Statement by Vassily Nebenzia, Permanent Representative of Russia to the UN, at the open VTC of UNSC members on the situation in Syria
Mr. President,
We thank Special Envoy of the Secretary-General Mr. G.Pedersen for his briefing.
We welcome the third round of the Small Body of the Syrian Constitutional Committee held in Geneva last month. The most important achievement of this meeting was the constructive approach by the Syrian delegations. The credit for this belongs to the UN team working on Syrian settlement, led by the Special Envoy, as well as to all international players who are interested in stabilizing the situation in the Syrian Arab Republic. Syrians showed their readiness to continue working together to find common denominators and establish principles for discussing the future of their country.
We highly appreciate the level of preparation of the event against the backdrop of the coronavirus restrictions. At the same time, it is important to ensure safety and health of the Syrian delegates, as well as Geir’s team and the host country officials when planning next rounds. The Syrians, with the help of the Special Envoy, should agree on the agenda and dates for the next meetings. It is important to help them lead this political process on their own without external interference. The work of the Constitutional Committee does not and should not have artificial time restrictions or be synchronized with any events, including electoral process within Syria. The latter is an internal matter of the country.
The guarantors of the Astana format - Russia, Turkey and Iran – held a meeting on the sidelines of the Syrian dialogue in Geneva. This is symbolic: the Constitutional Committee itself was formed thanks to our effective trilateral cooperation, as well as the decision of the Congress of the Syrian National Dialogue held in Sochi in 2018. “Astana” participants also met Syrian representatives and the Special Envoy. We circulated the joint trilateral statement that was adopted in Geneva, as an official document of the Security Council. Its key elements are reaffirmation of commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Syria, determination to confront terrorist threat, rejection of illegal seizure of oil fields, condemnation of unilateral sanctions that undermine the socio-economic situation in the country, the need to increase humanitarian aid to all Syrians without politicization and discrimination. Russia will continue to provide the Special Envoy and the Syrians with all necessary support, including within the framework of the Astana format.
As for the situation on the ground, it can be described as generally calm. Instability is registered in Idlib, controlled by terrorists from Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, and territories in the North East. In the Idlib de-escalation zone militants sabotage Russian-Turkish patrols. Shelling of positions of government troops and nearby settlements continues, causing civilian casualties and deaths. Terrorists are also active in other parts of Syria. All attacks by militants will be resolutely suppressed. It is obvious that the achievement of lasting calm in Idlib and other Syrian areas is possible only if the terrorists of ISIS, Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham and their affiliates are neutralized and their support from abroad is stopped.
Mr. President,
The implementation of Security Council Resolution 2254, the adherence to which is expressed by all members of the Council, provides for respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria. We urge our colleagues not to be selective in this regard. The illegal occupation of a part of the Syrian territory by the United States, the policy to isolate the Kurdish regions from the rest of Syria lead to ethnic and confessional hatred, and this is a factor in the delay in the political settlement in Syria.
The plundering of oil resources, secured by exemption from US sanctions, the illegal unilateral sanctions themselves, which are used as an instrument of collective punishment and aimed at inciting social discontent, also hamper efforts of those who want peace in Syria. We heard recently about plans to assassinate a head of a sovereign state – President B.Assad. What is this if not a policy of a regime change? We call on all who preach respect for the international law to abandon these practices or even intents for political assassinations and interference by military or economic means into internal affairs of sovereign countries – even those that they do not like.
Long time we hear calls from our Western colleagues to establish a nationwide ceasefire in Syria. We would like them to clarify what exactly do they mean. First, the ceasefire in Syria holds. Second, who should sign such an agreement? The information coming from Syria, including through the UN, proves that only terrorists provoke violence in the country. Do we have to sign an agreement with them? Legalize them? We also see Israeli strikes at Syria. In this regard, we call on our Western colleagues to stop exploiting these calls but rather exert their influence on those who really continue to wage war in Syria.
Unilateral coercive measures negatively affect the stabilization of the situation, "suffocate" the economy and cause suffering of ordinary Syrians. Humanitarian exemptions do not work according to humanitarian NGOs themselves. The UN Secretary-General has called for the lifting of sanctions, specialized UN structures talk about the negative impact of sanctions, humanitarian NGOs and Western journalists write about this. Unilateral coercive measures also impede the return of refugees as they block efforts by the Syrian government to rebuild homes and infrastructure for the benefit of the people. The Syrian government is ready for return of citizens who once fled the war, neighboring countries are also interested in this. Security Council Resolution 2254, by the way, provides for the return of refugees and rehabilitation of the affected areas for this purpose.
In this regard, we are disappointed that during the Security Council's meetings on Syria, primarily on the humanitarian situation, we haven’t heard any UN assessment of negative impact of sanctions, including on the fight of Syrian government against the pandemic. Just as we do not hear any analysis of environmental threat to Syria and Iraq in light of the barbaric oil extraction methods in the North East.
I thank you.
