Statement by Deputy Permanent Representative Anna Evstigneeva at a UNSC Briefing on Iraq
Madam President,
We congratulate you on assuming the presidency of the Security Council in December and thank the delegation of Sierra Leone for its able stewardship of the Council during the past month.
We are grateful to Special Representative of the Secretary-General Mohamed Al-Hassan for his briefing on the situation in the Republic of Iraq. Given that this is your final report in this capacity, we would like to express our gratitude for your wise and responsible leadership of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), which has enabled the exemplary drawdown of the mission and the transfer of functions to the host country and United Nations entities operating on the ground.
The parliamentary election of 11 November has become a key event over the recent period, the vote was held with the assistance of UNAMI, was overseen by an impressive number of international observers and had a very high turnout of 56.11%, which is 12.57% higher than in 2021. The fact that the election took place in a calm and peaceful atmosphere, without any serious incidents that could compromise the results, attests to the maturity of Iraqi democracy and its state institutions.
We note the tireless efforts by Muhammad al-Sudani's government on both the socio-economic and security tracks. The Iraqi authorities have managed to garner nearly $1 billion from the World Bank to modernize the railway infrastructure within the subsequent seven years. There is also an agreement reached between the federal government and Erbil to resume supplies via the Iraq-Turkey oil pipeline. Owing to the efforts of the Iraqi security services, the threat from ISIL has been minimized, as has the number of civilian casualties caused by terrorist attacks. It is telling indeed that the situation in Iraq has been removed from the agenda of “Children and Armed Conflict”, which is thanks to a whole range of measures implemented by Baghdad to protect children.
What merits our special attention is Iraq's balanced foreign policy, geared towards forging mutually respectful and constructive relations with key international players and neighbors. Despite the ethnic and religious diversity of Iraqi society and the country’s geographical location in the center of the region, Baghdad has managed to stay aloof from conflicts, including from the recent confrontation between Iran and Israel. We can assert with confidence that now Iraq appears to become one of the pillars of stability in the Middle East.
In this regard, we would like to reaffirm our unconditional support for Iraq's sovereignty, and we oppose any interference in the country's domestic affairs. We deem unacceptable any attempts by external players to use the Republic as an arena for their proxy wars. We are convinced that a ceasefire in Gaza positively impacts the situation in Iraq and the region as a whole. At the same time, it is only a just solution to the Palestinian question based on a universally recognized international legal framework providing for the implementation of the two-state solution that will bring a long-awaited healing to the entire Middle East.
We highly appreciate the recent progress vis-à-vis the Iraqi-Kuwaiti humanitarian file – the return by the Iraqi side of 400 boxes of materials and microfilms to the Kuwaiti Ministry of Information. We support the willingness of Baghdad and Kuwait to continue cooperating on issues related to missing persons and the return of archival materials in a spirit of friendship and cooperation. We are confident that the senior representative from the UN, who are to be appointed in accordance with Security Council Resolution 2792, will play a positive role in enhancing such engagement and trust.
Madam President,
In exactly one month, the mandate of UNAMI will be over, and it is the Mission whose presence is inextricably linked to the entire modern history of Iraq. The Mission was there during the difficult moments of post-war reconstruction in 2003, political and economic crises, and the confrontation with ISIL. Throughout this time, UNAMI has performed its tasks with dignity, assisting the Iraqi people and the Iraqi State in regaining their sovereignty and achieving national reconciliation. We pay tribute to the 22 staff members of UNAMI who perished on August 19, 2003, as a result of an attack on the headquarters in Baghdad. We welcome the gradual phase-out and withdrawal of the Mission, which is carried out in close cooperation with Baghdad, and we do hope that the drawdown will be completed in a timely manner by September 2026.
Today, Iraq is one of the leading countries in the Middle East. We wish this country and its people success in this new chapter of their history. We are ready to provide every assistance in this regard.
Thank you.
