Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations

Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations

Statement by representative of the Russian Federation Mr.Stanislav Suprunenko at UNSC Arria-formula meeting on the protection of the children and youth of Myanmar

Colleagues,

The convening of this informal Arria meeting in Myanmar does not seem justified to us, especially in view of its recent discussion in the Security Council in April this year. We are convinced that the situation in that country does not constitute a threat to international peace and security and therefore does not require the Council's attention.

However, the motives for convening this meeting are quite clear. This is another attempt to interfere in internal affairs through incitement and radicalization of young people against the authorities of their country.

Such actions are dictated by geopolitical interests in the region and the desire to destabilize the situation in the country. Hence the continued pressure on Naypyidaw, the use of illegitimate unilateral coercive measures, and disregard for the opinions of the countries in the region.

Colleagues,

My country shares a long history of friendship and cooperation with the Republic of the Union of Myanmar. We strive to fully support the people of Myanmar in all their needs, including, of course, children and youth.

The authorities of Myanmar engage with the country's young generation. Educational organizations are functional, secondary schools and universities are getting ready for the next academic year. Specialized agencies carry out humanitarian projects in the area sporting, tourism and cultural for children and young people. To see this, one just needs to look at the state of affairs in the parts of the country where the legitimate authorities are present, law and order is ensured, and a peaceful and stable situation persists.

The situation is fundamentally different in the zones where armed militias of the radical opposition are operating. There are cases of extremists harassing and killing teachers, as well as doctors in public health facilities and representatives of local administrations who continue to perform their professional duties and refuse to join the “Civil Disobedience Movement” and other paramilitary formations.

The cessation of violence is essential to normalizing the humanitarian situation. The international community should contribute to that by working closely with the Myanmar side.

However, the practical steps taken by individual states, including the initiators of this informal Arria meeting, are not consistent with those objectives.

Threats and sanctions are preferred over equitable and meaningful dialogue with Naypyidaw. The unilaterally imposed restrictive measures hit ordinary people in Myanmar the hardest. By all means, the country's economic predicament has had a negative impact on the younger generation.

The political, diplomatic and financial support provided by that group of states to the anti-government forces is a serious destabilizing factor in Myanmar. That policy contributes to the escalation and prolongation of the conflict and leads to a further increase in the number of victims, internally displaced persons and persons of all age categories, including children and young people, in need of urgent humanitarian assistance. Speaking of the Rohingya refugees, we would like to emphasize once again that we support the continuation of direct dialogue between Dhaka and Naypyidaw.

The mediation role of China, who facilitated the conclusion of the truce and continues to sponsor the negotiation process, is very commendable. We also underscore the central role of ASEAN and its Five Point Consensus, welcome the efforts of Lao PDR as Chair of ASEAN, as well as the efforts by other members of the organizations.

We believe that attempts to question Myanmar's sovereignty, not to mention steps to exert additional pressure on it under various pretexts, are unacceptable. The international community should support the country and its interaction with ASEAN (specifically by enhancing dialogue with the AHA Centre, which provides humanitarian assistance to the people of Myanmar, including children and youth) as well as with relevant United Nations agencies.

Thank you.

Video of the statement