YouSaid · the spoken record

Vitaly Naumkin

lines on the record
15
first
2020-10-20
most recent
2020-10-20
sittings or episodes
1
sources
un-security-council

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

  1. “It is clear that Russian diplomacy does not impose on anyone a detailed plan for creating a system that the States of the region themselves must develop. The concept, as I understand it, is a document open for discussion. A number of proposals have already been made by experts. Some of them spoke, during the consultations I mentioned earlier, in favour of first creating a new dialogue format — a kind of meeting without any rigidly fixed obligations or institutional attributes — while others suggested devising a system of “baskets” for discussing cooperation and security issues, taking into account the specifics of the subregion. Perhaps this could be the beginning of the dialogue process, albeit at an informal level.”

    2020-10-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1037 (2020) · source

  2. “A third approach focused on the need to create a system of multiple bilateral contacts that would compensate for the lack of diplomatic relations between a number of States located in the region, which creates serious problems in terms of communication. Is it possible, in principle, to reach a consensus on the establishment of an inclusive collective security system in the subregion? Without going into detail, let me recall that the concept presented by Russia proposes as a goal the holding of an international conference on security and cooperation in the Persian Gulf, and that an initiative group should be formed in the course of consultations among interested players in order to organize it.”

    2020-10-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1037 (2020) · source

  3. “During our informal consultations in Moscow a few months ago at the level of experts from a number of States from the region and outside, discussions were held on various approaches to possible first steps towards the creation of a collective security system in the subregion. One approach holds that it is necessary, first and foremost, to conduct a multilateral dialogue among all countries of the region with the participation of key global actors. The experts also defined, in various ways, the borders of the region and the global players involved. Another approach stressed the necessity of focusing on building mutual understanding between Iran and Saudi Arabia as key States of the region.”

    2020-10-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1037 (2020) · source

  4. “In that regard, it is worth mentioning the importance of the issue of maritime security. Here the common challenges facing all States are terrorism, including terrorist attacks against ships, arms and drug smuggling, armed piracy, illegal migration and human trafficking, biosphere pollution, incidents and natural disasters. To successfully counter those challenges, the cooperation of all coastal States is imperative, and international organizations and interested extraregional Powers can assist in that endeavour. It is clear that the United Nations should play an extremely important role in this process.”

    2020-10-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1037 (2020) · source

  5. “With regard to the current situation, there could be, for example, agreements on general restraint, on refusal to use force, on prior notification about major military exercises and naval manoeuvres, and then also on the implementation of the observation and monitoring of specific types of military activity — or to start with, at least, on the exchange of very general information — and on prior notification about specific types of such activity that involve fixed numbers of military personnel and equipment. The proposals to hold a dialogue on military doctrines, establish hot lines and create demilitarized zones deserve to be discussed. No one needs a “big war” that, should one break out, could be devastating for the subregion and spill over its borders.”

    2020-10-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1037 (2020) · source

  6. “It is no coincidence that a number of politicians and experts speak figuratively about the creation of an OSCE for the Persian Gulf. I cannot exclude the possibility that elements of some of the confidence-building measures developed at that time, including with the active and creative participation of Russian — then Soviet — diplomats, especially in the military sphere, may be relevant in the course of a dialogue among Gulf States.”

    2020-10-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1037 (2020) · source

  7. “The unresolved Palestinian- Israeli conflict will continue to negatively affect the security and stability of the entire Middle East region. The issue of confidence-building measures and transparency is key to the initial stage of the process of a rapprochement among the parties; that is where progress can be made. Let us recall the Helsinki process. Of course, there is no need to call for reproducing the European experience, which, moreover, is several decades removed from us, but the success achieved by opposing blocs of States that have managed to agree and develop an effective system of confidence-building measures and create the still-functioning Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) deserves attention.”

    2020-10-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1037 (2020) · source

  8. “In terms of the common, high-priority threats and challenges for the States of the subregion, in the military-political sphere they should include in particular the existence and escalation of armed conflicts, such as the bloody conflict in Yemen, which requires an effective response and has had dire consequences for the humanitarian situation in that country; international terrorism, centres of which are located on the territory of the subregion; excessive militarization; and the activities of non-State armed actors. Non-military challenges include organized crime, drug trafficking, water scarcity, difficulties in ensuring an uninterrupted supply of energy resources, environmental pollution and uncontrolled migration.”

    2020-10-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1037 (2020) · source

  9. “Unfortunately, to date the policy of unilateral measures has prevailed over that of collective measures. Reversing that trend, although necessary, will not be easy. We can think of examples in history when, at the cost of the selfless efforts of some Powers, including the permanent members of the Security Council, it was possible, thanks to their commitment and goodwill, to do so.”

    2020-10-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1037 (2020) · source

  10. “It is this approach that is laid down in the concept of collective security in the Persian Gulf proposed by Russia in 2019, the implementation of which would allow the normalization of the situation in the subregion. It is clear that harmonizing positions on that ambitious plan is a difficult process requiring courage on the part of the actors involved, a willingness to compromise and the abandonment of unilateral approaches. In the same vein, in August the President of the Russian Federation put forward a proposal to convene a summit of the five permanent members of the Security Council, with the participation of Iran and Germany, in order to agree on the parameters of joint efforts aimed at the creation of reliable mechanisms for ensuring security and strengthening confidence-building measures in the Persian Gulf zone.”

    2020-10-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1037 (2020) · source

  11. “One important element is the fact that the threats, challenges and risks facing the States of the subregion, although their line-up as a whole remains the same and the demands of the various sides are often asymmetric and appear incompatible, increasingly become common to all parties. Thus, countering them and de-escalating and minimizing the risk of conflict will be possible only through collective, solidarity- based efforts that are free of confrontational approaches and demonization, using a phased approach, taking into account the concerns and interests of all local players and with respect for their sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence.”

    2020-10-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1037 (2020) · source

  12. “Among the new elements at play is increased activity on the part of the numerous non-State armed groups operating there, which are challenging State armies. Through participation in armed conflict, they have gained extensive experience in the use of both non-traditional and modern combat methods and have demonstrated the ability to learn quickly. At the same time, the very nature of the wars waged in the region is changing, which the participants therein do not always take into account. There is a clear reluctance on the part of traditional external security providers, including those that have military bases there and are trusted by local political elites, to intervene to protect them in crisis situations.”

    2020-10-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1037 (2020) · source

  13. “Despite the fact that the United States unilaterally withdrew from it and restored unilateral sanctions against Iran, the nuclear deal continues to operate thanks to the solidarity of its other participants. Today, several new elements can be cited in the development of the situation in that part of the Middle East. These include, for example, the entry into the subregional security sphere of several new regional players. Some States located in the Persian Gulf already consider them to be security providers, alongside the traditional ones. This includes, above all, Turkey, as well as Israel, as a result of its normalization of relations with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. The presence of new players there has met with satisfaction on the part of some Powers and fear and acute concern on the part of others.”

    2020-10-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1037 (2020) · source

  14. “Relations among many States of the region are in crisis. The sometimes unpredictable and rapidly changing situation that is developing makes the emergence of a security dilemma inevitable against the backdrop of the irresistible desire of States in conflict with one another for absolute superiority in terms of power. In that context, it should be noted that the ambiguous perception by the States of the subregion of the place and role of their neighbours and their regular mutual accusations of activities aimed at destabilization, against a background of deep mutual mistrust and ignorance of their neighbours’ concerns, constitute a serious factor of instability. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) has been an important deterrent to escalation in recent years.”

    2020-10-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1037 (2020) · source

  15. “Today humankind is living in anticipation of certain tectonic shifts in the world order, which is experiencing a serious crisis. Collective institutions are disintegrating; old and new fault lines and conflicts, including with the use of weapons, persist; challenges and threats to security in various regions are growing; and established security mechanisms have been undermined or do not work. All this is superimposed on the negative impact of the coronavirus disease pandemic, which has struck the whole world. In the Gulf subregion, which is both important and vulnerable owing to its tremendous geoeconomic and geostrategic significance and openness, including to external players, tensions are increasing, seriously threatening security and political and economic stability in the subregion and the world.”

    2020-10-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1037 (2020) · source