Statement by First Deputy Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation Dmitry Polyanskiy at a UN SC meeting on Somalia
Mr. President,
We are grateful to Special Representative of the Secretary General James Swan, and Head of AMISOM Francisco Madeira for their comprehensive briefings. We also thank Director of SIPRI, Dan Smith, for the information provided.
Russia fully supports the efforts of the Federal Government of Somalia to achieve domestic political and economic stability, as well as to implement democratic reforms. We continue to follow closely both the situation in the country and the steps taken by its authorities to prepare for the main event of the year - the general elections. We are pleased to note that the Somalis have achieved tangible results in that area. Undoubtedly, the most significant achievement was the adoption last week of the very important electoral law. We also welcome consultations on update of the Federal Constitution launched in Mogadishu earlier this month. Particularly we would like to note the significant contribution made by the Federal Government to normalizing the situation in the entire Horn of Africa region. At the end of January President Mohamed and the leaders of Ethiopia and Eritrea reaffirmed their commitment to previous agreements, and their plan of action is a good illustration of this. But still much remains to be done. We expect the Somalis to continue to fulfil their commitments.
We agree with the thesis contained in the Secretary General's report that the absence of constructive dialogue between Mogadishu and the federal states remains one of the main obstacles to political progress and national reconciliation in Somalia. Indeed, without a resumption of that the dialogue, many challenges the country is facing are unlikely to be resolved. We urge the Somali authorities to intensify their work to build bridges with the authorities in Juba-land and Puntland and for solving political disagreements in Galmudug. We believe that the establishment of a permanent mechanism for communication with the federal States, including Somaliland, would contribute significantly to addressing these issues.
Mr. President,
Al-Shabaab remains the main security challenge in the country. We are seriously concerned about the significant surge of the terrorist activity by its fighters, and about their greater reliance on increasingly sophisticated improvised explosive devices (IEDs). We would like to recall that, as early as August 2019, my delegation asked the UK penholders of the “Somali dossier” to organize in the Council a briefing of the Head of the UN Mine Action Service on the threat posed by such devices in Somalia. We could hear it even today. Our request, unfortunately, went unheeded. We still believe that the issue of IED issues deserve as much attention as other aspects of the situation that we considered today.
In general, we are convinced that, in order to address the terrorist threat in Somalia, there is a need for effective joint work to build a unified national security architecture. Progress in that area should be decisive for terms of transferring of responsibilities for security of the country to Somalis themselves. This process should also take into account the development of the situation on the ground.
For the time being, AMISOM remains an extremely important player in countering Al-Shabaab. The international community should continue to take measures to increase operational readiness of the African Peacekeeping units and the Somali National Army.
Given the complex humanitarian situation in Somalia, Russia will continue to provide assistance to the country and to Somali refugees in neighboring states through targeted contributions to the relevant funds of the UN World Food Program. We also intend to continue to train Somali civilian personnel.
Mr. President,
In conclusion, let me reiterate my country's firm commitment to continue to work efficiently in the Security Council to solve the crisis in Somalia, while respecting its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Thank you.
