YouSaid · the spoken record

Hoxha

lines on the record: 1,795
first: 2014-02-19
most recent: 2023-12-29
sittings or episodes: 264
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

“First, at the outset of 2022, the Informal Working Group adopted a programme of work setting out the main priorities and planned actions for the upcoming year, allowing all Council members to comment and make proposals. Again, that happened at the beginning of 2023, rendering the work of the Group more predictable and results oriented. In addition, as an important step towards greater transparency, the Informal Working Group adopted its first annual report in 2022 (see S/2022/1032), thereby aligning itself with the practice of the rest of the subsidiary bodies of the Security Council. The annual report includes summaries of its activities as well as a set of selected indicators, in a first attempt at tracking the implementation of note 507 and subsequently adopted presidential notes.”
2023-09-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9410 (2023) · source
“The workload is ever- growing, and the stakes could not be greater. In that context, the importance of the working methods cannot be overstated. Since assuming my role as Chair of the Informal Working Group, in January 2022, I have had the privilege of building on the significant achievements of my predecessors in advancing the Security Council’s working methods. Over the past two years, I have strived to steer discussions at the Informal Working Group towards making the Council not only more efficient and effective in its work and decision-making, but also more transparent and inclusive of the viewpoints of all of its members, the wider United Nations membership and those affected by its decisions. I would like to highlight a few major milestones that the Informal Working Group has achieved in the past 18 months.”
2023-09-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9410 (2023) · source
“However, challenging political dynamics worldwide as well as divisions within the Council have prevailed, turning division into an obstacle for action, critically affecting the Council’s ability to deliver on its responsibilities as established in the Charter of the United Nations. In 2022 and 2023, this Chamber has been a venue of old and new rifts inhibiting its action in connection with some of the world’s most pressing problems. At stake is not only the Council’s reputation, but also the overall reputation of the United Nations. For all the criticism, however, the Council has maintained its level of activity of last year, being actively seized of 41 items on its agenda so far, fully resumed open debates with high levels of participation and adopted decisions regularly to maintain the operations of the United Nations worldwide.”
2023-09-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9410 (2023) · source
“Many of the notes were issued in response to demands from the wider membership in the context of these debates and elsewhere. We find ourselves here today at a particularly critical juncture, and today’s open debate could not be more relevant. While the worst effects of the coronavirus disease pandemic are now behind us, other critical challenges remain. The persistence of multifaceted crises and armed conflicts in different parts of the world, adverse effects of climate change, terrorism and the use of new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposes are only a few examples. Against that backdrop, and consistent with its primary responsibility to maintain international peace and security, the Security Council is expected to act — and to do so efficiently, transparently and effectively on behalf of the rest of the membership.”
2023-09-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9410 (2023) · source
“Annual open debates on working methods have served to collectively engage in a reflection with the wider membership on the working methods used by the Council to deliver on its important responsibility to maintain international peace and security. This has been a constant of the Council since 2010, to assess the implementation of the measures set out in note by the President S/2017/507 and in subsequently adopted notes by the President. Since 2017, 15 new notes by the President on its working methods have been adopted under the auspices of the Informal Working Group, the last two of which were adopted in August during my tenure as Chair. Those new 15 notes add to the normative acquis set out in note 507 to enhance the efficiency, transparency and effectiveness of the Council.”
2023-09-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9410 (2023) · source
“I wish to draw the attention of Council members to document S/2023/630, which contains the text of a letter dated 28 August 2023 from the Permanent Representative of Albania to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council, transmitting a concept note on the item under consideration. I shall now make a statement in my capacity as the Chair of the Informal Working Group on Documentation and other Procedural Questions. I am grateful for the opportunity to provide the briefing today as Chair of the Informal Working Group on Documentation and Other Procedural Questions at this annual open debate on working methods.”
2023-09-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9410 (2023) · source
“In accordance with rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the representatives of Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, the Central African Republic, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Denmark, Egypt, Germany, Greece, India, Indonesia, Ireland, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Italy, Liechtenstein, Mexico, Morocco, Norway, Pakistan, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, the Republic of Korea, Romania, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, the Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand and Viet Nam to participate in this meeting. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda.”
2023-09-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9410 (2023) · source
“I should also like to take this opportunity to pay tribute, on behalf of the Council, to Her Excellency Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Permanent Representative of the United States, for her service as President of the Council for the month of August 2023. I am sure I speak for all members of the Council in expressing deep appreciation to Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield and her team for the great diplomatic skill with which they conducted the Council’s business last month. Adoption of the agenda The agenda was adopted. Implementation of the note by the President of the Security Council (S/2017/507) Working methods of the Security Council Letter dated 28 August 2023 from the Permanent Representative of Albania to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council (S/2023/630)”
2023-09-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9410 (2023) · source
“I would like to remind all speakers to limit their statements to no more than three minutes in order to enable the Security Council to carry out its work as expeditiously as possible. Flashing lights on the collars of the microphone will prompt all speakers to bring their remarks to a close after three minutes. I now give the floor to the representative of Romania.”
2023-09-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9410Resumption1 (2023) · source
“Therefore, consistent with our position on the issue, we highlight the importance of unimpeded access for UNIFIL with regard to its freedom of movement and independence in carrying out its mandate, the necessity of which is reflected by the security situation on the ground. We believe that both the freedom of movement and the security of UNIFIL peacekeepers remain of paramount importance for the implementation of the mandate. We voted in favour of resolution 2695 (2023) and reiterate that UNIFIL must be able and fully empowered to carry out its important mandate, without interference or impositions, in support of the country, its people and their future, as well as the United Nations action for Lebanon and peace and security in the wider region.”
2023-08-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9409 (2023) · source
“The situation in Lebanon remains difficult, and the presence and action of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) are of paramount importance for the peace and stability of the country. It is with that imperative in mind that we worked with France, the penholder, whom we thank for its diligent work and efforts, and other Council members in the process of the renewal of the mandate adopted today. UNIFIL’s presence remains critical for peace and stability in the region as well. We profoundly believe that the strengthening of UNIFIL’s mandate better serves the country and its people, as well as peace and security on the ground and beyond.”
2023-08-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9409 (2023) · source
“It is high time for the Security Council to come together again, speak with one voice and be united in a clear response as soon as possible.”
2023-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9406 (2023) · source
“Just a few days ago, in this Chamber, we discussed the dire and worsening humanitarian and human rights situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea that has resulted from the deplorable path chosen by its regime to deny its population food they need and provide itself weapons they do not (see S/PV.9398). In concluding, let me reaffirm that we will continue to advocate and support genuine efforts to address the threat posed by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea through collective preventive diplomacy and ensure that the regime ends its weapons-of-mass- destruction, ballistic and nuclear-weapons programmes fully, transparently, comprehensively and irreversibly. We call on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to give diplomacy more than just a chance.”
2023-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9406 (2023) · source
“In this respect, we wonder about the real impact and usefulness of the Russian Minister of Defence’s visit to Pyongyang amid suspicious and illegal arms deals with a country that is threatening its neighbours. That is why, more than ever, we believe that the situation requires the Security Council to respond with diplomatic tools and a strong unified response. We do not have to wait for the worst to happen before we react. This is one of the best cases for fully exploring prevention efforts. Such efforts must be fully explored. All of North Korea’s neighbours, including Japan and the Republic of Korea, need to be assured that the Council takes the threat posed by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea regime seriously and is determined and committed to responding in a prompt and proper way.”
2023-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9406 (2023) · source
“Quite the contrary, that approach has convinced the regime that it could get away with committing crimes. This is unacceptable because it is wrong and dangerous. The warmongers in North Korea must know that actions have consequences. We regret that the voice of the majority of Security Council members, which is calling for the Council to react to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s illegal, unprovoked and reckless actions, has not so far been taken into consideration. By being disunited on this issue, the Council is failing its mandate and is not discharging its core responsibility. We therefore reiterate our position that not talking the talk to the North Korean regime when it persists in its defiant, escalatory and dangerous behaviour is not a contribution to peace and security.”
2023-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9406 (2023) · source
“They are mandatory legal documents, with which the regime has an international obligation to comply. Therefore, attempts to show understanding for the regime’s provocative and escalatory actions or whatever efforts that are undertaken to protect it on its dangerous course have the direct and proven effect of emboldening the regime on its erroneous course. They are the same as providing Pyongyang with a licence to breach Security Council resolutions, violate a comprehensive sanctions regime and remain an unwarranted threat to peace and security. Let us face the truth that such a conciliatory approach has failed in practice. It has not helped to bring the regime closer to fulfilling its obligations, nor has it led to any de-escalation. In short, it has not brought any sense of security to the people of the Korean peninsula.”
2023-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9406 (2023) · source
“We deplore that the regime has immured itself into a posture of defiance to the international community and continues to pursue its efforts to strengthen and modernize Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s military capabilities, in a display of egregious behaviour that exacerbates the volatile security situation across the entire Korean peninsula. We echo the Secretary-General’s call for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to cease these acts and swiftly resume dialogue without preconditions. Today’s meeting is yet another important occasion, at a critical time, for the Security Council to come together and show unity, promoting the clear and strong message that enough is enough. Security Council resolutions are not concept notes, non-papers or talking points.”
2023-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9406 (2023) · source
“I thank Assistant Secretary- General Khiari for his briefing. Albania strongly condemns the launch by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea regime of a space vehicle carrying the country’s first military reconnaissance satellite. This is Pyongyang’s second failure in two months to put a spy satellite into orbit. We further condemn the announcement by the regime of a third attempt of this kind in October. Despite the fact that such efforts have failed so far, the biggest and the most worrisome aspect of all of this is the regime’s failure to comply with its obligations under international law. Such actions and statements are in violation of Security Council resolutions that prohibit North Korea from testing any technology that can be used to build ballistic missiles; the regime openly challenges these resolutions.”
2023-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9406 (2023) · source
“In the heat of an insurrection and internal power struggle two months ago, the Kremlin was quick to make arrangements and end hostilities with someone whom it called a criminal, and yet for 18 months it has refused to end its criminal war on Ukrainians, whom the Kremlin calls its brothers. That is why solidarity and help for Ukraine must continue until Russians themselves step up and refuse to be discarded as cannon fodder in an absurd and unwinnable war.”
2023-08-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9404 (2023) · source
“But while Russia continues to brainwash its domestic public opinion, it has failed to convince the world that its re-education camps and forced adoptions are the humanitarian actions they are made out to be. They are simply crimes in disguise that call for accountability in the open. Russia seems to be making preparations for organizing local elections in some areas of eastern Ukraine. We have said it before and we reiterate it now — we will not recognize any elections or referendums organized within the internationally recognized borders of Ukraine, against the Ukrainian Constitution and the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Let me conclude by recalling a very simple, yet meaningful, fact.”
2023-08-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9404 (2023) · source
“In his annual report on children and armed conflict (S/2023/363), the Secretary-General included Russia’s military forces on the list of shame of parties to armed conflict that have committed grave violations against children. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the expert mission established under the Moscow Mechanism of the Organization for Security and Cooperation and the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine established by the Human Rights Council have all confirmed attacks on civilians, torture, rape and forced transfers and deportations of children. It was on the basis of such hard evidence of the unlawful deportation of children that in March the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for the Russian President and his Commissioner for Children’s Rights.”
2023-08-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9404 (2023) · source
“This is the deplorable situation for those thousands whose houses have been deliberately destroyed by attacks with explosive weapons thrown in populated urban areas; whose cities have been mercilessly flattened by shelling from heavy artillery, multiple-launch rocket systems, missiles and air strikes; whose schools, hospitals, shelters, water systems, power plants and places of worship or culture have been deliberately damaged or destroyed; whose jobs have been lost; whose lands have been mined; and all those who are left only with the hope that the nightmare will soon end. The assault on Ukraine’s present is nothing short of an audacious bid to dismantle its future. Several credible reports have confirmed a well-prepared plan for the abduction and deportation of children from Ukraine to various parts of Russia.”
2023-08-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9404 (2023) · source
“When laws are not implemented, commitments are not respected and innocent people are hurt, we all have failed. There is, however, no doubt who is the culprit, who are the perpetrators and who is the aggressor in Ukraine. Today, as Ukraine marks the thirty-second anniversary of its independence, the country is faced with a heart-wrenching panorama. More than 26,500 civilians have lost their lives — among them 1,700 children killed or injured. As stark as those figures are, they likely obscure an even grimmer reality. This is the unbearable everyday life for one third of Ukraine’s total population, whose lives have been shattered and who, since February 2022, have lost everything.”
2023-08-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9404 (2023) · source
“Cynics and apologists will always argue that this is war and anything, including mistakes, and even terrible things can happen. The same propaganda will cycle downwards, after every such deadly strike, in a perpetuum mobile, trying to justify the unjustifiable and excuse the inexcusable. The protection of civilians is one of the most solemn commitments made by all. It is task number one for all parties in any conflict situation. But, unfortunately, the reality is different. Because civilians are not fighting and cannot defend themselves, they end up paying a high price. Harming civilians violates the Charter of the United Nations, contradicts international humanitarian law and betrays the solemn commitment of the Security Council to maintaining peace and security.”
2023-08-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9404 (2023) · source
“Let me thank Under- Secretary-General DiCarlo for her in-depth briefing. We are also grateful to Ms. Rashevska for her valuable information on developments in Ukraine and look forward to the text of Mr. Kuleba’s remarks. Today we join Ukrainians everywhere in celebrating their independence day, and in that way, their fight for freedom, their right to choose and the sanctity of sovereignty and independence, which continue to be under threat by its neighbour. Last week, in Chernihiv, Sofia, a six-year-old child, was preparing for her first day of school. Unfortunately, a Russian missile put an end to her dream and to her life. She was taken away, just as those hundreds of other children who will never see the inside of a classroom or play in a sandbox because of the shelling, missiles, drones and cruelty of the Russian military aggression.”
2023-08-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9404 (2023) · source
“It lies in their will to move ahead, and in their vision for the future — a future that speaks in the same way to Israelis and Palestinians alike, a future in which a viable and democratic Palestine exists alongside a secure Israel and a future that encompasses two States for two peoples, fully entitled to equal safety, security and prosperity.”
2023-08-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9400 (2023) · source
“The parties must abide by their commitments regarding the implementation of the Aqaba and Sharm El-Sheikh communiqués, as the best way to bridge the deep and deepening divide. Albania remains a firm supporter of freedom of religion and belief and of the historic status quo of the holy sites in Jerusalem. We commend Jordan in its special custodianship role and call on the parties to refrain from provocative actions that could affect an already tense situation. Let me conclude by joining the call of the Special Coordinator for the political horizon to be restored, as crucial to breaking the current cycle of deadly violence. That perspective is in the hands of both sides.”
2023-08-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9400 (2023) · source
“We welcome the steps taken by the Israel Defense Forces to address settler violence against Palestinians and call for full investigation and for those responsible to be held accountable. We also reiterate our concern about the plans to expand settlements. We call for the full implementation of resolution 2334 (2016) and the strict observance of international law. All unilateral steps that obstruct peace and the viability of a two-State solution must be withdrawn. We reiterate our call on the parties to commit to de-escalation in deeds as well as words, and to avoid unilateral steps that lead to tension and violence on the ground. In the context of hope for a political horizon, however remote it may seem, violence is not and cannot be a solution, nor can it be a substitute for justice.”
2023-08-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9400 (2023) · source
“There cannot be any justification for terror, and everyone, in particular the youth, should distance themselves from instigating violence and extremism and condemn terrorism. Terror attacks cannot advance any cause; they only empower extremists, which is the last thing the Middle East peace process needs now or ever. The events in the Tulkarm refugee camp risk escalating tensions in other areas in the West Bank. The protection of civilians must always be the primary concern, and international humanitarian law must be respected. We condemn the violence of Israeli extremist settlers in the very same way. The lives of Palestinian and Israeli civilians are of equal worth.”
2023-08-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9400 (2023) · source
“I thank you, Madam President, and thank Special Coordinator Wennesland for the update. It is very disheartening to start, as has occurred many other times, by acknowledging that the situation for civilians in the West Bank and Israel in the past three weeks has not improved. The situation on the ground keeps deteriorating with no end in sight. It is indeed alarming that the death toll for the past seven months equals the number of deaths that occurred during the entire year of 2022. That represents a heavy and painful toll for both sides, and it is unsustainable. Albania condemns the killing of an Israeli patrolman, as well as the deadly terror attacks committed in recent days, and reiterates its support for the right of Israel to defend itself in a proportionate manner.”
2023-08-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9400 (2023) · source
“That is why we, as Council members and, I hope , friends of the people of North Korea, should consider it to be our duty to raise our voices against all human rights violations, because rights or the absence thereof determine everything for people — for those whom we have all made the commitment to putting at the centre of our attention and work — and they have been proven to have a direct impact on peace and security in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and everywhere else.”
2023-08-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9398 (2023) · source
“Weapons will never change the country, they will never feed the population, they will never bring prosperity. Instead, freedom, rule of law, education, health, investment in human capital, cooperation and trade with neighbours will shorten the path to the future — a future North Koreans deserve. They do not have to go too far; all they need to do is take a look across the demilitarized zone to the south.”
2023-08-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9398 (2023) · source
“When youth fomented change, in the early 1990s, when our part of the Berlin Wall fell, we discovered that the only things we were left with were our absolute misery and the bunkers. Fast-forward 30 years and we see that, in the course of three decades, my country has developed more than it had done in the previous 300 years. This did not happen by any miracle, but simply as the result of one simple thing: we understood that we could go faster and further by investing in people, rights and freedoms, in cooperating with neighbours and in openness with the world. Those who for decades were considered our worst enemies turned out actually to be our best friends. If ever North Korea was looking for a lesson learned, I offer the following.”
2023-08-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9398 (2023) · source
“A bit more than three decades ago, like most of my compatriots, I was living under a regime not unlike the current one in North Korea. It was a regime so paranoid that it had crumbled upon itself, totally self- isolated and forgotten in its madness, having invested for decades in what it considered to be the best weapon of defence: bunkers. Hundreds of thousands of concrete monsters of all sizes were built and planted everywhere and used as an effective propaganda tool to convince a reclusive population — of which I was a part — that we could resist every foreign attack — an attack that never came, because no one had any intention of attacking my country. These bunkers were merely the expression of the sick thoughts of the nomenklatura that needed to subjugate its people with fear.”
2023-08-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9398 (2023) · source
“It was also confirmed this morning by the High Commissioner and the other briefers. Today’s meeting is therefore another attempt to rally the Security Council to stand up to policies and actions that put peace and security in the Korean peninsula in serious danger. As the Special Rapporteur highlighted, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea regime must be held accountable, not shielded from responsibility, for its repeated flagrant breaches of international law and human rights. This is so because shielding the regime means opposing the people. There is so much more to say, but I would like to conclude with a few words that, it is my wish, will, in one way or another, be heard somewhere in North Korea. It is a personal account, like the one we heard from Mr. Ilhyeok Kim.”
2023-08-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9398 (2023) · source
“This meeting is also a call to a regime whose priority and obsession is and remains militarization, more weapons, more missiles and more warmongering policies. The unlawful weapons-of-mass-destruction and ballistic-missile programmes are developed — and we know it — with open disregard for Security Council decisions, and the systematic, widespread and gross human rights violations committed by the institutions and officials of the Democratic People’s Republic serve the regime’s unlawful activities. The regime is stealing food from the family table, denying medicine to hospitals, starving people in labour camps and abusing children, only to invest in its nuclear and ballistic- missile programmes. All of the foregoing has been reported continuously by independent United Nations rapporteurs and in other credible reports.”
2023-08-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9398 (2023) · source
“It is an expression of sympathy and support for all those who, after having escaped the labour camps, are praying not to be repatriated to the Democratic People’s Republic in compliance with the principle of non-refoulement. It is a manifestation of support for all political prisoners and all those forced to work in concentration camps. Today’s meeting is for all the malnourished children who are entitled to a healthy childhood, not starvation, who need quality education, not military parades. This meeting is for all the women and girls who have been forcibly trafficked and subjected to sexual violence from high-ranking military officials in detention centres, held in inhumane conditions and deprived of food.”
2023-08-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9398 (2023) · source
“The North Korean regime uses fear and inflicts collective punishment to silence dissidents. It routinely sends those perceived as opponents to secretive political prison camps where they are subject to torture, starvation and forced labour. North Korea is the bizarre place in the world where the Government decides on what people read, what people watch, even what people should think. If, God forbid, a person is caught watching a foreign movie not sanctioned by the Government or speaking to a foreigner, such “reactionary behaviour”, as they call it, will be severely punished, including with death sentences. For all those reasons, today’s meeting sends a strong message of solidarity with an entire population trapped inside a country-wide prison. The message is “we will not forget you”.”
2023-08-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9398 (2023) · source
“As we heard clearly and explicitly from all our briefers, during these six long years, the situation of human rights in North Korea has not improved; rather, it has worsened. The number of people suffering from violations has increased, and the collective misery brutally imposed by a draconian, paranoid and criminal regime has expanded. Let me briefly explain why this meeting is necessary, important, timely and useful. This meeting provides us with a moment to shed a bit of light on the darkness of a country where the regime does not tolerate pluralism, where independent media, civil society organizations, and trade unions are banned, where all basic liberties, including the freedom of expression, public assembly, association and religion are systematically denied.”
2023-08-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9398 (2023) · source
“We commend her for her efforts and commitment to addressing the disastrous human rights situation in the most secretive and tyrannical of States, one that has turned into an information black hole. I was deeply touched by Mr. Ilhyeok Kim’s powerful account because it resonated with me personally, and, I am sure, with anyone who has lived under a brutal dictatorship. I thank him for being in the Chamber today and helping us to seriously reflect on how the international community should react in the face of the brutal misery that over 25 million North Koreans continue to experience daily, with no end in sight. The last meeting on this issue in the Council was held six years ago (see S/PV.8130). Today’s meeting is therefore long overdue and could not be timelier. We are not going back in time; we are just bringing the Council up to speed.”
2023-08-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9398 (2023) · source
“Let me start by thanking the United States presidency of the Security Council, and you, personally, Madam President, for organizing today’s important meeting. I thank the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mr. Volker Türk, for his insightful briefing. We fully concur with his assessment on the importance of this meeting and the direct link of the human rights situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea with peace and stability in the Korean peninsula and beyond. I also thank Special Rapporteur Salmón for her sober assessment. Of all United Nations rapporteurs on human rights issues, Ms. Salmón has something close to an impossible task.”
2023-08-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9398 (2023) · source
“In the most friendly and sincere way, we urge both parties to, instead of competing on the communication front in an unproductive blame game, get together to work to establish greater cooperation, make more contacts at various levels, take steps to increase confidence and help address all issues. Nothing should impede such an approach, which in our view is the only way conducive to bringing about a new and positive reality in Armenia- Azerbaijan relations. In this respect, we also encourage direct talks between the representatives of the Armenian community in Azerbaijan and the Government. Let me reiterate the importance of pursuing the path of diplomacy as the best way to move forward and overcome the bitter legacy of a conflict that has kept the people of two neighbouring countries apart with huge consequences.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9397 (2023) · source
“More broadly, we think that the parties should work with the same sense of urgency to deal with all other issues — to delimit the border and de-mine and demilitarize it — through good-faith cooperation, in order to provide the necessary sense of security and avoid accidents and incidents, which, given the volatility of the situation, could quickly lead to heightened tensions and clashes. The parties should avoid unnecessary speculation and heightened rhetoric and, above all, serve the main purpose, which is to make progress towards building a future in cooperation and friendship. We know that the legacy of 30 years of a painful frozen conflict will not be overcome overnight, but the new realities and the determination shown recently by the parties must be fully exploited.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9397 (2023) · source
“We are absolutely confident that there is enough room to discuss openly and seriously all the issues related to the expressed humanitarian concerns and the freedom of movement through the Lachin road, including by exploring other possibilities, on the one hand, and any legitimate security concerns, on the other hand. We believe that when humanitarian issues are at stake, everything must be done, and every option explored, including, in this respect, the use of other roads, such as the proposed one from Aghdam to Khankandi, for the same and only purpose, namely, to respond quickly and responsibly and provide delivery of goods to the region. We strongly encourage efforts from both sides to ensure that the needs of the population are met.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9397 (2023) · source
“While each side develops its own narrative on the situation, one aspect is more striking than any other — a profound lack of trust between the parties on the best ways to deal with the situation of the Azerbaijani citizens of Armenian descent living in the country, and the urgent need for the parties to get together and work seriously to resolve all related issues. We reiterate our principled position that humanitarian needs must not be politicized or used to echo other grievances. Humanitarian needs anywhere, including in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, should only be met.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9397 (2023) · source
“Wosornu, the parties continue to express serious concerns, tensions have continued near the Armenia- Azerbaijan border and there are important pending issues that need particular and continued attention. We have been following the recent developments concerning the Lachin road very closely. We note that the positions of the two countries on the issue differ sharply. From January to August of this year, there have been close to 60 letters addressed by both parties to the Security Council.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9397 (2023) · source
“We want to believe that the parties will be swift to accept the offer and the readiness of the European Union to contribute financially to the project. Establishing a rail link could prove a strong confidence-building measure and symbolize cooperation in advancing shared interests, laying the groundwork for further diplomatic and economic cooperation between Armenia and Azerbaijan. In our view, that is what both countries need, what their populations deserve and what the region must have. We are well aware that the road is still uphill and bumpy and that a number of problems persist. As we have seen in various reports and as we heard from Ms.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9397 (2023) · source
“Given their difficult past, that firm commitment by both countries to respecting each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity as neighbours and their readiness to deal with and resolve their disputes by peaceful means, on the basis of respect for the Charter of the United Nations and international law, are of paramount importance. We welcome the commitment of both parties to a long-term negotiation plan for a comprehensive peace agreement, and as stated by Charles Michel, President of the European Council, only a month ago, the current efforts represent “one of the most comprehensive and vigorous stages of negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan”. In that respect, we welcome the plans for the construction of a railway connection, which should take place without delay.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9397 (2023) · source
“Allow me to thank Ms. Wosornu for her briefing. Since the last Security Council meeting on this issue in December of last year (see S/PV.9228), there have been new developments, some of them positive and very encouraging. We welcome and applaud the intensification of the Armenia-Azerbaijan normalization process. Following the negotiations on a peace treaty held in the United States in early May, leaders of both countries have had meetings in Brussels and other European capitals. The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan have publicly reaffirmed their firm commitment to the Alma-Ata Declaration of 1991 and the territorial integrity of their countries.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9397 (2023) · source
“Let me end with the following. When we know very well — and we have been there already — that preventing grain exports from one of the breadbaskets of the world, Ukraine, would worsen the world situation, lead to increased prices, make it harder for millions to afford their daily bread, make the poor go hungry and cause the death of innocent people who do not need to die from hunger, is that not terror of some kind? It is just a thought.”
2023-07-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9390 (2023) · source