YouSaid · the spoken record

Kuzmin

lines on the record

337

first

2008-06-05

most recent

2023-03-07

sittings or episodes

60

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

1. “Mr. Kuzmin (Russian Federation) (spoke in Russian): I would like to begin, Madam President, by drawing attention to the fact that the theme of the briefing as it was designated in the Security Council's December programme of work is somewhat different from what you have proposed for our discussion today, according to the explanatory note. We assume that you no doubt realized that replacing the topic of terrorism issues with the politicized concept of the prevention of violent extremism could meet with a negative reception. However, my statement will focus on the meeting's original concept, which proposed a discussion of the sources of terrorist threats in West Africa, an exchange of views with the countries concerned and a consideration of ways to end the crisis with the participation of key international bodies.”

   2019-12-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8685 (2019) · source

2. “In the light of the Security Council's upcoming review of the Mechanism's activities, we hope that 2020 will bring it significantly closer to its end. For our part, we are ready to do whatever we can to enable that to happen.”

   2019-12-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8681 (2019) · source

3. “We would like to draw the attention of the Tribunal's leadership to the importance of ensuring that the accused, especially Ratko Mladie, receive timely and appropriate medical care. We hope that he receives high-quality care and adequate treatment in the Mechanism's detention facilities. We are still prepared to accommodate him for treatment in the Russian Federation. We also call on the Mechanism to adhere strictly to its functions in its work in the context of Rwanda. The leaders of the Residual Mechanism have designated this a watershed year, and so it should be. We await the completion of all cases according to the established schedule. The same applies to the so- called contempt-of-court cases, which appear to have multiplied of late.”

   2019-12-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8681 (2019) · source

4. “The statistics and content of its judgments are a stark testament to which side in the tangle of disputes in the Balkans was deliberately pronounced guilty. We should remember the cruel irony of those years regarding the status of the standard principle of the presumption of innocence in the ICTY, which was that everyone is presumed innocent until proven to be a Serb. Alas, the Residual Mechanism has inherited a flawed legacy. It is driven neither by justice nor by fairness but rather by that same matrix, flawed from the very beginning. During the reporting period, the sentence of Radovan Karadzie, a Serb, was reviewed and extended for the maximum period possible. A 40-year prison sentence for a 74-year-old man was apparently too lenient, in the judges' view, so he was sentenced to life.”

   2019-12-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8681 (2019) · source

5. “Mr. Kuzmin (Russian Federation) (spoke in Russian): We wish to welcome Mr. Carmel Agius and Mr. Serge Brammertz, the President and Prosecutor of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals. Today, on 11 December, we can sum up the year's results. Unfortunately, the international community is still dragging around the useless remains of a pair of tribunals established a quarter of a century ago, now in the new incarnation of the Residual Mechanism. The Security Council's attempts to shut it down in 2010 and 2014 were futile. The systemic problem of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) was that having been established in a specific political context, it went on to embrace the worst features of politically driven justice.”

   2019-12-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8681 (2019) · source

6. “Their actions must be in line with the stated objectives, namely, combating terrorism and assisting the Iraqi Government in stabilizing the situation. For its part, politically and in practice Russia will continue to support the efforts of the Iraqi leadership to combat terrorism and to ensure the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq. We see the work of the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da'esh/Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant to collect evidence of crimes committed by ISIL in Iraq to be one of the most elements of the overall counter-terrorism strategy in the region. I would also like to add a few more practical comments to our statement in our closed consultations.”

   2019-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8675 (2019) · source

7. “Mr. Kuzmin (Russian Federation) (spoke in Russian): We would like to thank Mr. Khan and Mr. Kachi. Our country has consistently supported strengthening stability and security in Iraq. The main role in that process lies of course with the Iraqi people and Government. We are interested in eradicating the threat posed by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and terrorism in general and are convinced that countering that threat is possible only through the broadest possible coordination among counter- terrorism efforts. At the same time, we are convinced that there is a need for all those involved in combating terrorism in Iraq to respect the sovereignty of the Government and to coordinate their efforts with Iraq.”

   2019-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8675 (2019) · source

8. “Mr. Kuzmin (Russian Federation) (spoke in Russian): The eighteenth report of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on this issue is extremely short on information regarding the outcomes and dynamics of the work of the Court on the investigation in Libya. There is nothing to comment on. I should like simply to reiterate the words with which the Prosecutor of the ICC concluded her briefing today: (spoke in English) "It will soon be a decade since the Council referred the situation in Libya to my Office. The people of Libya deserve peace and stability."”

   2019-11-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8660 (2019) · source

9. “It has been unable to avoid a certain degree of politicization in its work or to develop genuinely transparent and democratic procedures for reaching and adopting decisions, which is an essential condition for sustaining dialogue between Governments on such an important subject. It will be crucial to address these shortcomings in order to meet the expectations of States that are dealing with conflict. We are ready to cooperate constructively with all interested States on the harmonious promotion of the subject of women on the Council's agenda. In October of next year we will mark the twentieth anniversary of the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000). We must reach that anniversary from a position of solidarity that demonstrates the Council's significant achievements and unity.”

   2019-10-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8649 (2019) · source

10. “It is overloaded with issues relating to the protection and promotion of human rights, which the General Assembly and the Human Rights Council already deal with successfully and effectively. We urge the Security Council to adhere strictly to its mandate, and we do not support attempts to justify its interference in matters that are part of the remit of other organs. In conclusion, we also feel obliged to share our assessment of the first years of the activity of the Informal Expert Group on Women and Peace and Security, which is mentioned in the resolution we adopted today. We are compelled to conclude that that Group has not fully succeeded in becoming a coordinating link in the chain of the work in this area.”

    2019-10-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8649 (2019) · source

11. “Russia is a stalwart partner of the United Nations in the business of preparing peacekeepers, including women, in certified training centres, and we are actively involved in that cooperation through the All-Russia Peacekeeping Training Centre of our Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Domodedovo, which also trains foreign specialists. Today we supported the adoption of resolution 2493 (2019), prepared by South Africa, in our firm belief in the importance of protecting and promoting the rights of women in situations of armed conflict. However, we feel obliged to point out that the resolution contains a number of provisions that go beyond the Security Council's mandate.”

    2019-10-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8649 (2019) · source

12. “The adoption of such plans on the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000), especially when they are simply intended to meet reporting requirements and tick boxes, cannot serve as a criterion for assessing countries' policies on improving the position of women. If the existing problems in this area are to be effectively resolved, women themselves have to be effectively involved. We are grateful to the Secretary- General in that regard for his continued attention to the problems of expanding women's meaningful participation and involvement of women in peacekeeping operations, peace negotiations and political processes in general.”

    2019-10-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8649 (2019) · source

13. “We believe it is vital to avoid duplication in the work of the various organs of the Organization and to focus on situations that present an unquestionable threat to international peace and security, in accordance with the prerogatives of the Security Council. It is important to remember that the General Assembly, the Human Rights Council and the Peacebuilding Commission are also part of the efforts to advance the role of women, protect their rights and ensure gender equality. The Russian Federation calls for concentrating on specific measures in the interests of women in armed conflict. That particularly has to do with developing national action plans that should be specific to particular situations of armed conflict, which makes for instruments that are useful and effective instruments and not just another paper pronouncement.”

    2019-10-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8649 (2019) · source

14. “A very important part of the Council's work in implementing that resolution is enhancing the role and contribution of women in peace processes and their protection from the violence they continue to face in situations of armed conflict. It is chiefly women who are the victims of sexual violence, which is often used as a tactic of war. We are outraged by cases in which women are used as a kind of human commodity to raise funds for terrorist and criminal activities. We call on the specialized agencies of the United Nations system to coordinate more closely with the Security Council in order to stamp out abhorrent practices such as sexual violence and human trafficking in armed conflict.”

    2019-10-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8649 (2019) · source

15. “Mr. Kuzmin (Russian Federation) (spoke in Russian): At the outset, we would like to express our gratitude for the convening of today's meeting. We thank Secretary-General Antenio Guterres for his assessment of progress in the implementation of the women and peace and security agenda. We listened with interest to the briefing by Ms. Phumzile Mlambo- Ngcuka, Executive Director of UN-Women, on the Secretariat's contribution to enhancing the role of women in preventing and settling armed conflicts, and the remaining challenges in that area, as well as to what the invited speakers had to say about their work on the ground. Today's discussion confirms the relevance of Security Council resolution 1325 (2000), adopted almost two decades ago.”

    2019-10-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8649 (2019) · source

16. “Possible solutions to that problem will be discussed in detail at the second International Conference on Countering Illicit Arms Trafficking in the Context of Fighting International Terror, to be held in Moscow on 5 and 6 September. We speak about this regularly, however, I wish to emphatically reiterate today that collective action by the international community is necessary to counter international terrorism. It is necessary to take advantage of the conditions emerging after the elimination of the terrorist staging grounds in the Middle East. It is necessary to pool efforts in order to suppress the further spread of the terrorist threat, forestall spiralling tensions in the region and find political and diplomatic solutions to all existing issues based on international law and under the central coordination of the United Nations.”

    2019-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8605 (2019) · source

17. “During the discussion of the seventh (S/2018/770) and eighth (S/20l9/103) reports ofthe Secretary-General (see S/PV.8330 and S/PV.8460, respectively), the Russian delegation drew attention to flagrant violations of the ISIL arms embargo. That remains relevant and pressing. The document under discussion today in no way addresses the issue of the provision of military goods to terrorist organizations. It is unacceptable to turn a blind eye to such glaring gaps in the fight against international terrorism. It is important to publish information about all funding channels for ISIL and the efforts undertaken to eradicate them.”

    2019-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8605 (2019) · source

18. “Young people and field commanders from local and regional terrorist groups, including the Taliban and Hizb ut-Tahrir, are being actively recruited, as are militants from combat zones in the Middle East. The most dangerous situation is unfolding in the areas of Afghanistan that border Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, with approximately 1,300 ISIL affiliates. At the same time, ISIL leaders seek to expand their presence in the north and east of the country by taking control of areas traditionally controlled by the Taliban. Unfortunately, ISIL continues to receive funds from foreign sponsors disguised as charitable foundations, religious organizations and other non-governmental organizations.”

    2019-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8605 (2019) · source

19. “The group consists of 3,500 people, mostly from the local population. The Islamic State in the Greater Sahara has up to 700 members, and another ISIL branch, the Islamic State in Somalia, has up to 900 members. Members of ISIL are actively seeking to transform Afghanistan into a staging ground for infiltrating other parts of the region. The core of terrorist structures is approximately 4,000 militants, concentrated largely in the provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar. In addition, members of ISIL are active in the northern and eastern parts of the country. The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant-Khorasan Province has solidified its position in Afghanistan, with the support of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement.”

    2019-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8605 (2019) · source

20. “ISIL is focusing on the deployment of an extensive underground terrorist network in the Sahelo-Saharan zone, the formation of staging grounds and the mounting of frequent intimidation and sabotage attacks against national law enforcement agencies, United Nations peacekeepers and civilians. Militants are also establishing contacts with local criminal groups that control arms smuggling, drug trafficking and illegal migration. That threat is compounded by terrorist groups that have declared their alliance and cooperation with ISIL, especially the Islamic State's West Africa Province and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara. In particular, the Islamic State's West Africa Province is currently engaged in terrorist activities along the borders of Cameroon, Nigeria, the Niger and Chad.”

    2019-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8605 (2019) · source

21. “In Libya, ISIL is increasing its activity and is capitalizing on the collapse ofthe State and the effective fracturing of the country. The group is strengthening its position near oil ports along the Mediterranean shore to the east of Sirte, the so-called oil crescent, and in the cities of Tripoli, Benghazi and Derna. The situation in the south of the country is further complicated by the massive infiltration of Chadian Islamists. In Egypt, there is an active presence of up to 1,500 fighters belonging to Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis. The terrorists are engaged in hostilities in the north- east and south of the country and regularly attack security forces.”

    2019-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8605 (2019) · source

22. “In Iraq, despite the end of the military campaign against ISIL and the announcement of a drawdown of the international coalition, the ground remains fertile for further destabilization. Jihadists have turned to sabotage and terrorist tactics and are now banking on fuelling the Sunni-Shia conflict in the country. Currently, ISIL combat units in Iraq comprise as many as 2,000 fighters from about 40 States, mainly from the Middle East, Central and South East Asia, as well as the Russian Federation and countries from the Commonwealth of Independent States. The main hotbeds of ISIL's subversive activity are concentrated in the Sunni triangle zone, as well as in the governorate of Diyala and Kirkuk. In addition, south-eastern Iraq, particularly the Shiite governorates of Babil, Wasit, Dhi Qar, Maysan and Basra, is also at risk.”

    2019-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8605 (2019) · source

23. “We caution against playing into the hands of terrorists and their accomplices, applying double standards to them and making distinctions between bad, not-so-bad and, even, good terrorists. We should like to share our assessment of the terrorist threats in key regions. Presently, the total number of ISIL members and their affiliates in Syria is about 3,000 people. In addition, there are many other terrorist groups present, the most combat-ready of which is still Jabhat Al-Nusra, which is particularly active within and around Idlib governorate. More than 1,500 militants have returned from combat zones to their homes or have gone to other residential areas under the guise of internally displaced persons.”

    2019-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8605 (2019) · source

24. “ISIL clearly intends to shore up its positions in Afghanistan, to establish a branch in South Asia and to step up its presence in the Asia-Pacific region. It is cooperating with Islamists in North and West Africa, while Europe is being eyed as a stage for terrorist attacks. Our common goal is to prevent ISIL from having even the slightest opportunity to rear its head, gain strength, regroup and find additional ideological and human resources in different countries and among different population groups. In that regard, we must closely monitor the efforts of certain groups that have helped spawn the emergence of today's terrorist leaders to reformat ISIL and create a new, more sophisticated terrorist organization.”

    2019-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8605 (2019) · source

25. “Mr. Kuzmin (Russian Federation) (spoke in Russian): I would like to thank you, Sir, for having convened this meeting. We also wish to thank Mr. Voronkov and Ms. Coninsx for their in-depth analysis of the situation regarding the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Recent reports have focused, quite rightly, on fundamental changes in the situation in Syria and the transformation of contemporary international terrorism against the backdrop of the military defeat and significant weakening of ISIL positions. A decisive contribution to the dismantling that terrorist group was made by the Syrian army and allied forces operating in Syria on legitimate grounds, including the Russian Federation. We share the Secretary-General's concerns about ISIL's ongoing attempts to establish a firm foothold in other regions.”

    2019-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8605 (2019) · source

26. “For the time being, we will not contribute any funding to the part of the United Nations budget that has been designated for that structure. In conclusion, I would like to make a personal request to Prosecutor Brammertz. In his briefing, he said the following, and I will quote in English: (spoke in English) "No one emerged unharmed - not in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in Croatia, in Kosovo or in Serbia". (spoke in Russian) I would like to ask the Prosecutor explain to his speechwriters that any reference to Kosovo in the Chamber must accompanied by the following well- established remark, which I will also quote in English: (spoke in English) "All references to Kosovo shall be understood as being in full compliance with resolution 1244 (1999)."”

    2019-07-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8576 (2019) · source

27. “Such sentences are always complemented by aggressive media campaigns and media pressure on judges. We were surprised by the appearance on the agenda of the Residual Mechanism of the contempt case initiated by the ICTY in the context of the trial of Vojislav Seselj. We view such measures as yet another attempt to artificially extend the existence of that body. Ensuring that the accused receive timely and appropriate medical care remains a pressing issue. We are very concerned about the health of Ratko Mladie. We are unable to confirm from independent sources that he has been receiving quality care and adequate treatment in the Mechanism's penitentiary facilities. With the change in leadership of the Residual Mechanism, we expect improvements both within and beyond that subsidiary body of the Security Council.”

    2019-07-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8576 (2019) · source

28. “At that time, the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) refused to investigate those criminal attacks. Instead, the ICTY created the myth about Belgrade's single-handed responsibility for the war in the Balkans and brutally punished the Serbs, while justifying the participation of others in the civil war. All will recall the appalling acquittals of Lieutenant General Ante Gotovina, Field Commander Naser Orie and the Kosovo-Albanian Ramush Haradinaj. That torch was taken up by the Residual Mechanism. During the reporting period, contrary to the first instance judgment, there was a retrial and an inordinately more severe conviction handed down to the Serb Radovan Karadzic'. Appeals proceedings are still pending on the verdict involving the life imprisonment of Ratko Mladie.”

    2019-07-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8576 (2019) · source

29. “Some delegations are commemorating 17 July - the date of the adoption of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court - as the Day of International Criminal Justice. However, we see no reason for celebration. We believe that, in the context of the subject of today's meeting, other events carry much greater weight. Unfortunately, they are tragic events. Twenty years ago, NATO air forces launched a military operation against Yugoslavia, and for several months they carried out missile and bombs strikes against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The targets of those operations were predominantly civilian facilities, including residential areas of Belgrade, bridges and schools. Those attacks claimed the lives of hundreds of people, including children.”

    2019-07-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8576 (2019) · source

30. “Mr. Kuzmin (Russian Federation) (spoke in Russian): We welcome the presence of the new leadership of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals - President Agius and Prosecutor Brammertz - to the Chamber and thank them for their detailed reports (S/2019/417, annexes I and II). Given the particular circumstances, such words of gratitude for the detailed reports and activities paradoxically mean that the body that has been entrusted to them is in a state of permanent breach of the main purpose of resolution 1966 (2010). Contrary to the guidelines provided by the Security Council, the Tribunals, established 25 years ago, show a rare degree of dynamism under this new arrangement. The symbolism of that juncture has already been evoked.”

    2019-07-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8576 (2019) · source

31. “We urge him to not succumb to political or legal temptations and strictly follow his core mandate, as established in resolution 2379 (2017), which is to support national efforts to prosecute ISIL members for the most serious crimes under international law that were committed in Iraq. The Russian delegation supported the establishment of the Team in 2017. Its first steps were encouraging. We call on the Team to continue its hard work on the basis of the principles of impartiality and transparency. We are convinced that only in that way will the Team's work make a worthy contribution to the efforts to bring ISIL terrorists to justice.”

    2019-07-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8573 (2019) · source

32. “We expect that the Iraqi judicial system will soon start to use that data, inter alia, to instigate terrorist-specific proceedings. At the same time, it would likely be wrong to foist all the issues regarding conducting judicial proceedings solely on Iraq or other countries of the region. In that regard, we are concerned about the unresolved problems related to the repatriation of foreign terrorist fighters to their countries of origin and holding them to account. Various alternative ideas for the relevant courts have been discussed, although sometimes they are quite utopian in nature. We are sure that Mr. Khan may prove to be a very helpful at a certain point in time in many discussion platforms.”

    2019-07-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8573 (2019) · source

33. “Khan and members of the Security Council in Baghdad that the mission of the Special Adviser enjoys the support of the Iraqi authorities and the country's multireligious society, which is extremely important. The collection, analysis and transfer of evidence to the courts must be carried out in strict accordance with international law and in full respect for sovereignty of the States where ISIL committed its crimes. We believe that the main role in bringing terrorists to justice remains the responsibility of the Governments of the States that were affected by the atrocities committed. That is precisely the principle that underpins resolution 2379 (2017), which established the Investigative Team. We note with satisfaction that the Team has begun its practical work on the ground and has been closely documenting evidence in Iraq.”

    2019-07-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8573 (2019) · source

34. “Mr. Kuzmin (Russian Federation) (spoke in Russian): We thank Mr. Khan for his second briefing to the Security Council on the report of the Special Adviser (see S/2019/407). The work of the Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da'esh/ Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant is an important element of the counter-terrorism strategy in the Middle East. The Middle East region remains a stronghold for the leadership of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), and the group continues to pose a serious threat to international peace and security. The question of holding accountable those who fought for and assisted ISIL must be addressed as effectively as possible. We understand from the report and following the recent meeting between Mr.”

    2019-07-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8573 (2019) · source

35. “We strongly support the position that all groups in society should receive equal protection during armed conflicts, as laid down in international law, and that the consideration of one category of people should not be at the expense of any other group. There is no point in inventing new international legal concepts that supposedly plug so-called gaps in the protection regime under the Geneva Conventions. We do not need to be distracted by endlessly creating new categories of persons who need special protection under international humanitarian law. In practice, such ideas can only weaken the protection provided to civilians. The Council's job is concentrating on practical work to ensure the protection of civilians within the framework of existing international legal norms and its existing mandate.”

    2019-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8556 (2019) · source

36. “We believe that activities for the protection of vulnerable groups, including persons with disabilities, must be carried out strictly in line with the tried-and- tested principle ofthe so-called division of labour in the United Nations system, and that genuinely constructive efforts to protect persons with disabilities are possible only when each body deals with the issue in a way that is fully consistent with the mandate entrusted to it. The Russian Federation assumes that operative paragraph 10 will be applied without detriment to the Security Council's working methods and in accordance with its provisional rules of procedure.”

    2019-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8556 (2019) · source

37. “Mr. Kuzmin (Russian Federation) (spoke in Russian): Russia supported today's resolution 2475 (2019), as we share the document's humanitarian principles and its aims to improve support and protection for persons with disabilities in areas of conflict. However, we feel compelled to point out that a number of its provisions nonetheless go beyond the mandate of the Security Council. In our view, the call in operative paragraph ll to comply with the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities pertains only to article ll of the Convention, which relates to situations within the Council's purview.”

    2019-06-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8556 (2019) · source

38. “Existing international law provides for State officials' immunity vis-a-vis foreign States' criminal jurisdiction, without regard to the subject of the jurisdiction of international criminal tribunals. In that situation, in limiting the freedom of an official of a foreign State, the State exercising that jurisdiction unavoidably intrudes on the dimension of relations between States, and in that context must act in strict compliance with the norms of international law on immunity from foreign criminal jurisdiction. We therefore call on the States parties to the ICC to act sensibly and to refrain from any steps that could create friction between States.”

    2019-06-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8554 (2019) · source

39. “Under article 227 of the Treaty, the Allied Powers arraigned the German Kaiser, Wilhelm II of Hohenzollern, for "a supreme offence against international morality and the sanctity of treaties" and provided for the creation of a special international tribunal. That never came about, however. The monarchy of the Netherlands, a State that today is extremely active in the area of international justice, categorically refused to surrender the former German Emperor. The position of the Russian Federation on the question of the immunity of senior State officials is well known. The ICC's position that the subject of immunity does not even arise in this case is pernicious and dangerous.”

    2019-06-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8554 (2019) · source

40. “On 6 May, with regard to the appeal brought by Jordan, the Court came to a conclusion about the existence of customary standards of international law based on which a Head of State has no immunity vis-a-vis a competent international court. That is strange, since all the previous experience of the hunt for Omer Al-Bashir testified to the exact opposite, which was that all the States that he had to visit in his capacity as President of the Sudan recognized that immunity and refused to arrest him. Historical perspective is important in establishing international custom. The representative of the United Kingdom mentioned an important date, and as it happens I too would like to point out that this month, a few days from now, we will mark the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Versailles.”

    2019-06-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8554 (2019) · source

41. “Mr. Kuzmin (Russian Federation) (spoke in Russian): I will be brief this morning. We have still not seen any progress in the investigation into the situation in Darfur, and the status ofthe accused has remained the same. Nor will we comment on the internal situation in the Sudan. The Security Council has other, appropriate formats for those purposes, which, as we know, function perfectly effectively without the participation of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC). What are we seeing? During the reporting period the Court continued its academic and practical experiments on the States parties to its Statute.”

    2019-06-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8554 (2019) · source

42. “War is an evil in and of itself, and it would be an unacceptable simplification to reduce the issue of missing persons in armed conflict exclusively to a problem ofinternational criminal responsibility. At Security Council meetings held under the agenda item "Protection of civilians in armed conflict" we often hear a very important point. States already have at their disposal all the international legal instruments essential to alleviating the plight of civilians in times of war. I am referring to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols of 1977. The issue is having the political will to properly implement those documents, and that is fully applicable to the situation of missing persons in armed conflict.”

    2019-06-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8543 (2019) · source

43. “The Russian delegation voted in favour of the resolution, motivated by reasons of humanity and in the hope that the resolution will help families that have been separated by war to learn the fate of their loved ones and perhaps even save some of their lives. We greatly appreciate the role of the ICRC in this issue. We also believe that the International Commission on Missing Persons is doing necessary and useful work, especially with regard to providing assistance to States concerned in identifying missing persons. However, we take the generally accepted approach to the term "missing persons in armed conflict" as applying not only to civilians, but also to military personnel whose fate remains unknown when a conflict ends. Sadly, the objective reality is that people go missing as a result of any war, and the reasons for that are many.”

    2019-06-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8543 (2019) · source

44. “Mr. Kuzmin (Russian Federation) (spoke in Russian): We would like to thank you, Mr. President, and your Kuwaiti colleagues for the invitation to address the issue of missing persons in armed conflict. We are grateful to the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), as well as to the Director of Operations and Advocacy of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs for their contributions to the discussion. Over the past 20 years, the topic of the protection of civilians has occupied a special place in the work of the Council, as is evidenced by resolution 2474 (2019), which we adopted today.”

    2019-06-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8543 (2019) · source

45. “In the light of the continuing activity in the Middle East of ISIL and other terrorist groups that have mastered the technology for producing chemical weapons and making active use of it, the importance of working collectively to prevent the horrific problem of chemical terrorism is only increasing. But we have to act quickly, especially considering that as the situation regarding a settlement in Syria continues to improve, the terrorists there, including those who have practical experience with chemical weapons, will try to hide in third countries. In that regard, we would like to remind the Council of the Russian Federation's initiative to develop and adopt a convention on combating acts of chemical and biological terrorism.”

    2019-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8528 (2019) · source

46. “On the whole, we are pleased with the progress in the resolution's implementation and with the international community's recognition of its importance. We commend the efforts of the 1540 Committee under Indonesia's chairmanship, and of its Group of Experts. We note its organization of courses for national focal points, country visits for formulating voluntary national action plans, the provision of assistance to countries that need it, the maintenance of contacts with the relevant international, regional and subregional organizations and so forth. However, a great deal remains to be done to achieve the core objective, which is every country's full implementation of the resolution.”

    2019-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8528 (2019) · source

47. “Resolution 1540 (2004) is a key universal, legally binding instrument in the area of the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), which requires all countries to take effective measures to prevent WMDs and any related materials, as well as their means of delivery, from falling into the hands of non-State actors. Combating the proliferation of WMDs is one of Russia's military and political priorities. As with any other pressing issue, it requires the joint coordinated efforts of every State, without exception. We are interested in finding common positions with our partners in order to advance the non-proliferation agenda as quickly as possible, especially since the problems in this area unfortunately continue to worsen.”

    2019-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8528 (2019) · source

48. “In that connection, we underscore the importance of continuing to focus on the problem of foreign terrorist fighters, including in the context of adding to the counter-terrorism sanctions lists. We support the effective work of the 1267 Committee's Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, whose reports are an important support to the Committee's work, and we encourage Member States to work closely with its experts. However, we also trust that the Monitoring Team's reports will be as objective as possible and rely only on verified sources of information. While we consider the Monitoring Team's country visits an important factor in this work, we hope that it will focus on trips to countries that are dealing directly with a terrorist presence.”

    2019-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8528 (2019) · source

49. “Given ISIL's growing presence in Afghanistan and the possibility of fighters spreading further into the countries of Central Asia, extending the Council's counter-terrorism sanctions regime to individuals and organizations linked to ISIL's Afghan wing is a priority. Despite the limited losses they have sustained in the north, it is those groups that remain one of the key factors in the destabilization of the situation in Afghanistan. ISIL's activity there is also being driven in part by foreign terrorist fighters who have gained combat experience in Syria and Iraq. The high number of terrorist attacks involving the use of suicide bombers indicates that the group has major human resources.”

    2019-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8528 (2019) · source

50. “We welcome the signing of a memorandum of understanding between CTED and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure and stand ready to assist in its implementation, if necessary. In our view, the task of effectively implementing the Council's resolutions on the counter-terrorism sanctions regime in relation to ISIL and Al-Qaida is absolutely crucial. We note the work of the Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999) 1989 (2011) and 2253 (2015) concerning ISIL (Da'esh) Al-Qaida and associated individuals groups undertakings and entities, which has established itself as one of the Council's most effective counter-terrorism mechanisms.”

    2019-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8528 (2019) · source