Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations
russiaun.ru

Sir, we welcome you as President of the Security Council, and we hope that your personal participation in today’s meeting and Angola’s active role in the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, will contribute to intensification of this organ’s activities in the search for answers to the region’s challenges.

The activities of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region are complemented by the active efforts of the international community to settle conflicts and to normalize the situation in the region. This constructive involvement is demonstrated by, among other things, the Secretary-General’s recent visit to the subregion and by the successful Great Lakes Private Sector Investment Conference. We hope that it will give impetus to economic cooperation among the countries in the region and will facilitate the strengthening of peace and trust there. I take this opportunity to note the role of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General to the Great Lakes Region, Said Djinnit, in organizing that Conference.

A cornerstone of stability in the Great Lakes region is the 2013 Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Region. Russia advocates all signatories fulfilling all of their obligations, including respect for sovereignty, non-intervention in the internal affairs of one another’s countries, and the consolidation of trust among the countries of the subregion. In that context, we cannot help but be concerned by the mutual accusations we have heard recently, including about the recruitment of militants from among refugees. We call on the parties to exercise maximum restraint and to take steps for de-escalation, including the utilization of the broadened joint monitoring mechanism, which is stipulated by the Framework.

We are compelled to note that, three years after the signing of the Framework, its military component is still far from fully realized. We pay tribute to the efforts of the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which remains committed to the fight against militias and to stabilizing the situation. However, armed groups remain active in the country and in the region as a whole, contributing to the prolongation of inter-ethnic conflict, the illegal proliferation of weapons and the worsening humanitarian situation. It is clear that there is no solution through the simple use of force. Comprehensive measures are needed to eradicate the root causes of the conflict, including via consolidating State power in the areas freed from rebels. At the same time, we call on country’s Government and on the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to quickly renew their full-scale joint operations to neutralize militias, and we welcome the January signing of an agreement on the resumption of cooperation in that area.

We are also concerned by the state of affairs regarding repatriations from Uganda and Rwanda to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in particular of several hundred former combatants of the Mouvement du 23 mars. Despite active efforts through the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, this process has practically ground to a halt. The lack of practical results might lead to recidivism among the former militants from the Movement. The implementation of the Framework might be made easier by the consolidation of its governing structures. We welcome the measures being taken by the signatory countries to increase the effectiveness of the functioning of the regional monitoring mechanism, as well as the efforts by the Technical Support Committee.  

   Many countries in the region are actively establishing or reforming democratic institutions. Some of them are entering an important pre-election period. We welcome the mediation and good offices through the United Nations and regional organizations in helping to start national mechanisms for political dialogue in those countries. Having said that, there can be no doubt that any internal political conclusions will lead to long-term stability only if they are reached and adopted by the countries themselves. Imposing solutions in such affairs is unacceptable.

As a member of the Group of Friends of the Great Lakes Region, Russia intends to assist further in the search for a peaceful process in the region.