Statement by Deputy Permanent Representative Anna Evstigneeva at an open VTC of UNSC members "Co-operation between the UN and regional and sub-regional organizations"
Mr. President,
We thank the President of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam for convening this debate. We also thank the incumbent Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Antonio Guterres, and former Secretary-General Mr. Ban Ki-moon for their substantive briefings.
Cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations is an inalienable element of Security Council’s current agenda. We stand for strengthening such interaction, first of all on the basis of Chapter 8 of the UN Charter, according to which the activity of regional associations must be consistent with the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
One can hardly imagine how crises can be resolved without participation of regional and sub-regional organizations, such as the African Union, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the League of Arab States, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Commonwealth of Independent States, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
The mentioned mechanisms should complement UN’s efforts within the scope of their area of responsibility and their effective mandates. In most cases, they have a better knowledge of the situation on the ground and should play the leading role in finding ways out of conflict.
We would like to underscore that peaceful means of dispute settlement must be prioritized, whereas any coercive measures must be duly authorized by the UN Security Council.
Mr. President,
In view of the fact that half of the issues on the Security Council agenda address Africa, further conjugation of efforts of the United Nations and the African Union seems only natural. Therefore we welcome the adoption of 2017 Joint United Nations-African Union Framework for Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security, as well as convening annual consultations of the UN Security Council and the AU Peace and Security Council in Addis-Ababa and New York by rotation.
We fully support the approach “African solutions – to the African problems”. Specifically, we commend the mediator efforts taken by the African Union and IGAD to stabilize the domestic political situation in the Republic of South Sudan. We welcome the successful completion of the UN-AU Hybrid Operation in Darfur, and keep close track of the activity of the African peacekeeping mission in Somalia – AMISOM, which is operating in unprecedentedly harsh conditions. By all means, we support the Joint Force of the Group of Five for the Sahel in their fight against the terrorist threat in the Sahara-Sahel sub-region.
Mr. President,
The cooperation of the United Nations and ASEAN deserves every praise. We welcome Viet Nam’s efforts to promote such cooperation, i.a. in its capacity as a non-permanent UNSC Member State.
ASEAN ranks among the most efficient integration associations and the key factors of peace and stability in Asia Pacific. We stand for promoting ASEAN’s central role in regional affairs. We note that the Association is amidst its preparations for a special summit, and hope that the event will yield tangible results.
There is a huge capacity to explore in terms of ASEAN-SCO cooperation within the UN framework. Since the two organizations deal with much similar tasks aimed at promoting security and sustainable development in Asia, we believe it important to enhance their dialogue and practical cooperation. It deems reasonable to consider convening a special high-level ASEAN-SCO meeting at the UN platform to address security issues.
Besides, we give a high assessment to the existing level of cooperation between the UN and the SCO. We believe the two organizations should further step up their diversified ties, preserve and carry on with the tradition of having UN leadership participate in the key SCO events.
Mr. President,
We positively assess the interaction of CSTO states at the venue of the United Nations. We traditionally stand for enhancing cooperation between the UN and the CSTO at the peacekeeping track, and reiterate our readiness to create conditions that would enable the CSTO to join the UN peacekeeping operations in practical terms. Besides, it is important that CSTO interact with regional organizations and mechanism in accordance with the principle of non-interference in internal affairs, rejection of confrontation and conflicts, peaceful resolution of international disputes.
We attach great importance to fostering constructive interaction between the UN and the CIS. The activity of this organization promotes decision-making at the international platform, which reconfirms our shared commitment to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.
The Russian Federation consistently advocates for strengthening the cooperation between the UN and the OSCE on the basis of Chapter 8 of the Charter and the 2006 Declaration of OSCE Permanent Council on cooperation with the United Nations. This organization is faced with very difficult tasks with regard to resolving the internal Ukrainian conflict, promoting Nagorno-Karabakh settlement, giving a new impetus to the “5+2” negotiations on Transnistria, etc. We hope that the OSCE will carry on with its role of a fair “broker”.
We will leave unanswered the inappropriate remarks that our Estonian colleagues pronounced at the beginning of this meeting. Apparently, Estonia is trying on the role of the chief Russophobic state in the European Union.
In conclusion, Russia is an unfailing supporter of full-fledged cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations across the globe. It is our understanding that they can and should play a meaningful role in promoting multilateralism as a fundamental element of international relations, and in developing truly equal and partner-like relations among states.
Thank you.
