Statement by Mr.Dmitry Polyansky, First Deputy Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations, at the Security Council on the sitiation in Myanmar
The Security Council mission to Myanmar and Bangladesh was very timely and useful. Council members were able to personally assess the situation in Rakhine state and its surroundings, as well as the efforts that have been made to stabilize the situation. We would like to thank the authorities of Bangladesh and Myanmar for their efforts.
We are also grateful to both the Polish and Peruvian presidencies, as well as Kuwait, without whose logistical support we could not have fully carried out our programme. It was extremely important that as a result of the mission, the Council was able to agree on a consensus press statement (SC/13331), which outlines the Security Council’s position with regard to the crisis and the priority measures that the parties involved should take to overcome it.
We note that while the situation in the region remains difficult, in general it is under control. However, I would like to note the constructive attitude that Naypyidaw and Dhaka have shown in addressing this difficult situation, as well as their openness to dialogue and cooperation with the international community.
All of us, without exception, have expressed our wholehearted solidarity with the Government and the people of Bangladesh, who have been dealing with unprecedented humanitarian crises and yet who have opened their doors and hearts to hundreds of thousands of people in dire straits. I would also like to note that the Myanmar authorities did not try to conceal anything or avoid uncomfortable discussions.
On the contrary, they demonstrated exceptional transparency. The Council was able to visit the most problematic areas and to talk openly with all parties, as I hope all my Security Council colleagues will confirm. The repeatedly expressed commitment of Myanmar officials to fully implementing the recommendations of the Rakhine Advisory Commission led by Kofi Annan and the provisions of the bilateral agreement with Bangladesh on the return of refugees is also grounds for some optimism.
Separately, we should also to underscore the readiness of Naypyidaw to cooperate with United Nations humanitarian agencies and its partners, and the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the United Nations Development Programme testifies to that. Another positive fact is the expansion of access to Rakhine state to foreign observers. We would also like to commend the Myanmar authorities’ systematic efforts to deal with the area’s socioeconomic problems.
As I have already said, we greatly appreciate the efforts of the Government of Bangladesh in taking on a very heavy burden and hosting hundreds of thousands of refugees from Myanmar in an extremely timely demonstration of solidarity. In that connection, the international community must provide appropriate support to the Dhaka authorities so that they can contain the acute humanitarian consequences of the crisis. Nor should we forget that Myanmar will also require similar support as refugees return.
For its part, in 2018 and 2019 the Russian Federation will allocate resources to both countries through the World Food Programme. We believe that humanitarian assistance to forced refugees should not be provided by imposing political conditions but rather should in strict accordance with United Nations principles, as defined by General Assembly resolution 46/182.
First and foremost, we believe that this crisis must be resolved through bilateral negotiations between Myanmar and Bangladesh. Considering its scale, a rapid solution is unlikely. There are many sides to the complex and deep-seated problems in Rakhine state, which can be resolved only through exclusively peaceful political and diplomatic means, by establishing a dialogue between the Naypyidaw and Dhaka authorities and involving representatives of every faith and nationality.
The international community should focus on helping the Governments of Myanmar and Bangladesh to find practical solutions. It will be very important to ensure that Myanmar and Bangladesh consider accusations of sexual violence and abuses of human rights in the legal arena, based not on statements in the media or on social media but on evidence that both countries must come up with. More than once during the Security Council’s visit, the Myanmar authorities stated that they had no intention of ignoring such issues or protecting the guilty. In order to expedite the related legal proceedings, Naypyidaw has proposed that refugees submit their claims to the courts in Myanmar, and they are ready to closely coordinate efforts with Dhaka to do that.
We believe that is a step in the right direction and would be a concrete, practical measure towards combating impunity that will need the international community’s support. Politicizing the refugee crisis should be avoided. Any attempts by external actors to exploit it in order to achieve unrelated political aims are unacceptable. It is important to help Naypyidaw and Dhaka to reach a settlement that takes their concerns into account, including with regard to fighting extremism and terrorism, and that was our mission’s main task.
It will be crucial to create conditions that will enable the safe and dignified repatriation of refugees to their homes, and we believe that will be possible only through the constructive involvement of the authorities of both States in the process. In our view, it is essential to offer assistance to the Governments of Myanmar and Bangladesh in dealing with the Rakhine state crisis in a spirit of equality and mutual respect.
We hope that all concerned will act responsibly and prudently in order to ensure that the crisis does not escalate once again. We are all well aware that the situation in the region is extremely precarious and that monsoon season is right around the corner, which could complicate things even further. However, we believe firmly that the ground has been prepared for a successful solution to the crisis. We have Ms. Christine Schraner Burgener, recently appointed as Special Envoy by SecretaryGeneral Guterres, who must be given time to get things done. We have the understanding that Naypyidaw and Dhaka have expressed of the importance of joint efforts.
Lastly, we have a unified Council, as expressed in our press statement. Bearing all of that in mind, I believe that in the course of the visit we were able to lay a pretty good foundation for the Bangladesh and Myanmar authorities to start actively resolving their problems with the concerned and constructive cooperation of the international community as a whole and the Security Council in particular.
I would like to underscore that to do that it will be important to cherish and strengthen the unity of the Security Council, which enabled us to agree on a press statement fairly quickly. I hope that all Council members understand that and will not be tempted to use the situation to pursue their own domestic political aims. That would definitely not help to resolve the refugee crisis.
