YouSaid · the spoken record

Polyanskiy

lines on the record: 2,335
first: 2018-01-31
most recent: 2023-12-22
sittings or episodes: 300
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

“We are troubled by the fact that against the backdrop of current events that have had a serious impact on the political situation in Libya, members of the Security Council have received limited information from the Secretary-General about the activities of his Special Adviser, Stephanie Williams. We are also surprised at the fact that the penholders of the Libyan dossier in the Security Council also have failed to demonstrate their usual proactivity, which is being seen in other areas, preferring to cast a shadow over the serious processes that are taking place in Libya. To conclude, I wish to underscore that we continue to be troubled by the problem of illicit migration and arms proliferation in Libya. That has an impact on the security of both the country itself and the Sahelo-Saharan region as a whole.”
2022-03-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8996 (2022) · source
“We have consistently advocated the synchronized, balanced, steady and phased withdrawal of all non-Libyan armed groups and armed units. We believe that that specific approach will help to avert a negative shift in the power balance that could result in armed hostilities. We wish to emphasize that we look forward to the timely appointment of a new Special Adviser on Libya, whose work for a comprehensive settlement is more important than ever before. The Russian position remains unchanged: that candidature needs to be acceptable to the Libyan people and must be supported by regional stakeholders and approved by the membership of the Security Council.”
2022-03-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8996 (2022) · source
“We have not yet seen significant positive progress on the military track towards a settlement. Of course, we welcome the fact that active hostilities in Libya have been halted for more than a year. We also welcome the regular meetings of the 5+5 Joint Military Commission. However, tangible steps to pre-empt a potential escalation of persistent armed hostilities are not being undertaken by the parties. Heavy weaponry has not begun to be withdrawn, nor have military units been redeployed. All that risks undermining the ceasefire and resulting in a fresh outbreak of violence following a deliberate provocation or an inadvertent incident. With respect to the evacuation of foreign forces from Syria, our position here is well known.”
2022-03-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8996 (2022) · source
“There is a risk of descending into a state of de facto diarchy and a deterioration of the situation in the country, which is fraught with risks of a resumption of armed confrontation. That must not be allowed to happen. We advocate resolving existing conflicts through negotiations and compromise. We hope that, in the current difficult circumstances, the Libyan people will nevertheless be able to reach a national agreement and resolve the complex tasks related to the transitional period on the basis of an inclusive dialogue. It is essential to make meaningful progress on the issues related to the reunification of Libya’s administrative and security structures and to strengthen the economy and the social sector. We attach particular importance to preparations for the holding of general elections within a reasonable time frame.”
2022-03-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8996 (2022) · source
“Mr. Polyanskiy (Russian Federation) (spoke in Russian): We thank the Under-Secretary-General, Ms. Rosemary DiCarlo, and the Chair of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1970 (2011), concerning Libya, Ambassador Tirumurti, for their briefings. We listened closely to the statement by Ms. Shuaiter. We respect the desire of Libyans to resolve their internal problems independently. By the same token, we respect the House of Representatives’ appointment and establishment of a new Government led by Prime Minister Bashagha. That is an important step towards a resolution of the protracted crisis. At the same time, developments in Libya following the failure to hold general elections scheduled for December 2021 are a cause for concern.”
2022-03-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8996 (2022) · source
“A subject of particular concern remains the dire humanitarian situation in Yemen. As we heard from Mr. Griffiths, the situation worsens day by day and increasingly resembles a full-fledged humanitarian disaster. In that regard, we place our hopes in the international conference on humanitarian assistance to Yemen, at which paths to providing assistance to the Yemeni people will be discussed. At the same time, we recall that humanitarian assistance must be impartial in nature. In conclusion, we would like to note that States in the region can continue their mediation and humanitarian efforts as part of the Yemeni settlement. We also recall resolution 598 (1987), as well as other initiatives that are focused on stabilizing the subregion, including the updated Russian collective security concept for the Persian Gulf.”
2022-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8995 (2022) · source
“We trust that, going forward, the proposed negotiating platform, under the auspices of the United Nations, will provide Yemenis with a good opportunity to discuss the paths for a political solution to the conflict and allow the Special Envoy to develop a new comprehensive peace settlement plan that could reconcile the many competing players on Yemen’s internal political landscape. For our part, we intend to continue to encourage the Yemeni authorities, as well as the leadership of the Ansar Allah movement, to take a constructive approach. We are convinced that the issue concerning the FSO SAFER tanker can and must be resolved through compromise. In that context, we welcome the agreement reached between the Ansar Allah movement and the United Nations with regard to addressing the threat posed by the floating oil tank.”
2022-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8995 (2022) · source
“The end goal is a comprehensive and long-term settlement of several issues faced by the country’s population, which, in large part, also affect neighbouring States. We support the efforts of the Special Envoy and urge him to step up his mediation role to bring the parties to the conflict in Yemen back to the negotiating table. In that context, we note the start of consultations in Amman with the representatives of Yemeni political forces. It was particularly important today to hear Mr. Grundberg’s assessment of the contact he has had with the Yemeni parties.”
2022-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8995 (2022) · source
“We firmly urge all warring parties to strictly comply with the provisions of international humanitarian law. We are convinced that further confrontation could expand the scope of the armed conflict far beyond the region. The ongoing impasse in the political settlement process brings us closer to the point of no return, after which restoring Yemen’s unity would simply be impossible. Moreover, the crisis in the Republic of Yemen strengthens the position of terrorist groups. In that context, we would once again like to underscore that there is no alternative to a peaceful political solution to the Yemeni conflict. The United Nations and Special Envoy of the Secretary-General Grundberg continue to play a central role in the settlement process. At the same time, a reference point in such efforts should be the principle of inclusivity.”
2022-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8995 (2022) · source
“Mr. Polyanskiy (Russian Federation) (spoke in Russian): We thank Mr. Hans Grundberg, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General, and Mr. Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, for their overview of the political and humanitarian situation in Yemen. We regret to note that the Yemeni Republic continues to experience an acute military and political crisis, accompanied by a wholesale escalation of violence and an intensification of hostilities on all fronts. The epicentre of the armed clashes remains in Ma’rib, Shabwah, Al-Jawf and Al-Hudaydah. We are concerned about attacks on civilian infrastructure, both in the Republic of Yemen itself and outside its borders in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.”
2022-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8995 (2022) · source
“We are convinced that it should be based on the unifying principles of resolution 1540 (2004) and aimed at maintaining the fundamental principles of the Committee’s work, without endowing it with intrusive or attributive powers. Only that will enable this subsidiary body of the Security Council to continue to carry out its essential role, which is to promote the implementation of resolution 1540 (2004) in the interests of the entire international community.”
2022-03-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8993 (2022) · source
“We expect the arrangements for the conduct of the open consultations to be agreed as soon as possible and that the Committee will send invitations to Member States promptly so that they have enough time to prepare for the event. Since it is States that are responsible for implementing the provisions of resolution 1540 (2004), their contribution to the open consultations is essential for the Committee to prepare a full-fledged outcome document of the comprehensive review for submission to the Security Council. I would like to note the unquestioned importance of approving the Committee’s long-term mandate after 30 November 2022.”
2022-03-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8993 (2022) · source
“Russia joined the consensus reached in adopting that resolution in the interests of concluding the comprehensive review of the implementation of resolution 1540 (2004), which unfortunately has been postponed more than once. We hope that as part of the review this year, it will still be possible to hold open consultations with Member States. We are convinced that those consultations must be inclusive and involve as many countries as possible in substantive discussions on non-proliferation and preventing weapons of mass destruction and related materials from falling into the hands of non-State actors. We appreciate the efforts of the Chair of the Committee, as well as the United Nations Secretariat, to ensure that consultations are held in person, which will make it possible to achieve that goal.”
2022-03-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8993 (2022) · source
“In order to achieve that fundamental goal — the implementation of resolution 1540 (2004) by all countries, taking into account their existing capabilities — much remains to be done. In that regard, it is necessary for the Committee to focus on fulfilling the tasks assigned to it despite the difficulties it may face, such as a pandemic or complex international situations. We trust that we will see a significant intensification of its activities in all major areas. For that, it is important to maintain a constructive atmosphere of cooperation within the Committee, which should base its work on the principle of consensus. On 25 February, the Security Council adopted resolution 2622 (2022) on the most recent technical extension of the mandate of the 1540 Committee until 30 November 2022.”
2022-03-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8993 (2022) · source
“Mr. Polyanskiy (Russian Federation) (spoke in Russian): We thank the Chair of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004), Mr. Juan Ramón de la Fuente Ramírez, for his thorough briefing on the work of that subsidiary body of the Security Council and his indication of the priorities for the upcoming period. The Russian Federation is unwaveringly committed to the goals and objectives of resolution 1540 (2004). We greatly value the spirit of global cooperation inherent in the resolution and consider it essential to maintain its preventive non-proliferation character. The 1540 Committee has the important role of monitoring the implementation of the resolution by Member States and coordinating efforts to provide them with technical assistance, upon their request.”
2022-03-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8993 (2022) · source
“She plays three pregnant women, with different makeup for each character. She can also be seen in other photos by the same photographer, Evgeniy Maloletka, who is covering the tragedy in Ukraine. That photographer works with the Associated Press, The New York Times and so forth. I urge my colleagues to not spread fakes in the Security Council. We had enough of those with the White Helmet story, but Council members have not learned their lesson. Therefore, I call on them to be responsible at our meetings.”
2022-03-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8990 (2022) · source
“Yesterday, we distributed, as an official document of the Security Council, a letter by the Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation, in which we underscored that as early as 7 March, in our statement to the Council (see S/PV.8988), we drew members’ attention to the fact that the facility in question had long been taken over by Azov Battalion and converted into a military facility for Ukrainian nationalists. There have not been women in labour there for a long time, which can be confirmed in the abundant evidence on social media. Furthermore, if Council members are considering exploring this topic further, I would like to underscore that the people of Mariupol, whom the Azov Battalion is using as human shields, saw the photos that were published on the Internet and identified the model in the photos as Marianna Podgurskaya.”
2022-03-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8990 (2022) · source
“Mr. Polyanskiy (Russian Federation) (spoke in Russian): I am not going to take up too much of my colleagues’ time. Since a number of our Western colleagues touched on issues that are not related to the topic of today’s meeting — namely, Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine — I would like to respond to what has been said. For example, the representative of Albania mentioned the situation of maternity hospital No. 1 in Mariupol, where there were allegedly casualties after an attack by Russian aviation.”
2022-03-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8990 (2022) · source
“Let me simply repeat that we expect that the Director-General of OPCW will, in the very near future, find time in his allegedly busy schedule to brief the Council and answer all of the questions that the Russian Federation put to him earlier. Otherwise, our suspicion that the Technical Secretariat does have something to hide will only be heightened. There is nothing else for me to say today.”
2022-03-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8990 (2022) · source
“Let me repeat them briefly since, after all, we are meeting on this topic. They include the politicized work conducted by the OPCW; the breaches by the Technical Secretariat of Chemical Weapons Convention methodology; the discovered facts of direct forgery conducted when the OPCW Fact-Finding Mission report on the Douma incident was being prepared; the activity of the illegitimate Investigation and Identification Team, which time and time again churns out biased conclusions about Damascus’ culpability, ignoring the fact that chemical weapons were used by terrorists; and most importantly, the lack of a desire on the part of the OPCW leadership to rectify this deplorable situation. We addressed this in great detail at our most recent meeting, less than two weeks ago, so I am not going to dwell on it now.”
2022-03-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8990 (2022) · source
“In such conditions, there is a growing risk of ending up with de facto dual Government and deterioration of the situation in the country, which could in turn lead to a renewed armed confrontation. But the penholders on Libya in the Security Council are pretending that nothing extraordinary is taking place. Despite such a kaleidoscope of worrying events, no one proposed that we amend the schedule that we have on Libya, which is once every two months. But, on the other hand, every month, we have to discuss Syria at least twice, and only because the number of such meetings is of importance for our Western colleagues. In this, we can see yet another egregious manifestation of double standards. Turning to the issue at hand, I must say that our concerns with regard to the OPCW on Syria are very well known.”
2022-03-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8990 (2022) · source
“Now, to illustrate the exaggerated attention that our Western colleagues are paying to Syria, I propose that we recall what is happening in other hotspots and which is not being discussed in the Council as frequently. For example, let us take Libya. In Libya, on 10 February, the House of Representatives confirmed Fathi Bashagha as the new prime minister of the country, while there continues to be an acting head of the Government of National Unity, Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh. The new prime minister was inaugurated. Prior to the inauguration, however, two new Ministers were kidnapped, and, as recently as February, there was an attempt on Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh’s life.”
2022-03-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8990 (2022) · source
“The delegations have nothing to discuss, so when the discussions are held this frequently, we are simply repeating the same thing all over again. On many occasions, we have proposed that the schedule be amended so that the Council can work more effectively on this issue. In addition, the same proposals were put forward by the delegation of China, but our proposals were not supported by our Western colleagues. We regret that, for them, holding meetings for the sake of holding meetings is more important than having a substantive discussion in the Council, and this kind of approach can but undermine the authority of this body of ours.”
2022-03-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8990 (2022) · source
“Mr. Polyanskiy (Russian Federation) (spoke in Russian): The Council met 10 days ago to discuss the Syrian chemical weapons (see S/PV.8982), and since then there have been no changes on the ground or at the level of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). This was reconfirmed by the report of the Director-General of the OPCW for the month of February (see S/2022/181). Indeed, the fact that the report came out with a delay in March, rather than in the last days of February, as usual, can only be interpreted as an attempt to provide us with a formal reason to meet today, which in turn confirms the fact that our current schedule for discussing chemical weapons in Syria in the Council is completely artificial.”
2022-03-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8990 (2022) · source
“Problems remain where the Americans created a power vacuum where Syria’s sovereign territory remains occupied by foreign troops. We call for the immediate withdrawal of all foreign forces from Syria. The United States has clearly failed in the fight against terrorism, both locally and globally. ISIL’s attack on the prison in Al-Hasakah clearly demonstrates that.”
2022-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8958 (2022) · source
“The illegal presence of United States military forces in Syria has created a lawless zone in the north- east, where foreign terrorists and militants, as well as various criminal elements, feel safe. Lawlessness and violence prevail in those areas. Terrorists there are divided into good and bad, and they can start another life and work to radicalize the local population. That is characteristic of all those locations where United States military forces arrive, both while they are there and after they leave. The most recent example was Afghanistan, where the United States left a tremendous number of problems for those on the ground following the American occupation. ISIL was struck heavily in Syria. Terrorists were eliminated or had to flee Government-controlled territory.”
2022-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8958 (2022) · source
“We call on the United Nations to maintain the situation in Al-Hasakah under control and to report promptly on the efforts of humanitarian workers to prevent another humanitarian disaster. We take this opportunity to focus once again on the difficult situation that we are seeing in the north- east of Syria, which is once again illegally occupied by our American colleagues. The areas where the Americans have been looting oil are suffering from a true environmental disaster. However, the United Nations has not assessed that situation in any way or initiated any action. We note that the Trans-Euphrates area is another grey area on the Syrian map, as is the Al-Tanf area, where militants from Mahavir as-Saura, with the help of the United States, enjoy impunity and are protected.”
2022-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8958 (2022) · source
“We must note that the events that took place in the United States-occupied territory of Syria are the result of our colleagues indulging terrorist elements in the Syrian Arab Republic. History has taught you nothing, nor have your own mistakes. We have warned repeatedly what could happen if terrorist elements are indulged. That is why the Syrian armed forces, with the support of the Russian Aerospace Forces, continue to seek out and eliminate ISIL terrorists in Syria. That work will continue. We have repeatedly offered to join efforts, but, as we have seen, your political considerations override the goal of eradicating terrorism in Syria. Both north-eastern Syria and Idlib are suffering from those double standards.”
2022-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8958 (2022) · source
“In that context, we commend Damascus, which, despite the difficult circumstances created by the sanctions, continues to assist those in need. We also welcome the efforts of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and all humanitarian non-governmental organizations that are helping with evacuations. Approximately 9,000 families have found temporary housing, but we are concerned that that number will increase. All those who have lost their homes need urgent help, including psychological assistance. We call on humanitarians to respond and to provide appropriate assistance. The local authorities must also allow humanitarian access to the areas of Al-Hasakah that are under their control.”
2022-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8958 (2022) · source
“When Baghouz was bombed in 2019, at least 80 people died, the majority of them women and children. Yet no one was held accountable, despite the fact that Washington admitted its guilt. That is yet another question about the high American standards of accountability to which our Western colleagues often refer. We cannot but be concerned over the fact that, as reported by UNICEF, there are 850 children in Al-Sina’a prison, and there is no access to them. According to humanitarian organizations, the number of internally displaced persons is growing rapidly owing to recent events. The United Nations estimates that 45,000 people were forced to flee their homes to safety. Residents of Al-Hasakah’s southern district are fleeing to Government territory through the checkpoints opened by the Syrian military.”
2022-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8958 (2022) · source
“Such heavy equipment, as one might easily guess, uses explosive ammunition, and the massive outflow of civilians from the combat zone — more than 45,000 people, as reported by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs — clearly indicates that measures for the protection of civilians were ignored there. All members of the Council, especially the humanitarian penholders, must demand that the United States provide a detailed account of casualties among civilians; those responsible must be brought to justice. Another clear example of this is Afghanistan. If we look back, what comes to mind is the bombings of Raqqa, Hajin and Baghouz. According to the United Nations, no medical facility in Raqqa remained intact after the hostilities.”
2022-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8958 (2022) · source
“Recently, on 25 January, at the open debate of the Security Council on the protection of civilians (see S/PV.8953), the Permanent Representative of the United States referred to very valid concepts: the absolute imperative of the parties to an armed conflict observing the norms of international humanitarian law, and the growing importance of the protection of civilians during urban warfare. She also recalled how easily explosive ordnance can kill large groups of civilians. Yet what we see in reality is that the high-flung rhetoric of the United States again runs counter to its actions. Thus, when clearing Al-Sina’a prison and its surroundings of ISIL terrorists, they used both their air force and armoured vehicles.”
2022-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8958 (2022) · source
“The fighters gained a foothold within the prison compound itself and also spread to the adjacent residential quarters. As we know, starting on 21 January, local armed groups, supported by the United States Air Force, have been engaged in counter-action activities. Bloody fights have broken out, including in densely populated areas, where the terrorists took shelter. Intensive air strikes destroyed the buildings housing the technical college and economic department of the local university, demolished a fuel warehouse and disrupted the energy supply to Al-Hasakah. The precise death toll among civilians is currently unknown. We are deeply concerned over possible indiscriminate air strikes by the American air force following the recent attack, because wherever it is involved, it often causes mass casualties among civilians.”
2022-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8958 (2022) · source
“Mr. Polyanskiy (Russian Federation) (spoke in Russian): It is with great concern that we are following developments in the south of the Syrian city of Al-Hasakah, where on 20 January, fighters from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) captured the Al-Sina’a prison — the largest penitentiary facility in the Syrian territory out of governmental control, where approximately 5,000 jihadists were held. According to the latest reports, it was a carefully planned attack that used two explosive-laden vehicles, driven by suicide bombers. As a result, about 100 ISIL members broke into the prison, where riots had started shortly before. The terrorists managed to set free and arm at least 800 inmates, some of whom immediately joined the attackers.”
2022-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8958 (2022) · source
“Russia has always been guided by the belief that the issue of the deconfliction of civilian objects and the humanitarian assistance being provided must be resolved by the United Nations in direct cooperation with the legitimate Government of the Syrian Arab Republic, a State Member of the United Nations. We have repeatedly noted that it is unacceptable to accord protected status to certain objects in Idlib to which the United Nations has no access, meaning that it cannot determine whether those objects are being used as directed or have been taken over by terrorists and converted into military facilities. I think that, more than anyone, our Syrian colleagues would in fact be able to describe what the situation is with regard to de-conflicting.”
2022-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8957 (2022) · source
“Mr. Polyanskiy (Russian Federation) (spoke in Russian): I wanted to take the floor to express our surprise at the statements to the effect that Russia’s non-participation in the deconfliction mechanism is not acceptable and violates the norms of international humanitarian law. It was very surprising to us to be accused by the United Kingdom, whose armed forces have struck Syria more than 4,000 times, as well as Iraq. During one of those attacks on Raqqa, in August 2017, dozens of peaceful citizens died, as confirmed by the the leadership of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS. However, London explained it as follows: “The risk of the murder of civilians cannot be fully excluded. That is because of the inhumane actions of our enemy, which is using people as human shields”.”
2022-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8957 (2022) · source
“The only people affected are ordinary Syrians who lack food and medical treatment. Responsible United Nations entities are writing about this. We are grateful to them for their integrity and honesty in fulfilling their professional duty. Unfortunately, the beginning of the year was marked by a real disaster at one of the prisons in Al-Hasakah. Considering the scope of this tragedy and the emerging threats to the security of the region as a whole, we have requested a separate meeting of the Security Council to be held immediately after this meeting. We trust that this will allow us not only to voice our evaluation of what happened, but also to understand what is happening in these trans-Euphrates areas that are still being illegally occupied by the United States.”
2022-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8957 (2022) · source
“In our further work on the Syrian humanitarian file, we must not turn a blind eye to the negative impact that sanctions and coercive measures have on the lives of ordinary Syrians. Jan Egeland spoke about this today. From time to time, the Secretary-General also mentions this topic in his reports. We hope that António Guterres will pay more attention to it in his reports until the problem in Syria is completely eradicated. And in our view, there are plenty of grounds for the Secretary-General to do that. The most recent evidence of this is contained in the recent reports of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organization, which directly spoke about the destructive impact of sanctions on agricultural production and on the supply of drugs and medical products to the country.”
2022-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8957 (2022) · source
“It is extremely important to step up efforts to rebuild infrastructure facilities in order to ensure basic living conditions for Syrians. Humanitarian organizations are already exhausted in their efforts to explain a simple fact: no amount of humanitarian aid can effectively replace hospitals, power plants, factories and schools that are running smoothly. The contributions of donors to these areas of work will not only help to normalize the situation of ordinary people in Syria but also make the cost of the humanitarian work itself cheaper while increasing its impact. In our view, it is very difficult to argue with this simple mathematical logic. We would like our colleagues in the Security Council to redouble their efforts accordingly.”
2022-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8957 (2022) · source
“As far as we know, the critical nature of that step, especially given the difficult winter in Syria, is clear, and therefore any delay in the dispatch of humanitarian convoys, including to Idlib, cannot be regarded as anything other than deliberate sabotage and a deliberate threat to the lives of ordinary Syrians. At the very minimum, the existing clear operational plan articulated in October 2021 by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs should be implemented in full. So far we have seen little progress in that respect. We hope that our colleagues in the Security Council will adopt a principled stance on that issue. Once again, we reiterate the need to ensure a United Nations presence in the north-west of Syria, which will enhance control of the distribution of humanitarian assistance to those in need.”
2022-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8957 (2022) · source
“The United Nations mandate for cross-border supplies of humanitarian aid to Syria through the Bab al-Hawa crossing now runs through 10 July 2022. A significant number of problems need to be tackled now; we have no time to waste. The problems that need to be solved to ensure balanced United Nations humanitarian efforts in Syria are vast. In concrete terms, over the next five and a half months we have a number of critical tasks to accomplish. First, it is important to ensure that the established mechanism for cross-line aid deliveries not only works effectively and without interruption but is also expanded, especially to those areas that are inaccessible through the cross-border mechanism.”
2022-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8957 (2022) · source
“Mr. Polyanskiy (Russian Federation) (spoke in Russian): We thank Martin Griffiths for his overview of the humanitarian situation in Syria. We also welcome Jan Egeland to today’s meeting and thank him for his balanced assessment of developments on the ground. Today is our first meeting since the six-month extension of resolution 2585 (2021), in early January. At this stage, we considered it more important to maintain and step up the emerging new trends in the organization of humanitarian aid in Syria, and we chose not to focus on the small amount of work that had been done. It is no exaggeration to say that that is based on our trust in the Security Council as a whole, as well as our desire to give the newcomers to the Council an opportunity to contribute to this common cause.”
2022-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8957 (2022) · source
“The situation in and around Syria would be generally improved by a resumption of the natural ties between Syrian and its Arab neighbours, including on the political and economic fronts, as well as the full restoration of Damascus to the Arab family. In conclusion, we must say that the Security Council’s consideration of various aspects of the situation in Syria for two days in a row is a very abnormal approach and a very irrational use of its resources. We regret the fact that in planning the Council’s programme of work, our Western colleagues chose to prioritize political reasons over common sense. We urge that priority be given to the quality of our meetings rather than their quantity. If necessary, meetings can always be requested, as we have shown through our initiative today.”
2022-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8955 (2022) · source
“We believe that long-term peace and security in Syria can be achieved only through the full restoration of the Syrian Government’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, including its control of its national borders and natural resources, along with the continuation of efforts to combat terrorism. We are deeply concerned about the reports of raids in Syria’s north-east by terrorists from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, who attacked a prison housing dangerous jihadists, some of whom escaped. We believe that the Security Council needs additional information about the incident. In that regard, we have requested that a separate briefing on that issue and the situation in north-east Syria in general be provided in a timely manner.”
2022-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8955 (2022) · source
“In view of that, we will continue to work with the Syrians, the Special Envoy and other stakeholders, first and foremost our Astana partners. To that end, representatives of Russia, Iran and Turkey, with the participation of interested parties, held a meeting in December 2021 in Nur-Sultan. We hope that Mr. Pedersen will also focus on convening the Constitutional Committee without getting distracted by other initiatives, especially if the Syrians themselves — the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic and the opposition — do not support them. The efforts on the political front are all the more necessary because the situation in a number of regions in Syria remains tense. Problems persist in the areas that Damascus does not control — Idlib, the area east of the Euphrates and the zone of Turkish operations in northern Syria.”
2022-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8955 (2022) · source
“Mr. Polyanskiy (Russian Federation) (spoke in Russian): We thank the Special Envoy of the Secretary- General for Syria, Mr. Geir Pedersen, for briefing us on the situation in Syria. We also listened carefully to Ms. Thuraya Hijazi’s remarks. We support the continuation of inter-Syrian consultations in Geneva in the framework of the Constitutional Committee. We believe that there is no alternative to promoting a Syrian-led and -owned settlement process, with the support of the United Nations and without external interference or the imposition of artificial deadlines. We should point out that Damascus is prepared to do that and has confirmed its intention to go to Switzerland to participate constructively in the seventh session of the drafting commission of the Constitutional Committee.”
2022-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8955 (2022) · source
“To quote an example of such successful cooperation, we refer to the extended “Troika” that promotes a peaceful settlement in the country. The situation in Afghanistan as it develops will inevitably affect the future of UNAMA, whose mandate expires on 17 March. We hope that in his forthcoming report, the Secretary-General will provide balanced assessments, recommendations and proposals as to what to include in the mandate based on the new circumstances.”
2022-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8954 (2022) · source
“It is vital to continue to cooperate within the framework of regional organizations such as the Collective Security Treaty Organization (SCTO) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), including the SCTO working group on Afghanistan and the renewed mechanism of the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group. We would like to underscore that, in the current conditions, attempts to pursue dialogue with the new Afghan authorities in the language of ultimatums and pressure rather than diplomacy while using assistance in the recovery and socioeconomic development as leverage would be counterproductive. We must draw lessons from previous mistakes and miscalculations. We have said on many occasions that maintaining a political dialogue will provide effective answers to current issues.”
2022-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8954 (2022) · source
“Those funds belong to the Afghan people and cannot be used as a bargaining chip or to punish Afghans for the new realities in the country. At the end of the day, the consequences of a collapse would be far graver and inevitably lead to an increased number of refugees and more terrorism and drug production, resulting in even greater instability, including in the region and beyond. The threat of the infiltration of militants and drug dealers into the region, including under the guise of refugees, cannot but concern our Central Asian partners. We maintain regular contacts with all five countries of Central Asia.”
2022-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8954 (2022) · source
“We hope that this will make it possible to step up humanitarian assistance involving all interested parties, including the United Nations, its humanitarian agencies and key donors. At the same time, unfortunately, those efforts are not sufficient. With imminent economic catastrophe looming over Afghanistan, the current humanitarian steps are just a drop in the ocean. The paralysis of the banking system, the liquidity crisis and unemployment reduce to naught prospects for post-conflict recovery, as we have heard from representatives of the humanitarian community. The unfreezing of assets is a serious matter. Failing that, Afghanistan simply will not be able to emerge from the crisis in the long term. We call on the United States and other Western donors to return funds to the country.”
2022-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8954 (2022) · source