Statemenet by Permanent Representative Vassily Nebenzia at a UNSC Briefing on the situation in Syria
Mr. President,
We thank Mr. Geir Pedersen, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria, and Mr. Tom Fletcher, Head of OCHA, for their briefings on the situation in the Syrian Arab Republic (SAR), the developments wherein are being closely followed by the entire international community.
Our friends, the brotherly Syrian people, who have always enjoyed our support and will enjoy it in the future, are going through a new stage of their history. For the time being, it is hard to clearly assess the developments that are taking place in Syria – far too often they are very contradictory in nature. We are yet to see the resumption of the work of key State institutions and companies that are of vital importance for the sustenance of people. It is still not clear how the inclusiveness of the authorities of a future Syria will be ensured, which we have all championed. There is a fairly high risk of intensifying hostilities, which have already engulfed many regions of the country, in particular Aleppo, Deir ez-Zor, Homs and Quneitra. Clashes are ongoing in the north and in the area beyond the Euphrates. In other words, there are more than enough problems in the “new Syria”, and the severity of these problems should by no means be underestimated.
In particular, we would like to point out the direct threat to the territorial integrity of Syria posed by the unlawful policy of Israel, which is creating irreversible facts on the ground (fait accompli policy) in the occupied Golan Heights (by the way, Israel has already taken over 500 square kilometers of Syrian land). Israel's actions are in gross violation of international legal decisions, including numerous decisions of the Security Council and the General Assembly. We call on our colleagues on the Council, as well as representatives of the UN Secretariat, to give an honest assessment of what is happening.
Mr. President,
Under these circumstances, Syria continues to face a dire humanitarian crisis, which the head of OCHA has confirmed today. Millions of citizens of that long-suffering country continue to experience acute food shortages and inadequate medical care. That situation has been consistently exacerbated by Washington, since the US has for several years been de facto occupying the most resource-rich northeastern part of Syria, exerting heavy sanctions pressure on Damascus and encouraging its satellites to do the same. As a result, the Syrian economy is under tremendous pressure and is unable to cope with the challenges facing the country. Against this extremely worrying backdrop, international humanitarian agencies, which have lost their main partners in the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC), are compelled to start the provision of assistance literally from scratch.
Israeli air raids and shelling, as well as rampant violence plaguing many regions, are causing suffering, civilian casualties and disruption of civilian infrastructure. The regular reports of the disruption of vital infrastructure are way alarming. Over 400,000 people in the suburbs of Manbij and Kobani have been left without water and electricity as the Tishrin hydroelectric power plant ceased to operate. In the southern part of Idlib and in the north of Hama, power grids and roads have been destroyed. Hospitals and primary medical care centers across the country are extremely overburdened.
In that connection, we believe that stopping the bloodshed in the country is precisely what the new Syrian authorities should give priority to. The recent developments offer little to stability and have forced hundreds of thousands of ordinary Syrians to flee their homes over the past month. The conditions ordinary people are living in remain extremely dire. Many of them are deprived of access to clean water, sanitary and basic hygiene products. This situation needs to be changed for the better as soon as possible, and this is something that the overwhelming majority of Syrians aspire.
Mr. President,
We all understand that the new authorities have a long way to go to rectify the dire socio-economic situation and to establish effectively functioning State organs. In order to do that, they certainly need the assistance of the international community. That, in our view, should be the focus of the UN Security Council’s efforts.
Without external support based on the principles of humanity and impartiality, Syrians will simply not be able to withstand the hardships they face. It is essential that assistance be provided to all Syrians in all parts of the country without politicization, discrimination or preconditions. We regret that Western donors are not delivering on their pledges (the 2024 humanitarian response plan is only one-third funded), even though the already vast needs are ever growing. Nor is the West willing to ease the unlawful unilateral sanctions that are exacerbating the suffering of civilians.
It is also important to understand that the Syrian events did not take place in a vacuum, but rather they are happening against the backdrop of an ongoing, unprecedented escalation of violence in the region, which began in Gaza and spilled over to the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen. The extremely dangerous provocative rhetoric against Tehran is also not abating. In our view, particular responsibility lies here with the United States, which has blocked all decisions on the ceasefire in Gaza so that nothing could stop West Jerusalem from continuing its military operation there. We regret that because of Washington, the Council has still been unable to fulfil its direct mandate to maintain peace and security.
Mr. President,
We are also all well aware that Syria will not have a worthy future without a sustainable political process. In that context, the key provisions of fundamental resolution 2254 on the political transition and the inclusive nature of the political process remain fully relevant. The resolution highlights the need to respect Syria’s sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity, and these principles do remain highly pertinent as well. Infringing upon those foundations and attempts to replace them are inadmissible and fraught with irreversible consequences for the future of that country. We are convinced that Syrians, and Syrians alone, must determine the future of their country through inclusive national dialogue, and we call on all responsible members of the international community to strictly adhere to this approach and to provide the people of Syria with all necessary assistance. Yet, there should be no scope for a competition between key external players and Syria's neighbors, nor for the promotion of self-serving geopolitical agendas in the Syrian arena.
In this context, we support the efforts by Special Envoy Pedersen to achieve nationwide de-escalation, resume the political process under UN mediation and convene an international conference on Syria that would gather together a wide range of participants. Unless the approaches of key players are consolidated, the building of a “new Syria” will be doomed to failure. We very much hope that the Special Envoy will be able to ensure a worthy role for the UN to play in the Syrian settlement. That would be in line with the long-term interests of Syria, as well as that of the Middle East and the entire international community. Russia is willing to contribute to these efforts for the sake of the Syrian people and their neighbors.
In particular, we intend to continue providing the Syrian people with all sorts of assistance, including through specialized international agencies. Thus, we’ll proceed with delivering humanitarian aid, reconstructing social infrastructure that was destroyed during the conflict, as well as with creating a material basis for the return of Syrian refugees and temporarily displaced persons.
Thank you.
