Statement by Vassily Nebenzia, Permanent Representative of Russia to the UN, at the "Arria-formula" VTC of UNSC Member-States "End Unilateral Coercive Measures Now"
Dear briefers, colleagues, and friends,
We are grateful for the opportunity to be a co-organizer of today´s event. Once again, we have to revert to the issue of unilateral sanctions, which affect one third of humanity, and further exacerbate the economic crisis and humanitarian problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. We have always stressed - and even more after the COVID-19 outbreak - the importance of global solidarity, mutual respect in multilateralism and joint efforts. But those are the things we are unlikely to reach as long as many developing countries in the world face unilateral coercive measures. This year we are marking the 75th anniversary of the United Nations, thus celebrating its uniting agenda that represents hope for all nations around the world.
Yet, unilateral coercive measures - which have never achieved their goals and only created new sufferings - are a pathology that in the interdependent world and in view of the current global challenges are inadmissible and must be eradicated. It is never enough to repeat that such measures take place in violation of the UN Charter, including its fundamental principles of sovereign equality of States, non-interference in their internal affairs and the duty to cooperate. They also undermine the right to development.
Since our last webinar on UCMs in June, we recall the vote that took place at the adoption of the omnibus COVID-19 resolution on September 11, 2020, calling Member States to refrain from applying any unilateral measures which impede implementation of Agenda-2030. Countries that impose sanctions have once again been urged to stop turning a blind eye and a deaf ear to the voices of those countries that suffer most.
Unfortunately, it has also recently become a popular trend among a number of countries to introduce unilateral measures on top of the sanctions introduced by the Security Council – under the pretext that the Security Council reaction is not enough. We condemn this approach, since the Security Council measures are solely legitimate and represent a balance which the international community is ready to accept and which is to be implemented. Whereas additional unilateral measures make it more difficult or sometimes impossible to fulfil the Security Council sanctions, so their detrimental effect is evident. An example of this situation is the DPRK, when the unilateral measures made “toxic” any cooperation with this country and practically cancelled any humanitarian aid opportunities.
A few words on the US so-called "Caesar Act". US officials themselves stress the fact that because of their sanctions, the socio-economic situation of the Syrian people has become so hard. Thus it is recognized that the sanctions, allegedly introduced against the Syrian leadership, are hitting ordinary people. As a recent example of impact of illegitimate sanctions– negative experience of the Norwegian Refugee Council which due to these restrictive measures refused to buy interactive educative programmes for children in Syria.
Let me also address the EU activities. As we have underscored many times, slogans on “humanitarian exemptions” are really not worth a penny. To those colleagues who keep on insisting on harmlessness of unilateral restrictive measures to ordinary citizens I once again recommend to “google” the EU Commission “Guidance note on the provision of humanitarian aid to fight the COVID-19 pandemic in certain environments subject to EU restrictive measures” of 11 May, that is specifically focused on Syria. This document fully proves just the opposite. Let me just quote one excerpt: “Sanctions may alter countries’ ability to fight COVID-19 by affecting the procurement of certain goods and technologies, either because such goods are subject to restrictions (for instance, dual-use goods which can also be used for military purposes), or because the persons involved in their procurement are sanctioned”.
We have noticed recent issuance by the EU of similar materials concerning Venezuela, Nicaragua, Iran. No doubt these will have the same implications - conditions for getting exports approved are so onerous that potential exporters would rather be even more discouraged from seeking permission under the so-called “exemption” procedures.
What is ironic and cynical at the same time is that our Western partners who introduce UCMs don’t cease to stress how “humane” their sanctions are.
Even in Western mainstream media, like “The Washington Post” or “The Financial Times”, one can easily find a series of articles citing the US exemptions as “discouraging Western counterparts”. Respondents in Iran, for example, many of them speaking on the conditions of anonymity, report that medical staff needing a specific type of medicine or equipment is having difficulty transferring money outside of the country. Sanctions have also made the import and production processes longer and more expensive. According to Mohsen Zarkesh, an OFAC (Office for Foreign Assets Control) sanctions attorney at the Price Benowitz law firm in Washington, the sanctions exemptions don’t guarantee an unimpeded flow of humanitarian goods to Iran. He said that the United States has created “a legal and business environment equivalent to walking through a compliance mine field.”
Our briefers – UN Special Rapporteur Alena Douhan, as well as representatives from Syria, Cuba, and Zimbabwe, have given us explicit information on that. Of course, we took note of remarks by our Western colleagues claiming that measures introduced by their governments are their international obligations and do not target ordinary people. As we see, they do. A simple question comes to my mind – does targeting people represent your international obligations?
It is the illegal restrictions and coercive measures by the US and the EU that indeed represent a serious threat to international peace and security, aggravate humanitarian situation from Middle East to Africa, Latin America and Europe.
In this context, let me once again draw your attention to the Russian President Vladimir Putin initiative to establish so-called ”green corridors“ - free from trade wars and sanctions, primarily for essential goods, foods, medicines and personal protective equipment needed to fight the pandemic. As a follow-up to this call, Member States along with relevant UN agencies could consider our initiative on monitoring by the UN system, with the help of the reinvigorated system of resident-coordinators, over the impact of UCMs on post-COVID-recovery, imposed on programme countries. We also have to think of ways to facilitate the work of the so-called implementing partners who assist in humanitarian aid delivery and face a lot of obstacles because of the unilateral measures. The UN system cannot and should not stay ignorant to numerous appeals by the UN Secretary-General and other UN high-level officials on lifting the UCMs. The popular motto of “building back better” will definitely have to be based on the understanding that UCMs that are incompatible with sustainable development have to be “left behind”.
I thank you.
