YouSaid · the spoken record

Churkin

lines on the record: 3,923
first: 2006-05-16
most recent: 2017-02-02
sittings or episodes: 536
sources: un-security-council

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

“While recognizing the importance of efforts on the part of Brussels to establish a dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, we note that the sides must arrive at any agreements on their own, without any pressure and without undermining the role of the United Nations. We have been closely following the work of the European Union's Advisory Mission for Civilian Security Sector Reform Ukraine, which was launched on 1 December. We assume that among other things, the mission will help to root out nationalist sentiment within Ukraine's law-enforcement and judicial authorities. At this stage, we see one of its main tasks as making a legal assessment of the activity of the punitive battalions of the so-called private armies in south- eastern Ukraine and helping to solve the problem of illegal Ukrainian armed groups.”
2015-03-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7402 (2015) · source
“We are interested in full cooperation with Brussels, but only when it is conducted on an equal footing and takes into account each other's interests and concerns. We hope the European Union will shake off the untoward influence of anti-Russian marginals among its ranks. We have a positive experience of ad hoc joint security actions, including past operations and missions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chad and the Central African Republic, and currently with the anti-piracy Operation Atalanta in the area of the Horn of Africa. In that regard, it is important to remember that in implementing its crisis-management operations, the European Union and its member States should always go strictly by the relevant decisions of the Security Council.”
2015-03-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7402 (2015) · source
“Despite the fact that relations between the EU and Russia are currently being severely tested, we are ready to continue cooperating with Brussels and all European Union member States on the wide range ofissues where our interests coincide. Our positions differ on some issues on the international agenda. Nonetheless, there are a number of areas where our cooperation continues, including within the United Nations. Those include our opposition to such global challenges as terrorism, religious extremism, piracy, drug trafficking, transnational crime, illegal migration, combating the Ebola virus, dealing with the Middle East peace process and resolving the situations in Libya and around Iran's nuclear programme.”
2015-03-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7402 (2015) · source
“The European Union is a significant political and economic player in the international arena, helping to strengthen multilateralism under the leading role of the United Nations in combating new challenges and threats and eradicating poverty. We have seen the added value that the EU has brought to its cooperation, including financially, in areas involving individual countries, particularly the Central African Republic, Mali and the Sahel region as a whole, and to the efforts to arrive at a peaceful settlement of the situation concerning Iran's nuclear programme. We have taken note of the contribution of the European Union's missions, conducted within the framework of its Common Security and Defence Policy, to international conflict-resolution efforts.”
2015-03-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7402 (2015) · source
“Mr. Churkin (Russian Federation) (spoke in Russian): We would first like to warmly welcome Ms. Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, to the Security Council, and we thank her and the Secretary-General for their briefings. The Russian Federation has consistently advocated the development and improvement of cooperation between the United Nations and regional and subregional mechanisms on the basis of the Charter of the United Nations and Chapter VIII of the Charter in particular. It is on that basis, and within the framework adopted by the General Assembly in May 2011 in its resolution 65/276, that cooperation should be established between our global Organization and the European Union (EU).”
2015-03-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7402 (2015) · source
“Mr. Churkin (Russian Federation) (spoke in Russian): That logic is completely distorted. I would even put it another way. It is very strange that the United States stated that the use of chemical weapons by the Government of Syria would be a red line and that it would cause the Unites States to use force, and yet after the events of 21 August it did not do so. Therefore, the Al-Assad Government did not cross that red line. The President of the United States stated that it was a red line and then he did nothing. That means that the Al-Assad Government did not use chemical weapons. It is not just my assumption. Many observers think the same thing. The meeting rose at 1.10 pm.”
2015-03-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7401 (2015) · source
“Of course, some people may find this boring, as the reports need to be discussed and experts must consider them, which is why no one reads them; or we can go meet the press and say that the Syrian Government is at fault. Such a media-based approach is very advantageous, but it may in practice protect those who were actually responsible for the acts that took place on 19 March and 21 August 2013 and the more recent ones involving the use of chlorine. We provide these technical details, but our colleagues find it easier to just smile and say "We know that it is the Government that is responsible". Can we seriously work like that in the Security Council? No. We must not protect the terrorists who have use chemical weapons more than once and have used chemical substances in Iraq and Syria. Yet that is precisely the position of our colleagues.”
2015-03-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7401 (2015) · source
“No one actually saw or captured the dropping of ordnance on film. In other words, the explosives could have been exploded on the ground during overflight by helicopters, especially at night. The barrel bombs described are not the made of the precursor chemicals available to the Syrian Army. The use of homemade explosives by the Syrian Army would be difficult to explain because they would cause much less damage than the powerful conventional, aviation-delivered ordnance that the Syrian Air Force is equipped with. This is unfortunately a highly technical matter, but we have two options. We may either adopt a professional and expert approach.”
2015-03-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7401 (2015) · source
“Its manufacture does not correspond to the information provided by the witnesses with regard to possible methods of delivery raises questions about the possibility that Government aviation could have been used. With regard to its construction, the ammunition are casings containing 50 litres. Their detonation could not have to have the kind of consequences described by witnesses. For explosions of such Wide coverage, each barrel bomb would need to contain at least 150 kilograms of trinitrotoluene-equivalent explosives, and it would be almost impossible to have that amount in those casings. The document does not provide information about the direct links between the overflight of helicopters and the explosion of ammunition containing chlorine. Only a few witnesses heard the sound of helicopters.”
2015-03-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7401 (2015) · source
“During the investigation, none of the victims revealed obvious symptoms. There were no analysis of the samples immediately after the incidents, nor was there any pathological assessment of the causes of death. There are no exact figures on the number of people who suffered and there is no indication that they were present at the places where the attacks took place. It is unclear what kind of detonator was used for the gas containers, or what the purpose was of the other chemicals and ammunition - sulphuric acid and yellow and brown substances. In the photographs and videos annexed to the report, all the ammunition appears to be primitive and homemade.”
2015-03-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7401 (2015) · source
“The criteria for their selection and their status are not clear - whether they were civilians or members of illegal armed groups. Since there was a lack of clarity with the way evidence was maintained, the OPCW did not accept from witnesses and survivors samples of chemicals allegedly found at the site of the barrel bomb explosions. The clinical condition of certain witnesses described in the report corresponds to the effects of chlorine on the human body. At the same time, similar symptoms could be displayed as a result of poisoning by other toxic substances. According to the report, the Mission could not reach a concrete conclusion on which toxic substances were used in the incidents in question. Thus, it is impossible to say unequivocally that those substances contained chlorine.”
2015-03-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7401 (2015) · source
“At the time, our Western colleagues did not provide any counter-argument, but merely made unsubstantiated accusations against the Government of Syria. By the way, our statement at that time can be found on our Permanent Mission's website, and I suggest that Council members familiarize themselves with it. As for the fact-finding mission on the use ofchlorine, it seems that even today the United Kingdom and the United States are pointing fingers at the Government of Syria with regard to the use of chlorine. That forces me to share with the Council our experts' assessments of that report, which we have already shared in detail in closed consultations. However, since we have heard these accusations in the Chamber, I am compelled to repeat them. First, the entire inquiry of the OPCW is based on subjective facts provided by certain witnesses.”
2015-03-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7401 (2015) · source
“It was done because in 2013 two very serious cases concerning the use of chemical weapons occurred in Syria. The first occurred on 19 March in the area of Ghouta, after which the Syrian Government immediately called for an independent United Nations inquiry. It was only as a result of the opposition of several Western members of the Security Council that the inquiry was not carried out immediately. There was an even more tragic case on 21 August. Ambassador Power alleged, although she did not state it explicitly, that the Syrian Government was behind it. It was not. We deeply discussed that case in the Council's consultations on 16 December, at which we presented an extensive argument that not only was the Syrian Government not behind the sarin attack of 21 August, but that, for technical reasons, it could not have been behind it.”
2015-03-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7401 (2015) · source
“Mr. Churkin (Russian Federation) (spoke in Russian): Unfortunately, the statement made by the the representative of the United States forces me to make rather detailed comments, since Ambassador Power cast the situation in such a light as to suggest that the onus is exclusively on the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic. Let me start with resolution 2118 (2013). She presented the situation as though that resolution were written in such a way as to prove or demonstrate something, and that only the Government of Syria had to comply. That is not the case. If we look at the text of the resolution, we see that it is clearly addressed to all parties to the Syrian conflict and that a great deal is said about non-State actors. That is no coincidence. Why was it done?”
2015-03-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7401 (2015) · source
“That approach is envisaged both in the Convention and in the communique on the Syrian chemical weapons programme agreed upon by the United States and the Russian Federation on 14 September 2013 in Geneva. We Wish to once again state categorically that we do not accept the possible use of sanctions under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations without an attempt to confirm any allegations based on proof.”
2015-03-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7401 (2015) · source
“Any conclusions on the facts related to the use of chemical weapons should be based on sound proof. To that end, we should strictly observe the provisions of the General Assembly's resolution on cooperation between the United Nations and the OPCW, which envisions that cases of particular gravity and urgency shall be brought directly to the attention of the General Assembly and the Security Council by the OPCW Executive Council, by way of the Secretary-General, in accordance with existing procedures. In future, we will strictly base our position on the fact that only the guiding bodies of the OPCW may confirm the facts of alleged violations of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction and resolution 2118 (2013).”
2015-03-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7401 (2015) · source
“Mr. Churkin (Russian Federation) (spoke in Russian): The Russian Federation voted in favour of resolution 2209 (2015), in connection with the reports of the fact-finding mission of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) regarding the use of chlorine as a chemical weapon in the Syrian Arab Republic (S/2015/138, annex). In that regard, we were guided by our principled position on the unacceptability of the use of chemical weapons by anyone. We also took into account the need for the Security Council to maintain a unified position regarding the Syrian chemical weapons dossier, as embodied in resolution 2118 (2013). We stress that further activity of the OPCW fact- finding mission should be based on professionalism, objectivity and impartiality.”
2015-03-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7401 (2015) · source
“We saw a similar scenario in Georgia in 2008. If that path is chosen, while using colourful words about the role of Russia, this will end very sadly for Ukraine - even more sadly then the events we have seen over the past year. We would like to avoid that because there are finally signs that the situation can be resolved. There is a package of measures, both military and political, that should be strictly implemented. We should not say, as some have today, that we must first deal with all the military aspects, then deal with the political ones. No, we need to deal with those aspects in parallel, because the range of issues that need to be resolved before the end of the year in accordance with the package is very broad. So we should not lose track of the essence of the issue. We should focus on all the different measures in the package.”
2015-03-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7400 (2015) · source
“Even if the figures mentioned pertaining to Russian interference were all correct, the fact is that tens of thousands of people have taken up arms to defend their rights in eastern Ukraine. Russia could not force anyone to do that. It would be impossible. Unfortunately, many simply do not wish to see the real situation in eastern Ukraine. That is why the crisis has dragged on. My Ukrainian colleague said something about artists. In Washington, DC, they painted for them a very simple picture of who should be toppled and how. There was no need to use paint; a simple pencil sketch was enough. Using that rough pencil sketch, they tried to resolve the political problems of Ukraine. And now we are seeing the results. Now military advisers are being called for. At present Saakashvili is an adviser to the President, and there are 300 advisers.”
2015-03-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7400 (2015) · source
“Mr. Churkin (Russian Federation) (spoke in Russian): The representative of Ukraine would be well advised to choose his words more wisely. Ukraine is a neighbour of Russia, and we are trying to find a solution to the crisis. Therefore Ms. Power should be asked who is the arsonist there - she is laughing now - and what she, together with Mr. Parubiy, set fire to on the Maidan. She could shed some light on that question if she knows the details about the arsonists. I have one last point, which is connected to the comments made earlier by Ms. Power. People keep talking about Russia as though there were no one in eastern Ukraine trying to fight for their rights.”
2015-03-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7400 (2015) · source
“But our goal is to focus on the tasks to be carried out according to the package of measures, rather than try to add yet further conditions. The task is to determine whether heavy weapons remain in the region from which they are supposed to have been withdrawn. If they do not, then the obligation has been fulfilled. Where they have been taken to or are stockpiled is a secondary matter. There are no grounds to ask such questions ofthe Special Monitoring Mission. But, again on the basis of good faith, some additional information has been provided by the insurgents.”
2015-03-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7400 (2015) · source
“As to the last point Ambassador Power raised regarding the location of weapons, this is closely linked to the work of the Special Monitoring Mission, as discussed in the Permanent Council of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. But the Mission must do what is defined by the package of measures; it must monitor the areas from which weapons are withdrawn. It says nothing about a requirement as to where they were subsequently moved, how they were moved or where they have been stored. As a measure of good faith, the representative of the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics did provide such information to the Mission, but I do not know if similar information was provided by the Kyiv authorities.”
2015-03-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7400 (2015) · source
“When the Minsk agreements were signed on 12 February, it was clear - and we said this very clearly and unequivocally - that before a ceasefire could take effect in the area of Debaltseve, it would be necessary to resolve the issue regarding the withdrawal of Ukrainian soldiers who had been surrounded in that region. The insurgents proposed that they withdraw, and then a ceasefire would have immediately taken effect. Unfortunately, they were given conflicting orders to break their encirclement. Of course, under such conditions it was very difficult to expect that an immediate ceasefire would take effect. Therefore, for anyone who familiar with the details of this discussion, the situation regarding Debaltseve could not have been a surprise.”
2015-03-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7400 (2015) · source
“Mr. Churkin (Russian Federation) (spoke in Russian): First of all, with regard to Ms. Savchenko, an investigation is under way. Accusations have been made and there is a legal procedure under way. In Ukraine, there are many people being detained and held prisoner who are not subject to any legal procedure. The provision of the Minsk agreements with regard to prisoner exchange applies to them. In this case, there is a legal procedure that cannot simply be disregarded. With regard to the response of Ms. Power, of course she exaggerated greatly with regard to the discussions we have had here in the Security Council since the beginning of the crisis. Let me explain two things that we have discussed, since she brought them up.”
2015-03-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7400 (2015) · source
“Nevertheless, I express the hope that members ofthe Security Council will, in good faith, seek to contribute to the further advancement of the process of political resolution in Ukraine.”
2015-03-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7400 (2015) · source
“Simonovic' uses his position in the United Nations to make an appeal for the release of Ms. Savchenko. We think that Mr. Simonovie is violating Articles 100 and 101 of the Charter of the United Nations, which requires high-level professionalism, good faith and impartiality of United Nations staff in fulfilling their functions. If Mr. Simonovie wants to change his place of work, he will be able to fulfil his potential in the journalistic sphere, but in the Council let us stick to what representatives of the United Nations are supposed to do. In conclusion, I have to note, regretfully, that our discussion has been gloomier than it should have been in the light of the initial steps taken in implementing resolution 2202 (2015) and the package of measures agreed to on 12 February.”
2015-03-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7400 (2015) · source
“I will not even mention that the United States has gotten into the habit of abducting Russian individuals throughout the world, accusing them of things invented, sometimes through provocations by their intelligence services at the end of nowhere, detaining them in subhuman conditions, holding show trials on the territory of the United States, giving them enormously long sentences, subjecting them to constant psychological torture and holding them under trying circumstances. I can assure colleagues that if Nadiya Savchenko were being held in such conditions in the United States, her fate would be predetermined. She would never see the light of day ever. With regard to our investigation and prosecution, our position is that the investigation and trial will determine whether or not she is guilty. It is not clear on what basis Mr.”
2015-03-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7400 (2015) · source
“By the way, the European Court of Human Rights refused to implement rule 39 of the regulations of the Court in this case, which confirms the legality of the detention of this individual. It has been very strange to hear demands from the representative of the United States to release Savchenko. The American system ofjurisprudence and the penitentiary system have never been known for its humanism. In Guantanamo, the United States has held people for over 10 years without even making formal accusations. The prisoners try to commit suicide and go on hunger strikes. They are force-fed, and that is considered normal.”
2015-03-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7400 (2015) · source
“I also want to comment on another matter that does not fall within the purview of the Security Council, because it has been raised several times. I am talking about Nadiya Savchenko. I never cease to be surprised at how ill-informed some colleagues in the Security Council are. The representative of the United Kingdom, Ambassador Lyall Grant, asked me a question: Why was Nadiya Savchenko arrested? Has he not read newspapers? She is accused of involvement in the killing of two Russian journalists. That is a very serious accusation. We keep on talking about the fact that we need to protect journalists and that there should be no impunity. She has been accused of that crime. Her detention is in no way illegal, because it was confirmed by our court under our legislation.”
2015-03-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7400 (2015) · source
“The representatives of the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic began withdrawing weapons first, and were the first to finish the process. The Ukrainian authorities did everything they could to delay it, but finally, as the Ukrainian representative said, President Poroshenko gave an order not to fire and that order is allegedly being carried out. However, we recall that in August President Poroshenko solemnly promised not to bombard cities, following which cities were bombarded for several consecutive months. But I repeat, I want to be an optimist, so let us hope that the positive developments that we are seeing implemented in the package of measures will be further continued.”
2015-03-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7400 (2015) · source
“The latest news is that they could not find anything better to do than to plant landmines. They put 450 boxes of explosives under a bridge used by local inhabitants to move from Crimea to mainland Ukraine. That is the kind of humanitarianism that the Ukrainian authorities present in its best version. So we will not even discuss this further. As for my Ukrainian colleague's description of the situation regarding the implementation of the package of measures related to resolution 2202 (2015), his version is very one-sided. Ijust want to ask everyone in the Chamber to read the report of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's Special Monitoring Mission, which is, generally speaking, objective. It is important to withdraw weapons so that the firing will cease.”
2015-03-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7400 (2015) · source
“Mr. Churkin (Russian Federation) (spoke in Russian): I want to say a few words. First, I wish to make a brief comment on Crimea, even though I said earlier that we were not going to discuss Crimea in the Security Council, I will give just one figure - 93 per cent. In a recent opinion poll conducted by a German institute, 93 per cent of the inhabitants of Crimea spoke in favour of reunification with Russia and again confirmed their support for that historic act. We do not need to prove anything to anyone. In regard to the concern that our Ukrainian colleague has expressed for the inhabitants of Crimea, I recall that the Kyiv authorities did everything they could to complicate the lives of the inhabitants of Crimea when they blocked water supplies, electricity and access.”
2015-03-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7400 (2015) · source
“I just want to recall, for instance, that when the Saakashvili regime attacked South Ossetia, there were 127 United States military advisers working in Georgia. The result was conflict, bloodshed and destruction. Only irresponsible politicians refuse to understand what this kind of a scenario could lead to in Ukraine.”
2015-03-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7400 (2015) · source
“However, against the backdrop of positive steps, we are very worried about the continuing sabre-rattling by Kyiv - statements by President Poroshenko about the expansion of the army, the delivery of a new batch of tanks to the National Guard and the armed forces, trips by Kyiv officials around the world looking for weapons, and the drafting in the United States Congress of a law to provide $1 billion for the equipping and training of Ukrainian forces. According to data we have, in Lviv oblast these days some 300 military personnel from the United States have arrived to train Ukrainian soldiers in the use of foreign equipment. Everyone knows that wherever American military appear bad things can be expected to happen.”
2015-03-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7400 (2015) · source
“Those people are being provided with humanitarian, medical and psychological support. In the medium term, the socioeconomic problems of Donbas cannot be resolved without implementing the provisions of the package of measures pertaining to the full re-establishment of relations with the rest of Ukraine, including the resumption of transfers of social benefits and pension payments and the functioning of the banking system. That work must begin without delay in the framework of the Contact Group. We have heard dozens of times in this Chamber that the Ukrainian crisis can be resolved only through political means. Today the main work is being carried out in the Normandy and Minsk formats, which are making an important contribution to achieving results that give us hope for a solution.”
2015-03-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7400 (2015) · source
“That criticism will in no way undermine our determination to help the people of Donbas. The statistics about the 1 million internally displaced persons in the territory of Ukraine is well known. However, almost as many people - 950,000 people since April 2014 - have left Ukraine and stayed in Russia. Of them more than 650,000 have requested to be granted special status. We make no distinction as to whether those people come from the east or the west of Ukraine or as to what their political views are. We are making comprehensive efforts to welcome them and provide them housing and jobs. There are some 527 temporary accommodation sites throughout 76 regions of the Russian Federation where more than 27,000 people, including nearly 9,000 children, are currently residing.”
2015-03-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7400 (2015) · source
“By the way, the most recent convoy, as well as some previous ones, was fully inspected by Ukrainian customs officials at the Donetsk checkpoint. I would ask Ambassador Power to take an interest in what her Embassies in Kyiv and Moscow are doing and in why they are not providing her with such basic information, instead giving her with disinformation on this topic and many other issues related to Ukraine. Thanks to the humanitarian convoys approximately 30,000 people are being provided with food rations, 250 hospitals are receiving medical equipment and approximately 150 social service facilities have been reopened. Drinking water is being provided to 80 per cent of the population in the affected areas. We believe it is unfounded and cynically politicized to criticize us for sending those convoys.”
2015-03-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7400 (2015) · source
“Otherwise, the deep-rooted causes of the Ukrainian crisis will not be dealt with. A separate issue is the catastrophic socioeconomic and humanitarian situation in Donbas. The measures taken by Kyiv to suffocate the south-east have become a veritable blockade. Social benefits and pensions paid to Donbas residents have been cut off. Exiting and entering the area requires overcoming almost insurmountable bureaucratic obstacles. Convoys with humanitarian assistance and food are not reaching civilians, as confirmed by international organizations. Dozens of hospitals and schools have been destroyed. Kyiv recently ended the delivery of gas to Donbas. Russia is undertaking extensive efforts to meet the urgent needs of the population of Donbas. It has already 17 sent convoys with humanitarian assistance.”
2015-03-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7400 (2015) · source
“We also note the progress made in the exchange of prisoners. At the same time, progress has stalled on a number of points. On 24 February in Paris, Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the Normandy quartet called on the Trilateral Contact Group to immediately establish a working group to address the remaining aspects. Unfortunately, Ukrainian authorities refuse to do that and are dragging their feet. That is alarming and counterproductive. On 3 March, after having delayed for several months, President Poroshenko signed a decree establishing a constitutional commission, which will draft changes to the Constitution. However, the process is far from transparent. According to the package of measures, constitutional reform must be carried out in coordination with representatives of Donetsk and Luhansk.”
2015-03-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7400 (2015) · source
“If the special monitoring mission needs strengthening with more observers, equipment or financing, we are ready to consider that in a more constructive manner and in more detail in the framework of the Permanent Council of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in Vienna. Being both realists and optimists, we are satisfied with the positive development of the situation on the ground. The ceasefire is generally holding. The withdrawal of heavy weapons has begun. One of the parties to the conflict, the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic, has already completed that process. We hope that Kyiv will fall in line and finally withdraw its heavy equipment to the line of contact. We hope that this will help to foster a climate of trust, and that isolated violations of the ceasefire will cease.”
2015-03-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7400 (2015) · source
“Now, thanks to resolution 2202 (2015), everything has been reinforced by the international authority of the Security Council, which in addition to the leaders of the Normandy quartet, has become a guarantor of the package of measures. The document is clear, both with regard to the sequence of the steps to be taken and the participants that must take those steps. In that regard, it is important to act in good faith and implement the steps without any attempt to rewrite them. The Special Monitoring Mission ofthe Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) plays a crucial role in implementing the package of measures. It is tasked with observing the process, in accordance with the parameters prescribed in the document, in an impartial and coordinated way.”
2015-03-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7400 (2015) · source
“On 17 February, the Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 2202 (2015), which approves a package of measures aimed at implementing the Minsk agreements, which established a framework for peaceful settlement and a way to address the conflict in the Council. The package of measures of 12 February raised the bar for the settlement of the conflict to a more advanced stage, and it became a kind of new affirmation of the process. The document provides a comprehensive approach - from military issues to confidence-building measures - and includes constitutional reform, which should be carried out in consultation with Donetsk and Luhansk. There are also a number ofother important elements, including amnesty for participants, the restoration of socioeconomic relations and humanitarian aspects.”
2015-03-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7400 (2015) · source
“Simonovie already had an opportunity, just a few days ago, to address the Human Rights Council in Geneva and to convey his views to Member States. This is a classic example of a duplication of effort in the United Nations. Previous appearances by Mr. Simonovie the Security Council have led only to an excessive politicization of the issue. Objectivity was sacrificed to propaganda. It has reached the point where the Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine has begun to express its views on military aspects that have nothing to do with human rights issues. That is why today we will not comment on Mr. Simonovie's report or on his briefing. We have already done so in Human Rights Council.”
2015-03-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7400 (2015) · source
“Mr. Churkin (Russian Federation) (spoke in Russian): The last three speakers employed 50 shades of black. We would like to call on everyone to be more objective, which is in the interest of settling the conflict. However, we understand that in this case such appeals are useless. We are grateful to Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman and to the Director of the Coordination and Response Division of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Mr. John Ging, for their briefings. With regard to Mr. Ivan Simonovie, we believe that his briefing to the Security Council is inappropriate for several reasons. First, the Council has not taken a decision to establish the human rights mission in Ukraine and had not asked for a reporting line. Secondly, Mr.”
2015-03-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7400 (2015) · source
“Unfortunately, the geopolitical ambitions of a number of forces precluded the flowering of a harmonious political order on the European continent following the end of the Cold War. We need to draw lessons from that. The OSCE's mission is to play a very important role in the process of such rethinking.”
2015-02-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7391 (2015) · source
“The representative of the United States made a statement in a similar key, and that country's role throughout the Ukrainian crisis has been exclusively destructive. All we can do now is hope that the United States will not try to put a wrench in the works of the Normandy process. Secondly, these days such comments are often used to achieve a desired political and psychological effect. The conflict in Ukraine is the most complex crisis Europe has seen since the end of the Cold War. It is clear that the crisis needs to be assessed in a calculated way. Let us recall that, even after the end of the Cold War, war broke out in the territory of the former Yugoslav Republic and NATO bombed Serbia. In many cases, the causes for such crises are the very forces that provoked the crisis in Ukraine.”
2015-02-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7391 (2015) · source
“Mr. Churkin (Russian Federation) (spoke in Russian): I would like to make two brief comments. First, some members of the Council have abused today's meeting, which is supposed to be devoted to the activities of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Particularly unfortunate was the statement made by the representative of the United Kingdom, which was devoted entirely to Ukraine. Our British colleague once again painted a very one-sided and distorted picture of what is happening. It is apparent that the United Kingdom does not have a complete understanding of the OSCE's role, and that is clearly a result of the fact that Britain is rapidly losing its international position, including on the European continent.”
2015-02-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7391 (2015) · source
“There will be a need to take into account the fact that a large number of individuals were forced to leave the conflict zone and now find themselves both in other regions of Ukraine and abroad.”
2015-02-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7391 (2015) · source
“We see no need for proposals to expand their mandate to the whole of the Donetsk-Lugansk section of the Ukrainian-Russian border, since they are not in keeping with the Berlin Declaration of 2 July 2014, which was reached by the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of France, Germany and Ukraine, for whose implementation the OSCE monitors were deployed. On this issue, there is a need to reach agreement with the separatists as one of the parties to the conflict. We note the readiness of the OSCE ODIHR to monitor the elections in the Donbas as soon as all aspects related to their organization and implementation in accordance with the package of measures dated 12 February are settled and agreed. The elections will substantially determine the whole political process of a settlement.”
2015-02-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7391 (2015) · source
“We back the Special Monitoring Mission with financial and human resources and we are in favour of expanding its capacities. We continue to search for specialists for work in the Special Monitoring Mission based on its growing needs. On the whole, we are satisfied with the work of the OSCE's monitors at the Russian-Ukrainian border crossing points in Donetsk and Gukovo. They are noting the real situation of refugees, and despite fanciful claims are confirming the absence of the deployment of any Russian military forces.”
2015-02-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7391 (2015) · source