Statement by Anna Evstigneeva, Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia to the UN, at an open VTC of UNSC members on Afghanistan
Mr. President,
We thank Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) Ms. Deborah Lyons for her statement. We also thank the Permanent Representative of Indonesia and Chair of UNSC 1988 Committee for the briefing on the work of this subsidiary body of the Council. We also listened carefully to the speech of a representative of the civil society of Afghanistan.
Russia unwaveringly supports the activity of UNAMA. We believe the Mission plays an important role in coordinating international humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan. We note the selfless performance of UN personnel in this country, especially against the backdrop of coronavirus pandemic.
We have closely studied the report of the Secretary-General. Here are some observations that we would like to share. Peace process in Afghanistan stands at the core of our attention, especially amidst the pandemic. At the previous meeting of the Security Council on this matter we pointed out some positive developments at the national reconciliation track. Among them – intra-Afghan talks that kicked off in Doha on 12 September and received broad support of the entire international community, including global and regional partners of Afghanistan. Russia welcomed this event that happened after many months of discussions to have taken place since the US and the Taliban had signed an agreement on 29 February. Let us not forget what preceded this development which was a crucial moment in the history of this country. The both sides ultimately agreed to make concessions and liberate the detainees. Over these three months agreements have been made on modalities of the negotiation process.
However, there is still a long way to go until real progress is achieved. At this stage we see that intra-Afghan dialogue has been postponed for three weeks until 5 January, 2021. Hopefully, this pause does not mean the process is frozen. It is our firm conviction that all efforts now must be aimed at launching substantive negotiations, which the sides have not started yet.
Against this backdrop, we remain concerned over the situation with security in Afghanistan. The unprecedented level of violence in the country is particularly noteworthy. In his report, the Secretary-General says that the toll among civilians, especially women and children, is increasing. These assessments are horrifying.
Heinous acts of terror keep concussing the country. Unfortunately, over those years they have become part of everyday life that the Afghan people has to deal with. This once again proves that terrorist elements of all sorts and types remain present in the country. ISIL stands behind many large-scale attacks. We see that its Afghan “wing” did not “stick its head in the sand”, but on the contrary, keeps enhancing its capacity to spread terrorist activity in the neighboring Central Asia. To say nothing of the fact that cells of foreign terrorist fighters still maintain activity in Afghanistan, many of those FTFs have received combat experience in Syria or Iraq. Among the most recent sad proofs of that we can name attacks on the University of Kabul and missile strikes against the capital city.
The situation with drug threat is also far from being optimistic. Despite certain measures taken by Kabul, there is still little progress at the counter-drug track. For the second year in a row, we deal with a situation when the UN Office on Drug and Crime postpones the publication of its new report. We hoped to receive objective assessments of the problem from a representative of the UNODC today. However, as you know, their participation in this VTC was blocked by a number of delegations. It seems that some countries simply do not want to see the real and rather sad situation in Afghanistan, do they? We believe that attempts to silence down or diminish the scope and scale of drug and terrorist threat in Afghanistan are unacceptable.
Mr. President,
International and regional stakeholders need to make collective efforts to achieve peace and stability in Afghanistan and help restore the country. The Afghan people as never before needs our solidary support at this crucial juncture of its history.
As a friend and neighbor of Afghanistan, Russia continues to work with all Afghan sides to promote inclusive national reconciliation process and reach an intra-Afghan peace agreement. We contribute to this by all efforts and steps that Russia takes within “Troika plus Pakistan” format.
Preserving regional consensus on peaceful settlement in Afghanistan remains a priority. It is no secret that regional partners can play a role in helping Afghanistan achieve its main goal – put an end to the many-year-long conflict and start a new peaceful chapter of its history. Our joint steps must be aimed at making Afghanistan a stable, prosperous state, free of terrorism and drugs. Comprehensive efforts of regional partners within the SCO and CSTO, as well as the Moscow Format, also contribute to achieving this goal.
Mr. President,
The future of 1988 sanctions regime stands in a direct connection to the future progress of the intra-Afghan dialogue. Extension of the mandate of the Monitoring Group will let it continue its work and provide the required support to the Sanctions Committee. We would like to avail of this opportunity to express our appreciation to you, Ambassador Djani, and the entire Indonesian team for the able leadership of the Committee and the favorable working environment in this subsidiary body that you have maintained for these two years.
We proceed from the assumption that the issue of sanctions review must be addressed separately. We need a step-by-step approach and an objective assessment of the situation in full compliance with UNSC resolution 2513. We should remain mindful that the ultimate outcome of our efforts must be peace in Afghanistan.
Thank you.
