel are absolutely unacceptable. In general, we are convinced that today, when the world is going through a transition period characterized by instability in the spheres of the economy, politics and inter-civilizational relations, it is particularly important for United Nations Member States to be able to rely on accepted rules of conduct and to agree on a joint response to the threats to global stability.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“I would note that in our part of the world today a memorandum on cooperation was signed between the secretariat of the Collective Security Treaty Organization and the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations. I am convinced that it will increase the efficiency of common efforts to ensure stability and security. All our actions should be founded solidly on the United Nations Charter, which makes no provision for the right to change regimes. It is unacceptable to impose a political system on a country and its people. Our position was clearly stated by President Vladimir Putin speaking at the Kremlin on 26 September. The entire sequence of events in the Arab world and other regions proves the futility of any such policy, which can lead to dangerous interethnic and interreligious clashes in international relations.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)