Explanation of vote by Deputy Permanent Representative Anna Evstigneeva after the UNSC vote on draft resolutions on sanctions against Somalia and against "Al-Shabaab"
Mr.President,
Russia supported the two draft resolutions put forward by the UK – on Somalia and on sanctions against Al-Shabaab terrorist group.
We welcome the lifting of the arms embargo from Somalia. Russia consistently stands in favor of revising provisional sanctions regimes in African states that hinder the development of national security authorities. We trust that this adopted measure will provide meaningful assistance to Mogadishu on the way to overcoming years of difficulties in the process of strengthening Somali statehood.
In parallel to this, Russia bilaterally provides Somalia with food assistance free of charge. As recently as yesterday, on 30 November, a shipment of 25,000 tonnes of wheat arrived in Mogadishu from my country. By the end of the year, we plan another delivery of grain for Somalis in the same volume. We hope that the assistance received will help to reduce the negative effect of the large-scale floods caused by El Niño.
My delegation also supported the Security Council's decision to step up restrictions against Al-Shabaab, which poses a growing threat not only to Somalia but also to the entire region. We trust that the developed measures will contribute to dismantling the group’s destructive potential.
We welcome that none of the resolutions mentioned dispute between Djibouti and Eritrea. It is clear that this issue was not and is not relevant to the documents under consideration. Resolution of the outstanding disputes between those countries lies belongs with the area of bilateral diplomacy, which we strongly encourage Asmara and Djibouti to do. The absence of references to the dispute in UNSC resolutions does not mean that we will not be prepared to address the issue should the situation change or new circumstances arise. Both Djibouti and Eritrea can count on our balanced and impartial approach in this regard.
Mr.President,
We would like to point out that a number of our proposals, which we consider to be extremely important, were not taken into account when the Council was working on the two documents. First of all, it is the destructive impact of unilateral coercive measures. We have repeatedly emphasized that such restrictions are illegal and lead only to serious negative consequences for the local population. They are especially tough on the least developed states, for whom they create an obstacle in terms of socio-economic development.
Besides, we had questions about the language in the text of the resolution about the automatic exemption from the sanctions regime for arms transfers to private military companies. Although the resolution refers to the fact that they must be licensed by the Somali Government, the Security Council still has no list of those. We trust that Mogadishu will take a responsible approach to this process and prevent an increase in the militarization of the Horn of Africa.
Thank you.
