Statement by Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation Vassily Nebenzia at a UNSC Briefing on Syria
Madam President,
We thank Deputy Special Envoy of the Secretary-General Claudio Cordone and Acting Assistant Secretary-General Indrika Ratwatte for their briefings and assessments of the situation in Syria. We also listened to the statement by civil society representative Rola Roukbi. We welcome the participation in today’s meeting of the representatives of Syria, Qatar and Türkiye.
Russia is interested in the earliest possible normalization of the situation in the friendly country of Syria and in strengthening its sovereignty and State institutions. We support the focus of Damascus on upholding and protecting the rights of all Syrian citizens, irrespective of their ethnic or religious backgrounds. We believe it is precisely this approach that will pave the way to an inclusive political process, in line with the core provisions of the landmark Security Council resolution 2254.
We welcome the progress made by the Syrian authorities in this regard. In particular, they have successfully reintegrated the country’s north-eastern regions and completed the process of forming the new People’s Assembly. We hope that these steps will contribute to consolidating the unity of the Syrian Arab Republic, while the launch of the Parliament’s work will provide the necessary impetus to efforts aimed at adopting a new constitution and other legislation. At the same time, we assume that any decisions taken by all branches of the Syrian authorities must be firmly and invariably rooted in clearly laid out legal norms and meet the standards of the rule of law.
At the same time, we cannot but note a number of serious challenges and obstacles standing in the way of the efforts of the Syrian people and authorities to secure lasting stabilization. First and foremost, this concerns Israel’s continuing acts of aggression on Syrian soil. The latest egregious examples were the Israeli Air Force strikes on Abu al-Duhur airbase in Idlib Governorate on 18 August, as well as a drone attack on a vehicle near the town of Beit Jinn, which resulted in civilian casualties. Such military actions by the IDF, coupled with the continued occupation of Syrian territory, constitute a clear violation of international law and the sovereignty of the Syrian Arab Republic (SAR) and undermine efforts to achieve a comprehensive settlement in the country. We call on West Jerusalem to stop its military escapades. We remind the Israeli leadership of the need to fully and unconditionally implement the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement.
Continued terrorist activity still poses serious risks to Syria and its people. The bus bombings in the suburbs of Damascus on August 6 and 22, which left civilians and law enforcement personnel injured, became alarming reminders of this threat. We expect the Syrian authorities to continue taking robust measures to combat the terrorist threat, including that emanating from foreign fighters, and to bring those responsible to justice. We would once again call on the international community to consolidate its efforts in order to combat terrorist threat both in the Middle East and beyond.
Madam President,
The situation on the humanitarian front remains alarming. Seventy per cent of Syria’s population is in need of assistance. At the same time, as we have heard today, OCHA’s country humanitarian plan – even though it is considered to be a high priority – has been only 30 per cent funded.
In this context, we welcome another allocation of $75 million from the UN Syria Humanitarian Fund (SHF), which would go, inter alia, to supporting the return and reintegration of Syrians as well as to clearing the territory of explosive ordnance. What is important is that international assistance is directed not only to addressing immediate needs but also to the restoration of infrastructure and livelihoods. Such a transition from emergency assistance to the normalization of economic and social life is precisely what Syria needs today. We also welcome closer cooperation between UN agencies and national authorities: humanitarian assistance should complement and bolster local capacities rather than substitute for them. We view this as an important component of genuine “localization” of humanitarian action.
There are also signs of a broader economic recovery in Syria. The IMF forecasts double-digit growth this year, which is to be driven by the recovery of agriculture, increased hydrocarbon production and electricity generation, and expects a revival of trade and services. These positive trends, of course, do not yet mean that the accumulated problems have been fully resolved, particularly given inflation pressure and the weakness of the banking system. In this regard, we note the World Bank’s decision to provide Syria with a grant amounting to $100 million to strengthen the country’s financial sector.
Banking transactions, trade and investment are also expected to be facilitated following Syria’s removal from the US list of State Sponsors of Terrorism, which happened on 24 August. We reaffirm our principled position, which we uphold not only in the Syrian context: the use of unilateral coercive measures (UCMs) must be abandoned altogether. One cannot call on Syrians to return home and speak of the need to reduce the country’s dependence on external assistance while simultaneously preserving barriers to the normal economic functioning of the country. Only a combination of humanitarian assistance and the full-fledged recovery of the national economy can secure Syria’s sustained emergence from this years-long crisis.
Madam President,
We trust that the Security Council and the international community as a whole will undertake concrete measures to support the Syrian authorities.
Thank you.
