Statement by Permanent Representative Vassily Nebenzia at a UNSC Briefing on Cooperation Between the UN and the Arab League
Mr. President,
Once again, we wish to welcome your participation, Mr. Minister, in today’s meeting in your capacity as President of the UN Security Council. We are grateful to Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States (LAS), and Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General, for their assessments and observations.
At the UN, Russia has consistently championed a greater role for regional organizations in matters directly pertaining to the region under their purview. It is a profound understanding of the mindsets, culture, history, and traditions, as well as the knowledge of the political peculiarities of society and interests of various groups that enables the League to develop balanced solutions to address the root causes of conflicts and achieve peace and prosperity in the Arab world.
We deem important to ensure that UNSC meeting on cooperation with the Arab League be convened on a regular basis. These meetings are useful not only in terms of information exchange, but also in terms of demonstrating the cohesion of Arab States in the face of common global and regional threats.
We support the adoption by the UN Security Council of presidential statements regarding cooperation with the Arab League. We always take a constructive approach to these documents and view them as an integral part of cooperation between the Security Council and the League.
Today – when essentially the entire Middle East and North Africa region is in turbulence due to an endless chain of conflicts – greater multilevel cooperation between the UN and the Arab League is becoming an urgent necessity. Such cooperation is in line with Chapter VIII of the UN Charter, with issues having to do with ensuring collective security, countering new challenges, and resolving crises in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region becoming of particular importance here.
In this context, a significant role is being played by the UN Liaison Office to the LAS in Cairo, established in 2019. We support the activities of the Office and look forward to its continued effective work. We also welcome the conduct of annual informal meetings of the UN Security Council with the members of the LAS Council, which allows not only to consider current pressing problems in the region, but also to negotiate possible joint efforts on early conflict warning. We agree on the importance of maintaining proactive dialogue between the LAS and UN special representatives and envoys in the Arab region.
Furthermore, in light of the heightened tensions in a number of Arab and African countries, we believe it is necessary to expand trilateral cooperation between the United Nations, the Arab League, and the African Union.
Mr. President,
What is also crucial amid the current escalation in the region, triggered by the US-Israeli aggression against Iran, is the calibrated stance of the Arab States. These States have always stood out for their wise and far-sighted policies, owing to which they have managed to create a man-made economic miracle in the Middle East. We firmly condemn any attacks targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, which in no way can be justified. We call on all parties to immediately cease hostilities and return to the negotiating table. Russia, which maintains constructive relations with all countries in the region, stands ready to do everything in its power to facilitate this process.
Nor must we overlook the alarming situation in the occupied Palestinian territories. Despite the efforts of mediators, the Palestinians are still being killed there, restrictions on the delivery of humanitarian aid remain in place, and the issue of the full-fledged reconstruction of Gaza is still being saddled with conditions.
We wish to express our deep concern over the Knesset’s passing a bill authorizing the capital punishment for residents of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Given the evidence of ill-treatment of Palestinian detainees and violations of due process for these individuals, which was repeatedly reported to the Council by representatives of the UN Secretariat, such a measure is fraught with unpredictable consequences for the already charged situation in the West Bank. We call on West Jerusalem to refrain from such steps and focus instead on addressing the issue of violence by settlers, who sometimes attack even Israeli police officers.
We reiterate our principled support for the resumption of the peace process on the basis of universally recognized international law, including the two-state solution, in order to establish an independent and viable State of Palestine within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, coexisting in peace and security with Israel.
On a separate note, we would like to call attention to the worrisome situation in Lebanon, where the US-Israeli war against Iran resulted in an all-out conflict, which has already claimed the lives of more than 1,500 people. We supported the Security Council’s press statement, adopted at France’s initiative, calling for an immediate investigation into the deaths of three Indonesian peacekeepers who were serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). We trust that the perpetrators will not evade justice by ascribing the deaths of the blue helmets to “collateral damage.” We call on all parties to the conflict to recommit themselves to the implementation of November 2024 agreements on the cessation of hostilities, as well as of Security Council Resolution 1701.
By way of conclusion, we would like to reiterate our readiness to facilitate stabilization in the region, both through interstate cooperation and collective efforts, including through cooperation between the UN and the Arab League. We will continue to enhance our constructive engagement with the LAS on pressing issues on the international and regional agenda.
Thank you.
