Statement by Chargé d’Affaires of the Russian Federation Dmitry Polyanskiy at UNGA plenary session on agenda item 121 "Question of equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security Council and related matters"
Mr. President,
Thank you for presenting the draft oral decision to postpone the consideration of the issue of the UN Security Council reform to the 79th session of the General Assembly.
In our opinion, this decision adequately reflects the content of this year's discussions on the reform. On the next session of the General Assembly, there will be considered two documents – the renewed Co-chair's paper and the “Framework Document” – which reflects the aspirations of the majority of Member States. We support the adoption of the oral decision in the form presented.
We are convinced that the current session of the intergovernmental negotiations (IGNs) has brought new important elements to understand the outlines of the future reform. Primarily, we are talking about discussing different models of the updated Council. We hope that this session will encourage other participants of IGNs to present their own models. We are convinced that positions of the Member States, which still differ (sometimes diametrically), can still be brought closer together if they are discussed in a competitive environment.
Now is the time to reaffirm our commitment to the format of intergovernmental negotiations and support the draft oral decision as presented by the GA President. This is the only way we can maintain consensus in such an important process for all of us, allowing us to salvage what we have accomplished not only this year, but also in all previous years.
We therefore call on everyone to join the consensus. We count on your support.
Mr. President,
The political significance of the issue of the UNSC reform is beyond any doubt. It is obvious that, in this context, it is extremely important to continue the search for a solution that would enjoy significantly greater support from Member States than the formally required two-thirds of votes. Ideally, we should reach a consensus. We all understand how dangerous it will be to try to resolve the issue without taking into account the whole plethora of stances in this regard.
In conclusion, I would like to thank the distinguished Permanent Representatives of Kuwait and Austria – Tarek Albanai and Alexander Marshik – for the work done.
Thank you.
