Statement by Permanent Representative Vassily Nebenzia at UNSC briefing on Yemen
We are grateful to Mr. Hans Grundberg, Special Envoy of the Secretary General for Yemen, and Ms. Joyce Msuya, Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, for their briefings on the political and humanitarian situation in the country.
We are gravely concerned about the current situation in Yemen, primarily about the humanitarian aspects. According to UN estimates, more than 18 million people, or two thirds of the country's population, are in need of some form of humanitarian assistance. The armed conflict, albeit of relatively low intensity, and the resulting economic instability have put a strain on ordinary people. The agricultural and food sectors have been impacted the most, and these are the sectors that could somehow keep the situation afloat. Food prices have risen so much that they have become unaffordable for the most vulnerable segments of the population. A serious shortage of funding for humanitarian programs persists. Thus, this year only 23% of the UN response plan funds have been raised.
As the Yemeni settlement has been stuck in deadlock for already 6 months, the situation on the ground is also rapidly deteriorating. The number of clashes along the contact line continues to grow. As for now, the incidents remain local in nature, but we view the trend as a potentially explosive one. We can easily fail to notice when the “point of no return” has been crossed and Yemeni stakeholders have finally abandoned a constructive approach, giving up on their attempts to develop acceptable parameters for normalization, resume a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire and move on to a full-fledged political process in the country. It is crucial to continue active and inclusive political and diplomatic efforts with all the parties to the Yemeni conflict involved. We are willing to continue providing the necessary assistance to Special Envoy Grundberg in that regard, maintaining close contact with him and encouraging him to exercise restraint and reach agreements. We also consider important to employ the practice of “small steps” aimed at overcoming mistrust between the parties. This will require, inter alia, updating the relevant international legal framework so that it reflects the realities on the ground.
The situation in Yemen is exacerbating due to unrelenting turbulence in the Middle East as a whole, which is experiencing similar disruption due to Israel's unprecedented brutality in Gaza. Last week, we witnessed the Houthi attack on Tel Aviv and the Israeli retaliatory strike on Hodeidah. Yesterday’s discussions of this issue in the Council were marked by the selective blindness of our colleagues, who persistently tried to ignore the “elephant in the room”. In no way do we justify those actions by Ansar Allah or their attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea. However, we cannot ignore the fact that the initial and main reason for the spillover of the Yemeni crisis beyond the borders of that state has been the incessant massacre in the Gaza Strip, which has already claimed nearly 40,000 innocent Palestinians’ lives. We have consistently and unequivocally advocated the establishment of an immediate, unconditional and universal ceasefire in the enclave and the release of hostages and detained Palestinians. Ending violence in Gaza will bring alleviation to the region, helping to lay the foundation for a transition to long-term peace and stability. In our view, this cause-and-effect relationship is more than evident, and there is no point in denying it. Yemen will finally be able to focus on its domestic agenda, resolve its political differences and move to addressing the dire humanitarian situation in the country.
Under these circumstances, the support of the international community is of crucial importance for Yemen and its people. However, instead of working on calming the situation, certain states are trying to “put out the fire with fuel” and leaning towards the use of force. This applies primarily to the situation in the Red Sea, where the so-called “coalition” led by the USA and Great Britain is carrying out blatant aggression against Yemen. And even though the attacks on the territory of this sovereign Middle Eastern country have been ongoing for almost six months, they have had no effect on the military capabilities of the Houthis so far, which is clearly evidenced by their attack on Tel Aviv. Moreover, we see the opposite effect: the movement has gained more credibility in the region, and the intensity of strikes against commercial vessels has increased. Was this the goal that the United States and its allies were pursuing?
Russia firmly rejects the use of force to influence the Yemeni stakeholders. At the same time, we have consistently advocated the need to ensure the safety and security of international navigation and condemn any actions that jeopardize the safety of vessels. In particular, we call for the release of the Galaxy Leader vessel and its crew. At the same time, we are convinced that the path to de-escalation in the Red Sea includes, inter alia, ending the violence in Gaza and facilitating an inter-Yemeni settlement, especially given the fact that both of these goals are stipulated in the decisions of the UN Security Council.
Once again, we urge our Western colleagues to focus on the implementation of these decisions, rather than digging themselves deeper into futile military escapades, which can nothing but rapidly weaken your credibility in the region, which has already been undermined by blind support for Israel.
Thank you for your attention.
