Statement by Permanent Representative Vassily Nebenzia at the UN Security Council Meeting on Yemen
Mr. President,
We thank today’s briefers, whose activities we also fully support, for a comprehensive review of the situation in Yemen. The briefings we have just listened to prove the need for consolidated international efforts to promote political settlement, put an end to the conflict and relieve the humanitarian situation in the country.
Before I start with the problems of the Yemeni conflict, let me express concerns about the growing tension in the Persian Gulf. We expect that all the incidents to have taken place in this area will be duly investigated. Russia condemns attacks on the oil tankers. The organizers should be discovered and brought to responsibility.
However, we emphasize that deliberate escalation of the situation and rash accusations do not add to conducting an unbiased international investigation. On the contrary, they politicize the investigation and undermine trust to it. We call upon all sides to begin dialogue and make only weighed judgements.
In this regard, let me remind of Security Council resolution 598 that tasked the Secretary-General to develop security architecture in the region in collaboration with the regional States. We repeatedly draw attention to the Russian proposal to launch a security- and confidence-building process in the Persian Gulf and, prospectively, in the entire Middle East. This directly relates to the conflict in Yemen.
Escalation of aggressive accusatory rhetoric, deliberate incitement of anti-Iranian sentiment has a destabilizing impact on the tense situation in the entire Middle Eastern region, can undermine the collective diplomacy, and thwart the success at the Yemeni track, no matter how small it might be, that was achieved under UN auspices.
It is our shared responsibility to support efforts of Special Envoy Martin Griffiths and Lieutenant General Michael Lollesgaard, who are painstakingly working to drive Yemenis at implementing the agreements achieved in Stockholm.
The sides started implementation of the first phase of redeployment of armed forces from ports of Hodeidah, Saleef and Ras Isa. Unilateral withdrawal of “Ansar Allah” troops was an important step towards implementation of a broader disengagement plan for the opposing sides.
In this context let me point out the increasing role of the United Nations Mission in Support of the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA). We advocate its prompt full-scale deployment that would allow to closely monitor steps to implement the agreements related to the Red Sea ports.
Advances in Hodeidah make it possible to unfreeze implementation of other aspects of the Stockholm agreements, including prisoner exchange and de-escalation in Taiz; they will also let sides negotiate framework parameters of political settlement.
Russia will continuously support the UN mediation in solving the Yemeni disputes. We would like to highlight the support provided to the Special Envoy by the ambassadors of the Security Council P5 Member States who hold accreditation in Yemen. We call upon all those who are interested in bringing peace back to the Republic of Yemen to engage actively with sides to the conflict that they have influence on, and to make them realize that a military solution is absolutely futile.
Since there is little progress in political settlement in Yemen, the humanitarian situation is deteriorating on a daily basis, as reported by our briefers. Two thirds of the population are starving and have no access to medicines they need and basic social protection services. The civil infrastructure lies in ruins; the national economy is in a recession. The longer the war lasts, the more difficult post-conflict recovery will be.
Like other UN Member States, including Yemen’s closest neighbors, Russia continues to help the people of Yemen via bilateral channels and via contributing to the biggest humanitarian organizations.
We underscore: emergency humanitarian assistance to the people of Yemen should be provided regardless of who controls this or that particular area of the country. We call upon all participants of the Yemeni conflict to ensure unimpeded access of humanitarian personnel, observe provisions of international humanitarian law, abandon indiscriminate use of force and deliberate damaging of civil infrastructure, in particular of that related to oil production and air operations.
The task to relieve humanitarian situation in Yemen is key not only for the current developments, but also for prospective national reconciliation. However, humanitarian work is not and cannot be a cure-all. The ultimate resolution is in the political domain. We have great faith in UN mediation. Mr. Griffiths, you can count on our active assistance and support.
Thank you.
