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

“Those are real things that testify to the fact that the Minsk agreements are being violated. Everything else, and in any case a lot of what has been said here today, has absolutely nothing to do with that, and those facts have been completely ignored by the speakers here today. Although Crimea is not on the Security Council's agenda, as long as the subject has been brought up, I would also like to say that whether anyone likes it or not, the question of where Crimea belongs has long ago been closed for both us and for Crimeans. No sanctions or restrictions will change our decision. That issue was closed after the Crimeans voted to reunite with Russia in a free referendum based on a nation's right to self-determination.”
2018-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8410 (2018) · source
“That is an act of gross provocation and it is hard even to imagine any other way of putting it, and yet some of those here have knowingly covered it up. It is also worth pointing out that their actions, including in supporting Ukraine's version of what happened, are already exacerbating the situation, including in eastern Ukraine. As our colleagues from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe have told us, the Ukrainian military has been drawing up Buk S-300 surface-to-air missile systems and Grad and Uragan multiple rocket launchers at the line of contact. The disengagement of forces in Stanytsia Luhanska is blocked and soldiers have infiltrated disengagement areas in Zolote and Petrovske. Units of the Ukrainian seventy-second brigade have captured the village of Rozsadky near Svitlodarsk.”
2018-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8410 (2018) · source
“An investigation is under way, of course, and we will certainly share its conclusions. I do not want to anticipate anything about what is still a hot topic, but I can speak to two points that have not been mentioned but that are clearly significant and relevant to analysis of the incident. First, on board one of the vessels were two employees of Ukraine's security services who admitted that they were on a special assignment and were supposed to act in exactly that way. We will tell the Council about that too. In another small but relatively important detail, the Ukrainians violated our border in a place that was Russian territory before 2014, if we decided to talk about what is Crimea and what is not. But the Ukrainians refused a pilot and made a treacherous approach to the Kerch Strait from the south.”
2018-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8410 (2018) · source
“She also urged respect for the sovereignty of Ukraine, but only Ukraine. Surely, though, the Russian Federation's sovereignty should be respected as well. At least we assume that is what she believes. Mrs. Haley also assumed that Crimea is part of the Minsk agreements, and I got the impression, at least I thought I heard, that the Minsk agreements apparently extend even to the Sea of Azov too. I am sorry to say that such ignorance is shocking. We devoted most of a previous meeting (see S/PV.8270), to an analysis of the Minsk agreements by Mr. Nebenzia, our Permanent Representative, who went through them from the first to the last paragraph. And in spite of that we have to listen to this egregious stuff. With regard to the incident itself there are many questions.”
2018-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8410 (2018) · source
“The only question is why the Ukrainians, who had been familiar with the regime for passage through the Kerch Strait and using it without any problems, suddenly carried out an act of clear provocation and risked the lives of their own sailors. Nobody has tried to answer that question or even mention it. It could therefore be perceived by as giving Ukraine carte blanche to continue such provocations and foment a situation that could pose a threat to everyone in the region. And going on what Mr. Yelchenko said, Ukraine got the message. I would like to correct some errors on the part of some of the speakers. Ms. DiCarlo somehow confused Crimea and the Minsk agreements in a very odd way. I hope that she has actually read the Minsk agreements. She is no doubt well aware that there is not a word in them about Crimea.”
2018-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8410 (2018) · source
“Mr. Polyanskiy (Russian Federation) (spoke in Russian): Many interesting things have been said, and I have decided to share our views on them after all, although of course a lot of them are not worth discussing and a lot are very predictable. First of all, we once again feel we were absolutely justified in our proposal to hold a meeting under a different agenda item, since people seem to be talking about anything they feel like - annexation, occupation, aggression. I was astonished to learn that we have occupied and even annexed the Sea of Azov. That is news to us. But as far as the main theme is concerned, nobody really said much. Except Ambassador Yelchenko, who did indeed torture the facts. But I will return to that later.”
2018-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8410 (2018) · source
“The only thing that the Kyiv politicians are interested in is maintaining their own power and justifying their failures as the result of acts of so-called Russian aggression. And the only thing that the Western sponsors of that regime are interested in is maintaining their dominance by undermining good-neighbourly relations among the fraternal peoples of Europe, Asia, Africa and the rest ofthe world through the ancient Roman principle of divide and rule. Instead of repeating the past, we should learn from its mistakes and build a new world based on multilateralism, mutual respect and indivisible security. We urge everyone to do so alongside us. The meeting rose at11.30 am.”
2018-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8409 (2018) · source
“As far as Russia's State borders are concerned, there is no need to worry. Our country has never struck the first blow, but we do know how to stand up for ourselves. The people of Crimea, like Russia's other regions, are well protected. We know that the delegations that initiated today's vote are waiting to state their opinions at the next meeting, and we know that they will repeat their well- known mantra of what they call aggression, annexation and occupation. But we also know what they will not say, about the fact that the regime in Kyiv does not need peace. It is not trying to create a decent life for its people and it is not interested in a dialogue with its own people in the east. It is not interested in the so-called European values that it is forever touting.”
2018-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8409 (2018) · source
“It needs another shot of anti-Russian dope so that the people who have been mired in poverty for the past five years will once again believe that all their troubles are due not to their rulers and their Western puppeteers, but to Russia. Unlike others, we in Russia are not afraid to call things by their proper names. We do not lower our eyes in shame, as our Polish colleagues do, for example, as they see how people in their neighbouring State glorify those who during the Second World War exterminated hundreds ofthousands ofPoles, Jews and Russians in the most cruel way. Today, the Ukrainian clients of some of our colleagues daily discredit the very universal values that they so loudly promote and, incidentally, that we in Russia sincerely believe in. We introduce and develop them ourselves, without any decrees or fanfare.”
2018-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8409 (2018) · source
“It is because the people in this room are extinguishing those flames by dousing them with petrol made of Ukrainian nationalism and Russophobia. And that is despite the fact that a plan for combating that destructive fire - the Minsk agreements - was developed and approved, including by the Security Council, long ago. It is no secret that if it wanted to, Washington could resolve the so-called conflict in eastern Ukraine in 10 minutes simply by giving the appropriate command to its clients in Kyiv. And now, as the March elections are approaching, the bankrupt Maidan team is in dire need of a serious worsening of the situation, and ideally a full-on war. Without that, it has no hope of remaining in power.”
2018-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8409 (2018) · source
“Yes, gentlemen, that five-year anti-Russian political project - one might as well call it Anti-Russia - is a fiasco for all to see, and everyone here knows very well what the real pace - as opposed to the declared one - is of the so-called Maidan reforms and other dangerous and destructive processes that are pushing Ukraine ever closer to the abyss. In such circumstances, there is one reliable method, well-known to every barely literate political technologist, that bankrupt politicians clinging to power all over the world resort to - war. That is why it has been impossible to put out the flames of the fratricidal war in the Donbas, and why it has nothing to do with that mythical Russian aggression.”
2018-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8409 (2018) · source
“It is in order to cancel the elections, whatever Mr. Poroshenko may say to the contrary. In the past five years, through brainwashing and total anti-Russian propaganda, they have succeeded in sowing enmity and hatred for Russia in some parts of Ukrainian society, using undemocratic methods very actively to impose their opinion on the passive majority. However, during that time, what those here have never managed to do is to sow hostility to Ukrainians on the part of my compatriots. We still love them, believe in their wisdom and take them in willingly. We listen to their stories of the suffering, misery and wrongdoings that are happening in that once rich and successful country, from which people today are scattering in every direction in the realization that this ship is sinking.”
2018-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8409 (2018) · source
“However, it is already obvious that those plans have failed to be fully realized and that those who participated in them have lost all authority in the eyes of the Ukrainian people. The best proof of that is President Poroshenko's extremely low popularity ratings, which anyone would be embarrassed to head into elections with. And those elections are just around the corner, four months away. So then how does one hold on to power? Simple. By organizing an act of provocation and once again blaming Russia for everything. By inflating one's ratings, by once again presenting oneself to voters as the nation's saviour from that mythical Russian aggression, and by imposing martial law. That is what the Kyiv authorities are doing right now. And we all understand the reason for this martial law and its predictable continuation perfectly well.”
2018-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8409 (2018) · source
“It is obvious to all today that the Ukrainians have lost whatever remained of their trust in those who pushed them into the so- called revolution of dignity. Over the past five years, everything that our neighbours were proud of has vanished. Everything - the economy, industry, the social arena - is ruined. Throughout those five years, and contrary to the interests of Ukrainians, the West, and the United States of America above all, has been stubbornly pushing through its geopolitical project in Ukraine in various ways, from distributing cookies to pouring billions of dollars into facilities for its own benefit. Its main mission was to bring fratricidal internal strife to a traditionally peaceful Ukraine and foment a quarrel between two fraternal peoples, Russians and Ukrainians, thereby weakening Russia.”
2018-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8409 (2018) · source
“On top of that, in the past few months, with support from Washington, Kyiv has been aggressively fanning the flames of this subject of the so-called militarization of the Azov Sea, and all of this despite the fact that Russia has no plans to establish a new naval base there. The military forces and facilities there are commensurate with the task of providing security for the Crimean bridge. The Kyiv authorities certainly do not need all these manipulations of international organizations to solve their country's problems. On 21 November, those who follow the rapidly evolving tragedy of Ukraine marked that sad date, the fifth anniversary of the beginning of the so-called Maidan protests.”
2018-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8409 (2018) · source
“This provocation was planned in advance, right before our eyes, and with the full connivance of Western States, which in practice long ago gave their Kyiv clients carte blanche for any act. In August, Mr. Yelchenko, Ukraine's representative to the United Nations, who is here today, announced preparations of what he called "unpleasant surprises" for Russia. At the beginning ofNovember his delegation submitted a draft resolution on the Sea of Azov to the General Assembly that included accusations about Russia's militarization of the region, an anti-Russian document for which they had previously launched an advance campaign to win support. And in order to make sure that their propaganda really succeeds, they have now decided to bring in the Security Council.”
2018-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8409 (2018) · source
“After construction finished on the Crimean bridge in September, literally two months ago, Ukrainian naval vessels passed freely under the bridge from Odessa to Berdyansk with the help of Russian pilots. In other words, the Ukrainians are well aware of the procedure for passage through the Kerch Strait and had abided by it until now. The control procedure takes no more than three hours and is part of Russian border guards' legal right to ensure security in Russia's territorial waters, including - and I want to emphasize this - because of an ongoing situation created by threats on the part of Ukrainian radicals who have publicly promised to blow up the Crimean bridge. What changed yesterday? Why did three Ukrainian vessels illegally invade Russia's sovereign waters in order to be detained?”
2018-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8409 (2018) · source
“Those illegal actions forced Russian border guards to use force. Thanks to their restraint and high degree of professionalism, fatalities were avoided. The three Ukrainian servicemen injured in the incident were given the necessary medical assistance, and their lives were not threatened. The responsibility for the incident belongs to those who gave the vessels their criminal order to proceed. The ships that committed the violation have been detained at a Russian port, and criminal proceedings have been initiated. Of late Kyiv has refrained from using military means to openly violate Russia's national borders. We had bilateral agreements in the Sea of Azov, which is an inland waterway for both Russia and Ukraine, to which Kyiv adhered with no problems of any kind.”
2018-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8409 (2018) · source
“On 25 November, three Ukrainian naval vessels illegally crossed Russia's State border, bound for the Kerch Strait. They did not respond to the legal demands of the ships and patrol boats of Russia's FSB border guards and Black Sea fleet and conducted a dangerous manoeuvre that created a threat to the normal movement of vessels in those waters. As I said, these actions violated the Charter of the United Nations, the norms of international law, including articles 19 and 21 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 1982, which determine the right of coastal States to ensure safety in the maritime space, as well as the rules of peaceful passage through the territorial waters ofthe Russian Federation in the Black Sea. We regard those actions as a violation of Russia's sovereignty.”
2018-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8409 (2018) · source
“Frankly, this is reminiscent of playground arguments and these members are now bringing discredit on the Security Council in the same way that the Ukrainians' provocative actions bring discredit on the General Assembly. And yesterday, after Russia asked that this Security Council meeting be convened, our Western partners tried to present the whole thing as if it was Ukraine that had requested it rather than Russia. That is pettiness, gentlemen, pettiness on a pitiful scale. Since they have prioritized procedural issues over the interests of the matter at hand, I will confine myself to this statement in explanation of vote and will not make a statement in the meeting convened under the Ukrainian letter, which is an agenda item that is not appropriate to our discussion.”
2018-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8409 (2018) · source
“Mr. Polyanskiy (Russian Federation) (spoke in Russian): We regret the result of the vote. However, I would like to emphasize that no one can prevent Russia, as a permanent member of the Security Council, from raising issues in the Council that we consider important, and doing it under agenda items that those issues relate to. This vote will have no effect on that, a vote in which States that claim to have self-sufficient and independent foreign policies, in obedience to the herd instinct and their fear of their Big Brothers in Washington, come out in support a scenario that is contrary to the principles of the Security Council and its rules of procedure. Now they are more concerned about which agenda item to hold today's meeting under than about how to solve the problem.”
2018-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8409 (2018) · source
“Needless to say, such banditry had to be stopped, and the international community has to understand where Kyiv's actions are leading. We urge our partners on the Security Council not to take on any responsibility for the Ukrainian authorities' dangerous behaviour. If this forum continues to be used to cover for the Ukrainian regime's military provocations and to blame Russia for exercising its right to defend its borders, the Council's authority will suffer irreparable damage.”
2018-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8409 (2018) · source
“The situation described in it refers us to events of four years ago and has nothing to do with what happened in the region yesterday. What did happen on 25 November was that the Kyiv regime made a direct threat to international peace and security by ordering the Ukrainian Naval Forces to carry out an aggressive act of provocation with regard to the Russian Federation's State border, violating key provisions not only of international maritime law but also of common law, including the Charter of the United Nations, provisions that require that all States respect other States' sovereignty. The fact that this violation occurred - and moreover through manoeuvring in a narrow strait, a fairly dangerous method - could and did create risks to the normal movement of vessels in those waters.”
2018-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8409 (2018) · source
“Mr. Polyanskiy (Russian Federation) (spoke in Russian): In calling for this extraordinary meeting of the Security Council, Russia bases its position on the Council's provisional rules of procedure, in which rule 2 clearly states that the President shall call a meeting of the Security Council at the request of any member of the Council at any time to consider any issue. It is crucial that we understand that the Ukrainian delegation's counter-demand that we initiate a separate meeting under a different agenda item is nothing but an attempt to avoid responsibility for undermining international security. The agenda item proposed by Ukraine is inappropriate. I would like to ask if anyone has even read the letter of the Ukrainian Permanent Representative in question.”
2018-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8409 (2018) · source
“In general, we believe that the Council's ongoing focus on Burundi is becoming counterproductive and is essentially merely a convenient excuse for the unreconcilable opposition to complicate its internal political processes.”
2018-11-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8408 (2018) · source
“We want to point out that the entire responsibility for ensuring that human rights are upheld in the territory of Burundi, including by armed and non-State entities, belongs to the Burundian authorities, and needless to say the Security Council should proceed from that understanding in its work. As a matter of principle, we support respect for Burundi's sovereignty and categorically reject any interference in Bujumbura's internal affairs. In general, we would like to emphasize that the information we have heard today is not evidence of the kind of problems in Burundi that would merit keeping the situation there on the Security Council's agenda. We once again urge our colleagues on the Council to focus on more serious issues. In any case, we certainly do not see the need for quarterly discussions on the situation in Burundi.”
2018-11-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8408 (2018) · source
“It should be sufficient to point out that the OHCHR report is based on data that comes only from representatives of the radical opposition, which has been an unrelenting critic of the Burundian authorities for a number of years and also conducts its activities from outside the country. That can hardly be considered an impartial source of information. In any case, as we all know, in accordance with the division of labour in the United Nations, human rights issues are dealt with by the Human Rights Council, where Burundi is already the subject of discussion.”
2018-11-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8408 (2018) · source
“We continue to stand firmly for the principles of humanism, neutrality and impartiality in United Nations efforts to deliver humanitarian assistance with the consent of the host country. We have taken note of the information in the Secretary-General's report (S/2018/1028) on the alleged major human rights violations in Burundi. We should point out, however, that the information in the September report (A/HRC/39/63) of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), from which it is borrowed, is far from unambiguous, and we should therefore draw no specific conclusions from it.”
2018-11-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8408 (2018) · source
“In the light of the intention of former President Benjamin Mkapa of Tanzania to consider rethinking his role in the mediation process, we would like to note that this does not cancel our commitment to the principle of African solutions to African problems. We call on the African community to continue its active mediation efforts aimed at facilitating constructive negotiations between the parties. The fact that the process of the return of refugees from neighbouring countries to Burundi has begun is evidence of the gradual improvement in the country's situation. At the same time, the humanitarian situation in Burundi remains problematic. It is regrettable that the humanitarian appeal for support to the country has not been fully funded. We urge donor countries to abandon their double standards.”
2018-11-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8408 (2018) · source
“We call on the authorities and the opposition to refrain from negative rhetoric and to concentrate on preparing for the election cycle, especially since President Nkurunziza has announced that he will not be participating in the presidential race. With regard to the problems in advancing the inter-Burundian dialogue, we want to point out that ascribing responsibility for it to one side alone is counterproductive and even dangerous. Rather than shielding the intransigent opposition, it would behove the Secretariat and a number of our Western colleagues to urge all the Burundian parties to work to resume a full-scale negotiation process, which could lead to the achievement of sustainable peace and stability in Burundi, as soon as possible.”
2018-11-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8408 (2018) · source
“With regard to the country's political situation, we want to point out that on 17 May it held a peaceful, constitutional referendum. In response to the criticism of that event from the opposition and a number of Western States, the voter turnout was a staggering - indeed unprecedented for an African country - total of 96.24 per cent, of which an overwhelming majority of 73.26 per cent also voted for constitutional change. We also understand that it was preceded by a democratic and transparent publicity campaign. In the view of the Russian Federation, the issue of the presidential and parliamentary elections planned for 2020 is Burundi's internal affair.”
2018-11-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8408 (2018) · source
“Mr. Polyanskiy (Russian Federation) (spoke in Russian): We thank Special Envoy Michel Kafando for his briefing on the evolving situation in Burundi. We listened with grateful interest to the report by Ambassador Jiirg Lauber of Sweden, in his capacity as Chair of the Burundi country configuration of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC), following his trip to Bujumbura and other countries of the region. We commend the configuration's balanced approach, which has enabled it to remain a valuable channel for dialogue with Bujumbura, and we support the PBC's efforts to revitalize its interaction with the Burundians by focusing on issues related to socioeconomic development and the re-establishment of donor confidence. We believe that overall, Burundi's internal political processes are trending towards stabilization.”
2018-11-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8408 (2018) · source
“We would like to highlight the training we give peacekeepers, including many from Africa, at the All- Russian Institute of Advanced Training for Employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation in Domodedovo, which has United Nations certification, as well as the Infantry Training and Research Centre of the Combined Arms Academy of the Russian Federation Armed Forces and the International Mine Action Centre of Russia's Ministry of Defence. African law-enforcement officers have the opportunity to study in higher education programmes as well as internships in short-term refresher courses in our Ministry of Internal Affairs educational institutions.”
2018-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8407 (2018) · source
“Any mission should have a clear strategy for its eventual exit. Creating artificial obstacles to drawdowns of peacekeeping operations is not just counterproductive, it is dangerous. It is essential to take the views of host countries into account, especially since there are still a number of crisis situations in Africa needing the Council's attention. In that regard, I would like to remind the Council of the hopes of the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which has repeatedly raised the issue of optimizing the numbers of the peacekeeping presence in the country. In conclusion, I would like to emphasize that Russia provides multidisciplinary support to African peacekeeping efforts in Africa, including by training African military personnel and law-enforcement officers in Russian higher educational institutions.”
2018-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8407 (2018) · source
“We would like to pay tribute to the sacrifices that African countries have made in sending military contingents to the African Union Mission in Somalia to fight Al-Shabaab. And we all know that it was Powers in the region that were originally behind the Intervention Brigade. The African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur has already become a success story of close collaboration between the two organizations in the field of peacekeeping. We believe that establishing all the essential preconditions in that region of the Sudan will enable the peacekeeping mission to be completely wound down by the end of 2020, in accordance with the time frame for that set out in resolution 2429 (2018). It is becoming increasingly clear that the United Nations peacekeeping presence in a country should not be open-ended.”
2018-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8407 (2018) · source
“At the same time, however, it is important to understand that there is a place for all stakeholders with good motives and no hidden agendas in dealing with crisis situations on the African continent. Russia is assisting the stabilization process in the Central African Republic based on those principles, and is also helping the country's authorities to restore the security sector. We hope that our colleagues on the Council will leave behind their own historical fears and narrow national interests in the work of helping Bangui to a way to emerge from its protracted crisis. We do not have to look far to find examples of Africans' active involvement in the maintenance of peace and security on their own continent.”
2018-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8407 (2018) · source
“It has become not just a haven for terrorists from neighbouring countries and the entire Sahara-Sahel but a destabilizing factor in it. It is noteworthy that those whose irresponsible actions destabilized the situation in Libya and the whole region and then left the country to its fate are now presenting themselves as peacekeepers and constantly bemoaning the absence of an alternative political settlement for Libya, while once again ignoring the good offices ofthe African Union and its Ad Hoc High-Level Committee on Libya in particular. We support an approach whereby the Security Council would speak based on united positions in support of regional efforts.”
2018-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8407 (2018) · source
“In spite of our Western partners' constant pronouncements about the importance of strengthening the peacekeeping potential of the African Union and the need for ensuring that it cooperates closely with the United Nations, in practice things are often very different. Narrow interests have the upper hand. Oil- rich Libya is a clear example of that. After blocking mediation through the African Union, which had proposed a political plan for resolving the crisis, various Western countries - we all know which - opted for force. That turned out to be a tragedy for the Libyan people with major consequences that are making themselves felt to this day. Libya remains sundered, divided into zones of influence, with no united State governance institutions and a collapsing economic and social infrastructure.”
2018-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8407 (2018) · source
“We particularly want to note the importance of the efforts of the African Union and subregional organizations to prevent and mediate disputes. As a rule, Africans know the local nuances better and, importantly, do not have a dual agenda. Unfortunately, we can recall a great many examples where African mediation efforts have been relegated to the sidelines or deliberately undermined by external actors. I should not omit to point to the example of South Sudan in that regard, where a number of countries rammed through the decision to impose an arms embargo despite the conclusions of the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development and almost wrecked the revival of the negotiation process there.”
2018-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8407 (2018) · source
“However, we believe it is important to maintain the current United Nations procedure for reviewing and approving related budget requests, ensuring transparency and accountability in the allocation and use of funds and providing for the participation of United Nations staff at every stage of the planning and practical implementation of the tasks involved. We also want to point out that strict adherence to the basic principles of peacekeeping is key to the success of United Nations peacekeeping operations. Mandates should consider the views of host States and the ability of troop-contributing countries to implement them. Burdening peacekeepers with additional functions in the areas of the protection of human rights, gender issues and environmental problems only complicates the implementation of peacekeeping operations' primary duties.”
2018-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8407 (2018) · source
“We see the justification for African countries' wish to bring up the issue of the provision of material and financial assistance for measures to maintain international peace and security, including through the partnership between the United Nations and the African Union. We agree that it is important to increase the predictability, reliability and flexibility of the financing for African operations and joint missions. In principle, we are not against considering the possibilities for expanding United Nations participation in such missions, and we are ready for further constructive dialogue in this regard.”
2018-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8407 (2018) · source
“Russia has consistently supported the efforts of African States to achieve greater independence in maintaining peace and security on their continent. We support the consistent, forward-looking development of diverse types of cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union and African subregional organizations, based on the principle of African solutions to African problems. It is unacceptable to impose prescriptions for responses to crises on Africans without their express consent. We very much appreciate the African Union's desire to get the African Standby Force established under the African Peace and Security Architecture working in practice as soon as possible.”
2018-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8407 (2018) · source
“Mr. Polyanskiy (Russian Federation) (spoke in Russian): We thank the Chinese presidency for organizing today's discussion on strengthening peacekeeping operations in Africa. I would first like to join my colleagues in expressing our condolences in connection with the deaths of the Malawian and Tanzanian peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in the Central African Republic. Needless to say, we condemn attacks on Blue Helmets, pay tribute to their courage and dedication and wish the wounded a speedy and successful recovery. We are grateful to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for his informative briefing and his unwavering focus on strengthening cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union. We also thank Mr. Sma'il Chergui, Commissioner for Peace and Security of the African Union, for his views.”
2018-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8407 (2018) · source
“The fight against terrorism is our shared task and we must take every possible measure to end its threat. In conclusion, we want to express the hope that policies of confrontation, threats and pressure through sanctions will give way to collective efforts to create regional dialogue mechanisms, as well as a comprehensive and indivisible security architecture in the Middle East, both for the Arab States of the Persian Gulf and their neighbours. Russia's vision in that regard remains relevant and much needed.”
2018-11-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8404 (2018) · source
“We must make humanitarian assistance to Yemen a priority in our joint work and it must be provided on a non-discriminatory basis, regardless of who controls the territories where Yemenis live. The international community is actively assisting the people of Yemen. While Russia is contributing to that effort, like many other Member States, we realize that it is impossible to improve the situation in Yemen through humanitarian measures alone. The solution must be a political one. We now need to unite around the Special Envoy and help him work proactively with all of the actors involved in the Yemeni conflict. The war is only playing into the hands of the various terrorists who have been taking advantage of the chaos to strengthen their positions in central and southern Yemen.”
2018-11-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8404 (2018) · source
“The history of the Yemeni conflict shows that the military efforts are not working. Every day of war cranks up the cost of Yemen's post-conflict reconstruction. We condemn the indiscriminate strikes on civilian targets and ballistic-missile attacks on Yemen's neighbours. We support ensuring unconditional compliance with the relevant provisions of international humanitarian law and unfettered humanitarian access to all parts of the country. The humanitarian situation in Yemen remains critical. A majority of the population is in need of assistance of one sort or another. Millions of Yemenis are starving and have no way of obtaining the medical services and medicines they need.”
2018-11-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8404 (2018) · source
“Griffiths has made in getting the parties to resume a dialogue and show flexibility on confidence-building measures, including the exchange of prisoners and other steps. We hope the planned talks will be substantive and help to make the political process sustainable. We do not expect the disagreements to end quickly. Years of confrontation have created a gulf that will not be easy to bridge. We will continue to assist Mr. Griffiths through bilateral channels, in our capacity as a permanent member of the Security Council and also a member of the group of 19 States supporting international efforts for a settlement in Yemen. Our position remains the same. We continue to call for a plan for a negotiated solution to the conflict in Yemen. The parties must show restraint and refrain from resorting to force.”
2018-11-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8404 (2018) · source
“Mr. Polyanskiy (Russian Federation) (spoke in Russian): We would like to thank Mr. Martin Griffiths, Mr. Mark Lowcock, Mr. David Beasley and Ms. Rasha Jarhum for their briefings. We first want to note the reduction of violence around the Yemeni port of Al-Hudaydah. We believe it is essential to work to establish a full, countrywide cessation of hostilities, which is important not only to ensure the reliable delivery of humanitarian and commercial goods to the northern areas of Yemen where the majority of the country's population lives, but also to achieve the successful implementation of the Special Envoy's plans to hold a round of negotiations in Sweden. We welcome the progress that Mr.”
2018-11-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8404 (2018) · source
“We have noted the first efforts of the South Sudanese to implement the revitalized Agreement, and we urge the country's politicians to demonstrate goodwill in ensuring full compliance with its provisions. Ultimately, the welfare of ordinary South Sudanese depends on them. We realize that the timetables agreed on by the parties are fairly ambitious, but the fact is that only complete and comprehensive fulfilment of their commitments will help to foster mutual trust among the parties and spare them a recurrence of the mistakes made in the efforts to achieve a South Sudanese settlement in the past.”
2018-11-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8403 (2018) · source
“We also welcome the desire of the guarantors of the Agreement to assist with the implementation of the peace Agreement by providing national troops from the Sudan, Uganda, Djibouti and Somalia to the Regional Protection Force. That represents a practical embodiment of the principle of African solutions to African problems, as well as an opportunity for effective cooperation between the United Nations, the Security Council and regional organizations. We are aware of the regular contacts between the General Chiefs of Staff of the IGAD countries on issues relating to the implementation of the Agreement, and we are ready to consider substantive proposals for the organization of the Regional Protection Force.”
2018-11-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8403 (2018) · source