YouSaid · the spoken record

Vassily Nebenzia

lines on the record: 656
first: 2020-04-16
most recent: 2021-05-26
sittings or episodes: 80
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

“Through its adoption yesterday of resolution 2532 (2020), the Council contributed to raising awareness of this problem. We believe that the Council’s efforts to help combat the pandemic should focus, first and foremost, on its impact on the functioning of peacekeeping missions, ensuring the continuity of peace processes and supporting the implementation of the Secretary-General’s ceasefire initiative. The potential sharp deterioration of humanitarian situations in armed conflicts compounded by COVID-19 should be considered primarily in relation to the situation of specific countries on the Council’s agenda. Moreover, over the past three months, the Council has been taking a nuanced approach to discussing the impact of the pandemic on the situation in a given country.”
2020-07-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/663 (2020) · source
“The prolongation of armed conflict is detrimental to the effective implementation of the required anti-epidemic measures. National health sectors also suffer physical damage on medical infrastructure, due to the hostilities, and must also face the inability of national Governments to reallocate additional critical funding for health care. In that context, economic coercive measures have an extremely destructive effect on the ability of countries suffering under the burden of sanctions to purchase vital personal protective equipment and medications. The Secretary-General has repeatedly signalled, in his reports, the particular vulnerability of developing countries under unilateral restrictions. The current situation requires an urgent review and abolition of that illegal practice.”
2020-07-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/663 (2020) · source
“In the context of the spread of the disease, from which we must draw new lessons, we need to use the experience of the international community in combating previous major outbreaks of infectious diseases, including the Ebola virus. Pandemics can exacerbate the humanitarian consequences of armed conflict. Among other things, they affect food security through the disruption of agro-food systems and supply chains. Important peace processes are being hindered by COVID-19-related restrictions. United Nations peacekeeping missions are also experiencing additional difficulties in their work. We are concerned that countries affected by armed conflict already face a deteriorating humanitarian situation, even before the pandemic.”
2020-07-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/663 (2020) · source
“We welcome you, Sir, to preside over this meeting. We congratulate Germany on assuming the presidency of the Security Council for July, and wish you every success. We carefully listened to the Secretary-General’s briefing and would like to thank him for his initiatives on how to counter this serious challenge. I note that Russia supported the Secretary-General’s call for a ceasefire the day after he issued his appeal. We also thank Peter Maurer, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, and Commissioner Amira Mohammed for their briefings. We welcome the consensual adoption of resolution 2532 (2020), on coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and on the call for a ceasefire.”
2020-07-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/663 (2020) · source
“We call on all Member States to make every effort to preserve the JCPOA. We will continue to pursue and encourage dialogue aimed at finding compromises, with a balanced consideration of interests at its core. Such measures could be taken on all levels of political communication. Russia, together with other responsible members of international community, will spare no effort to bring the current situation back under control.”
2020-06-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/644 (2020) · source
“We believe that there is a viable alternative — a comprehensive strategic solution that could help build trust and promote stability, transparency and predictability among regional players. The ultimate goal is to establish a genuinely inclusive security architecture that reflects the legitimate concerns of all countries of the region. Regional confidence-building measures could be instrumental in that regard. Our security architecture concept in the Persian Gulf, with international guarantees, remains relevant. Russia is also ready to work with our regional partners and all interested parties to support similar initiatives. In conclusion, I would like to emphasize that Russia is fully committed to the unconditional implementation of its obligations under resolution 2231 (2015) and the JCPOA.”
2020-06-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/644 (2020) · source
“Nevertheless, today our fellow Council members use expressions such as “almost certainly” or “highly likely” — as if we were considering not allegations, but established facts. We regret to see that as a result of these amateur inspections, the report suffers from a persistent lack of evidence. Final assessments of Iran’s involvement in activities in violation of the resolution 2231 (2015) are baseless and biased. In these turbulent times, it is unfortunate that this document fuels tensions rather than contribute to their solution. While addressing the issue under consideration, we must not forget the broader picture. Today we are witnessing a spiralling escalation in the Persian Gulf, jeopardizing peace and security in the region and undermining international efforts to settle conflicts there.”
2020-06-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/644 (2020) · source
“In fact, the only moves that Iran has made have been aimed at showing its frustration with the provocative actions of the United States, but even those moves, strictly speaking, did not violate the JCPOA. In that regard, we would like to express our profound disappointment with the Secretary-General’s ninth report (S/2020/531) on the implementation of resolution 2231 (2015). It clearly fails to meet the high standards of impartiality that are expected in such documents. The Secretariat has never been mandated with investigative tasks, including at the invitation of individual States. The Council has been effectively kept in the dark about its activities, being instead presented with ready-made judgments. The group that conducted those investigations has neither retributive nor prosecutorial mandates.”
2020-06-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/644 (2020) · source
“Maybe he recently read George Orwell, Ray Bradbury, Aldous Huxley or some Russian dystopian writers — of which, incidentally, we have plenty. But if we take it at face value, then I am compelled to say that Russia, in particular, is adopting a dystopian stance because the United States is adopting a utopian one. We have said from day one that the United States draft resolution on extending the Iran embargo is a utopia. It will not fly. It is not a sound basis for any negotiations. During the past two years, the United States has tried in vain to prove to us that Iran has been violating its commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).”
2020-06-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/644 (2020) · source
“Moreover, that simplistic approach does not bring us closer to solutions. It only complicates problems. We would like to reiterate that there are no legal or other grounds to raise the issue of arms embargo in the Security Council. The approval-based procedures for the transfer of armaments to and from Iran have been designed as temporary measures and their extension beyond 18 October 2020 has never been either envisaged or discussed. Given all that, it would be naive, at the very least, to suggest that there can be room for engaging the Council on this issue. Brian Hook, United States Special Representative for Iran, chose to accuse Russia and China of going down the road to dystopia with regard to Iran. I do not know what prompted such a flight of fancy or what exactly he meant by that.”
2020-06-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/644 (2020) · source
“The logic of the United States draft that was submitted is to impose a full- scale blockade of Iran by all means possible. It is obvious that the ultimate goal is to antagonize Iran and push it to radical retaliation, which would become an invitation to impose further sanctions. What we get in the end is an uncontrollable escalation, a destabilized region and lasting implications for international peace and security. Is this the remedy to resolve the current crisis that we are looking for? Making Iran a scapegoat for everything that is happening in the region seems an easy approach. But simplifying things and coming to easy, but questionable and arguable conclusions, to which, I think, we all are unfortunately accustomed, is not a magic solution to the problems the region is facing.”
2020-06-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/644 (2020) · source
“Iran honoured its commitments despite two years of continued threats and sanctions by the United States. But today we see that the United States is appealing to the authority of the Security Council to “demonstrate unity of vision” and adopt a new arms embargo resolution against Iran. We explained in detail our position in that regard in the letter dated 27 May 2020 from the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Sergey Lavrov, addressed to the President of the Security Council (S/2020/451), which was distributed in the Council. We cannot accept an attempt to get a blessing for the United States-designed maximum-pressure policy through the Security Council and to legitimize it. We have a special mandate and responsibility here to protect the legitimate interests of all States and maintain international peace and security.”
2020-06-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/644 (2020) · source
“Still, Iran continued to uphold its obligations under the JCPOA. On top of that, the United States, being a major violator, has been threatening other countries with unilateral sanctions for the implementation of resolution 2231 (2015), which, as I said, is not an option but an obligation of Member States. The road to the JCPOA was very bumpy. Everybody made concessions to achieve that carefully calibrated deal, including, first and foremost, Iran itself. The whole world was celebrating this unique achievement and a system of checks and balances of which a temporary arms embargo — arms restrictions — on Iran was only one element. It was introduced with the clear and unequivocal understanding that it would expire on 18 October 2020, provided Iran abided by its obligations under the JCPOA.”
2020-06-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/644 (2020) · source
“The responsibility for the current crisis belongs to the United States. Two years ago, it intentionally started to undermine the carefully balanced and calibrated agreement of 2015, of which both resolution 2231 (2015) and the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) constituted an inseparable package deal. Despite the fact that Security Council resolutions are part of international law and must be implemented by all Member States, the United States officially pulled out from its resolution 2231 (2015) and JCPOA obligations, closed the door behind it and engaged in unilateral pressure by reimposing and reinforcing national sanctions against Iran, which are contrary to the aims of both the JCPOA and resolution 2231 (2015). Such actions eliminate any incentives for Tehran to comply with their provisions.”
2020-06-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/644 (2020) · source
“We deeply appreciate his efforts to uphold the unity of the members of the Security Council and to that end negotiate a consensus Facilitator’s report, even though it has not been approved. To our deep regret, the world of multilateralism and order, where the principle of pacta sunt servanda used to be respected through the centuries, is at a risk. The United States policy of unilateral action disregards both common sense and the opinions of other States. We have been watching with grave concern the policy of maximum pressure on Iran, which is better characterized as a maximum suffocation policy. Iran is being deliberately squeezed from all directions. The task is to achieve regime change or create a situation where Iran literally would not be able to breathe. That is like putting a knee on someone’s neck.”
2020-06-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/644 (2020) · source
“We welcome the participation of the Secretary-General in today’s meeting. I particularly welcome Minister Zarif, who is with us now. I would welcome the participation of the Secretary of State, but he is no longer with us. I understand that he has a very busy schedule, but we regret that he did not choose to listen to Council members, at least some of them. But more than that, we regret that in his statement we — at least I myself — did not hear a single mention of the word “dialogue” or “cooperation”. I would like to thank Ms. Rosemary DiCarlo for presenting the report of the Secretary-General (S/2020/531) on the implementation of resolution 2231 (2015). We also welcome the contribution made by the Permanent Representative of Belgium, as Security Council Facilitator, to its implementation.”
2020-06-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/644 (2020) · source
“We would also like to hear an update from OCHA on the implementation of the Declaration of Commitment on Compliance with International Humanitarian Law and the Facilitation of Humanitarian Assistance, signed by some armed opposition groups under OCHA’s auspices. How are these armed groups respecting it and what are these groups? And how does the United Nations monitor the implementation of their commitments? In conclusion, let me reiterate that we should depoliticize the Syrian humanitarian file, as well as the overall Syrian dossier, and ensure that humanitarian aid is delivered in Syria in accordance with humanitarian principles.”
2020-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/635 (2020) · source
“I say this to reassure those who fear that humanitarian deliveries in Syria will now become targets. That is not true. Russia never strikes civilian convoys. Our close coordination with the Syrian Government, which in fact approves all aid deliveries, provides additional guarantees. I have a rhetorical question. I do not remember any complaints from United Nations agencies about shortcomings of the deconfliction mechanism in Raqqa, Al-Baghuz or Hajin. However, today we hear about the terrible situation in the health-care system in north-eastern Syria. Do we know why? Because Raqqa, for example, was razed to the ground with all its hospitals. How many boards of inquiry were set up then by the United Nations?”
2020-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/635 (2020) · source
“The Russian Ministry of Defence was compelled to use its resources to investigate the findings of the Board of Inquiry and provide its own conclusions. We will be sharing those with the Council. It is also difficult to understand why the Government of Syria was not a direct party to the mechanism. Russian representatives in Damascus, Geneva and New York will no longer accept any lists of objects for deconfliction. We suggest that from now on OCHA settles the issue of deconflicted sites with the Syrian Government. This would be the right way to proceed. Russia respects and will continue to respect its obligations under international humanitarian law. We stressed many times that the Russian Air Force uses an efficient system of target verification that excludes the possibility of civilian sites being targeted.”
2020-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/635 (2020) · source
“At the same time, our own inquiries have repeatedly proved that some of the deconflicted sites were in fact used as terrorists’ headquarters or hide-outs and therefore could not be granted a humanitarian status. Last September we organized a special media event at United Nations Headquarters, where we clearly demonstrated the shortcomings of this mechanism. The information provided was used by terrorists and their supporters to deliberately mislead the United Nations and the international community. It has repeatedly triggered false accusations that civilian sites were bombed by Syria or Russia. The functioning of the deconfliction mechanism was one of the pretexts for establishing the Board of Inquiry. The conclusions of the Board itself proved the shortcomings of the mechanism.”
2020-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/635 (2020) · source
“The figures look impressive, but they are not very transparent when it comes to the recipients of this assistance. Who exactly are these recipients in Syria? Which Syrians received this assistance? We stress again that holding Brussels conferences on Syria without Syria looks, at best, questionable. Many Council members spoke about the deconfliction mechanism in Syria. In that regard, we would like to underscore that this mechanism was a voluntary arrangement. It has neither the mandate of the Security Council nor any other legal basis. We have repeatedly pointed out the drawbacks of the mechanism. This has also consistently been ignored. One of its main shortcomings is that the information provided by OCHA comes from unknown and unidentified sources. They cannot be verified.”
2020-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/635 (2020) · source
“I cannot but regret that the report of the Secretary-General on humanitarian issues (S/2020/401) contains the call to cooperate with the so-called International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism to Assist in the Investigation and Prosecution of Persons Responsible for the Most Serious Crimes under International Law Committed in the Syrian Arab Republic since March 2011 — an unlawful structure that was established to implicate Syria. Mark Lowcock mentioned that he welcomed the movement of Syrian students in the country to obtain their diplomas. However, he failed to mention that 2,000 of them could not leave Idlib, since terrorists prevented them from doing so. Turning to the Brussels donor conference, we saw the financial report of the European Commission.”
2020-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/635 (2020) · source
“We hoped to hear from Under-Secretary-General Lowcock an assessment of the impact of the United States Administration Caesar Act on the humanitarian situation in Syria and on the lives of ordinary Syrians. It is hard to understand how these measures correlate with the proclaimed aim to ensure the best options for humanitarian assistance. Do not try to convince us that unilateral sanctions and coercive measures enforced by Western countries against Syria do not affect humanitarian efforts. These reassurances are hypocritical. Their waivers and exemptions do not work. On the one hand, they advocate humanitarian assistance, first and foremost through the cross-border mechanism, and, on the other hand, they suffocate ordinary Syrians.”
2020-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/635 (2020) · source
“We would also like to hear about the cross-line delivery to Darat Izzah and Al-Atarib in north-western Syria, which was approved by Damascus but was not carried out by the United Nations under the pretext of spreading the coronavirus from Government-controlled areas to Idlib. There are only 255 reported cases in Syria. According to that logic, we should perhaps have stopped humanitarian deliveries to Idlib from the coronavirus-affected territories from where they come? We heard Mr. Lowcock’s assessment of the overall situation in north-eastern Syria, including in the Al-Hol camp. We would also be interested to hear about the situation in the Rukban camp and to learn more about the five commercial trucks that delivered goods to the Rukban local market.”
2020-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/635 (2020) · source
“What is even more disturbing is that the cross-border mechanism is used as leverage against cross-line deliveries and as a pretext and an excuse not to engage seriously in humanitarian supplies from within Syria. In our view, that borders on sabotage, and this is not just a slogan. We have concrete facts that we can present. We welcome the United Nations and Syrian Arab Red Crescent joint assessment mission to western Aleppo. We would like to hear more about the situation on the ground and what is left after the terrorists were pushed back from there. What are the plans of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on how to assist the development of that area?”
2020-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/635 (2020) · source
“We thank Mark Lowcock for the briefing. We also listened carefully to the philippic of Ms. Sirkin. Once again, we are discussing the humanitarian situation in Syria. Once again, we hear from some members of the Council that the cross-border mechanism is the magic solution to the humanitarian problems in Syria — the mechanism that in fact has become a political tool for drawing lines of division inside Syria. Yet they forget to mention not only that it is incompatible with international law and humanitarian principles, but also that it has never functioned in line with resolution 2165 (2014). We have repeatedly pointed that out but it has simply been ignored.”
2020-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/635 (2020) · source
“We express the hope that Addis Ababa, Cairo and Khartoum will be in a position to achieve, on that basis, a mutually acceptable agreement on dam-related issues in the interest of maintaining stability in the region. We see no alternative to bridging the differences on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam other than through negotiations based on international law, with due respect paid to the interests of all sides. To conclude, I would like to underscore that the Russian Federation is genuinely interested in seeing the issue sorted out in an expeditious and just manner. Doing so would contribute to progress, development and prosperity in the African continent, in line with the spirit of the first Russia-Africa economic forum and summit, held last year in Sochi, and with the goals set out there.”
2020-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/636 (2020) · source
“We welcome the meeting of the Extraordinary African Union Bureau of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government, held on 26 June via video-teleconference, with the participation of leaders from Ethiopia, Egypt and the Sudan and chaired by President Ramaphosa of South Africa. The summit produced a promising format of cooperation, the tripartite committee on technical and legal issues, which was tasked to sort out all outstanding problems regarding the dam’s operation. We also take note of the contribution that African States made to address the differences between Ethiopia, Egypt and the Sudan with a view to accompanying the tripartite negotiations. Thus, our African colleagues demonstrated their commitment to realizing the principle of African solutions to African problems.”
2020-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/636 (2020) · source
“The search for a mutually acceptable solution to the problem should be carried out in keeping with the spirit and letter of the 2015 Khartoum Declaration, while taking into account the progress achieved in the trilateral format on a range of issues related to the regime for filling the hydropower station’s dam and the timelines for its entry into operation, as well as the principles of water management and further operation of the dam, ecological run-off volume, drought mitigation measures and the project’s safety. We take note of the positive nature of the trilateral technical consultations held on 15-17 June.”
2020-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/636 (2020) · source
“We thank Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo for the information provided. We welcome Minister Shokry and the Ambassadors of the Sudan and Ethiopia to today’s meeting. The Russian Federation has always supported the negotiation process between Addis Ababa, Cairo and Khartoum on the major hydropower project on the Blue Nile, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, and on all related issues of water resource management. We have stressed that the modalities of the use of the Nile’s water resources should be determined by all the countries in the Nile basin on an equal footing, taking into account tasks relating to their social and economic development. The modalities should also be based on international law and be in the interest of maintaining regional stability.”
2020-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/636 (2020) · source
““In conclusion, I would like to reiterate the need to abandon the annexation steps and launch the Palestinian-Israeli negotiation process as soon as possible in order to achieve a just and sustainable Middle East settlement and peace in the region.” S/2020/596”
2020-06-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/596 (2020) · source
“For our part, we continue contacts with Palestinian representatives and support the efforts of our Egyptian friends in this regard. “The cessation of aggressive rhetoric, settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territories, destruction of Palestinian property, armed clashes and the prevention of terrorist actions are important factors for creating an atmosphere of trust in the Palestinian-Israeli negotiations. “On 23 June, Jordan and Sweden hosted an international video- conference in support of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. We are grateful to the organizers for their initiative. The number of participants and statements made in the video-conference once again confirmed the relevance of the Agency and its stabilizing role.”
2020-06-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/596 (2020) · source
“As an active member of the Quartet, Russia stands ready to make every effort to launch direct Palestinian-Israeli negotiations in the interests of achieving a settlement on an internationally recognized basis — United Nations resolutions, the Madrid principles and the Arab Peace Initiative — which provides for the creation of an independent, sovereign and territorially contiguous Palestinian State within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. We are also ready for a dialogue in other formats with key regional players and for their involvement in the efforts of the Quartet. In this regard, we are in constant contact with Middle East countries and the League of Arab States. “The task of restoring Palestinian unity on the Palestine Liberation Organization platform is extremely urgent.”
2020-06-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/596 (2020) · source
“Given the significance of Jerusalem for the three world monotheistic religions, the entire Muslim Ummah, as well as millions of other believers, will be involved in the problem. Irreparable damage will be caused to the prospects for normalizing relations between States of the region.“Enumerating problems that we encounter is not enough. It is necessary to anticipate, forestall and solve them. Today, as never before, international cooperation and joint steps are required to advance the Middle East peace process.”
2020-06-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/596 (2020) · source
“We see no alternative to the two States — Palestine and Israel — coexisting in peace and security. But the issue of statehood is not the only one. Other aspects of the final status — Jerusalem, refugees, borders, water and settlements — are also pending, but annexation may permanently block the path to their solution and to direct dialogue between Palestinians and Israelis. “The implementation of plans for the annexation will entail negative and even dangerous consequences for the entire Middle East region. It will directly affect the neighbours of Israel and Palestine — Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. It will affect the destiny of Palestinian refugees around the world.”
2020-06-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/596 (2020) · source
“Starting on 1 July, the process of annexation of the occupied Palestinian territories in the West Bank of the Jordan River may be launched by the Israeli Parliament. This is perhaps one of the most serious challenges for the Palestinian cause and for the whole region. “As a permanent member of the Security Council and a member of the Quartet of international mediators, Russia has always stood, and stands now, against unilateral actions or plans that, as history has shown, are not capable of bringing peace to the Middle East and which prejudge a final settlement. This understanding is shared by the vast majority of the international community. “The implementation of the aforementioned unilateral plans may erase the prospects for the two-State solution. And we see no alternative to the two-State solution.”
2020-06-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/596 (2020) · source
“Lavrov is personally participating in commemorative events: “In this challenging time, as the world struggles to find ways to counter and overcome the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic, the international community should not forget about a problem that, despite decades of efforts, is still awaiting its just solution. A Palestinian-Israeli settlement is the key to resolving many other problems in the Middle East and to establishing a just, sustainable, comprehensive and lasting peace in this region. The Palestinian question, which is almost the same age as the United Nations, requires our special and urgent attention. “We are at a doorstep — in fact, just a few days away from a decision that could undermine efforts to achieve a just and sustainable Middle East settlement.”
2020-06-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/596 (2020) · source
“I would like to begin by joining others in expressing condolences to Ambassador Djani, Foreign Minister Marsudi and the Indonesian people over the tragic loss of an Indonesian peacekeeper. We welcome high-level representatives participating in today’s Security Council video-teleconference on the situation in the Middle East. We thank the Secretary-General, Special Coordinator Nickolay Mladenov and the Secretary- General of the League of Arab States, Mr. Ahmed Aboul Gheit, for their briefings. I now have the honour to read out a statement from the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Russia, Mr. Sergey Lavrov, who could not be present at this meeting in person because, as is well known, we are celebrating the seventy-fifth anniversary of the end of the Great Patriotic War today, and Mr.”
2020-06-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/596 (2020) · source
“A special United Nations Board was created on the basis of false data. It is as if we were coming back to test tubes with alleged Iraqi chemical weapons. Some deconflicted objects did not actually correspond to the declared status, and some buildings were used by militants as headquarters. We handed over all the evidence to the Secretary-General. We are ready to present those documents to all parties concerned, but I wonder whether the Council would be interested to study them.”
2020-06-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/551 (2020) · source
“For its part, the Russian military physically visited the sites of alleged strikes and was able to inspect the buildings and take photographs. One site is under terrorist control for the time being, so we have only satellite and reconnaissance imagery. Evidence gathered by our Ministry of Defence proves that the sites were not subject to air or artillery strikes. At the same time, the Al-Nayrab Palestinian refugee camp was indeed shelled by militants, resulting in civilian casualties. Our Mission has photos and eyewitness testimonies. We do not hide their names, because they are real people who give true testimonies. Analysis of the report’s summary leads to one more conclusion: the deconflicting mechanism has more than just gaps — to put it mildly — and yet it is used for misinformation.”
2020-06-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/551 (2020) · source
“We held a special press conference at the United Nations on 16 September — exactly 10 months ago — and presented photo evidence. That information was ignored because of the ongoing political directive to put pressure on Russia. Unfortunately, it has become business as usual to rely on unverified, false data and banal fakes. The problem lies, first and foremost, in the sources of information. We know full well why those sources are carefully hidden. They are always opponents of the Syrian authorities and masters of staged chemical attacks. At the same time, the methodology for collecting so-called evidence is always the same — social networks, remote interviews with witnesses who actually live in European and Western capitals, Photoshop and, my favourite and the most ridiculous source, interceptions of pilot exchanges.”
2020-06-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/551 (2020) · source
“We have repeatedly said that this not only cripples the country’s economy, but also hinders humanitarian assistance to the people of Syria. Advertised exemptions do not work, which is confirmed by the humanitarian workers themselves. Regrettably, the United Nations is also used for political purposes, as is the case with the Board of Inquiry established by the Secretary-General to investigate attacks in north-west Syria. Despite the fact that we do not consider the creation of this Board to be legitimate, the Russian Ministry of Defence examined the summary of its report on an exceptional basis and conducted its own investigation. We have repeatedly denied accusations that the Russian Air Force attacked civilian targets.”
2020-06-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/551 (2020) · source
“We were appalled by the attack on the World Food Programme humanitarian convoy in Lebanon, which was intended for Syria. In the Lebanese city of Tripoli, several trucks were attacked and burned by locals due to suspicions that it was smuggling Lebanese goods. Tomorrow the so-called Caesar Act will enter into force in the United States. We heard today that United States officials proudly boast that it is because of their sanctions that the economic situation of the Syrian people has become so complicated. In doing so, they recognize that the sanctions imposed, allegedly against the Syrian leadership, in fact hit ordinary people. That said, they confirm that the purpose of these measures is to overthrow the legitimate authorities of Syria. In late May, the European Union also extended unilateral sanctions against Damascus.”
2020-06-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/551 (2020) · source
“The Syrian authorities are taking all the necessary measures to accommodate returnees and prevent the spread of the pandemic. Attempts to consort with terrorists or to use them for one’s own purposes is just one example of how the situation in Syria is politicized. We are convinced that all Security Council meetings on Syria in fact have a political motive because the so-called chemical and humanitarian dossiers have simply become a tool to pressure Damascus. Invoking the need for humanitarian assistance to Syria, as done by some colleagues when discussing humanitarian access to Government territories and to areas beyond Damascus’s control, is one of the clearest examples of political blackmail. We will discuss that issue in the coming days.”
2020-06-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/551 (2020) · source
“Stability and security in those areas is possible only if the control of legitimate Government is restored. For those who demand that Damascus implement resolution 2254 (2015), we recall its first lines, which reaffirm the “strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic”. We propose starting from the beginning and implementing that paragraph first and foremost. In that regard, we stress the need to find solutions to Syrian problems through inclusive dialogue and to put an end to foreign occupation. That would also help Syrian refugees return to their homes. Their return process has now resumed after having been temporarily suspended due to coronavirus restrictions.”
2020-06-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/551 (2020) · source
“There was an attempt to seize several settlements, but Syrian Government forces managed to repel those attacks. That once again proves that Idlib is controlled by terrorists. We hope that our Turkish partners will fulfil their obligations to neutralize those elements. At the same time, we will not allow the rebranding of Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham into the moderate opposition, as some are promoting. In recent months, terrorists have intensified their activities in other parts of the country, primarily to the east of Euphrates. The Islamic State in Iraq and the Shams attacked Kurdish units and militants escaped from prisons. Nothing is being done to improve the situation in the Al-Hol refugee camp, or that of the Al-Tanf area or the Rukban camp.”
2020-06-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/551 (2020) · source
“We support the Special Envoy’s efforts. For our part, we will continue to promote intra-Syrian dialogue both in our national capacity and together with Turkey and Iran within the framework of the Astana format, which has proved its effectiveness. At the same time, we note that this should remain a Syrian-owned and -led process. There must not be any external interference or imposition of foreign agendas. In general, the ceasefire holds in the Idlib de-escalation zone, where joint Russian-Turkish patrols continue. Nevertheless, terrorists continue their provocative actions and attacks, some of which have killed Turkish troops. My American colleague appealed to Russia and Syria to respect the ceasefire, but I would appeal to her to understand who is violating the ceasefire, as detailed by Geir Pedersen himself.”
2020-06-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/551 (2020) · source
“We thank Geir Pedersen for his briefing. We listened to Ms. Noura Ghazi. I think that the next time we engage in a political discussion about Syria, it would be fair to invite a representative of Syrian civil society to hear stories of suffering under the yoke of terrorists, foreign occupation and bombings. War is a very cruel thing. Nine years of war brought terrible suffering to all Syrian people, whether abroad or within Syria. As the Special Envoy informed us, he maintains contact with the Syrian parties with the aim of holding a third meeting of the Constitutional Committee in Geneva as soon as the restrictions caused by the global pandemic allow. Some tentative dates have been proposed, and the Syrian parties demonstrate the will and readiness to engage in dialogue on the basis of the agreed agenda.”
2020-06-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/551 (2020) · source
“We are already providing a number of countries with appropriate military and technical assistance and training of military and police personnel. In general, we believe that in the near future the armed forces of the Sahel region will become an even more effective tool in restoring and maintaining peace in West Africa.”
2020-06-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/515 (2020) · source
“It is obvious that the full-fledged functioning of the G-5 Sahel forces depends on two important factors: ensuring its stable and predictable financing and providing appropriate transport and logistics assistance. We note that the funds promised by foreign donors are gradually reaching the region. We support the assistance provided to the Joint Force by the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), in accordance with the mandate set out in resolution 2480 (2019). We are ready to consider options for improving the assistance provided by MINUSMA, which were included in the recent report of the Secretary-General on Mali (S/2020/476). Russia is closely monitoring the developments of the situation in the region.”
2020-06-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/515 (2020) · source