Point of order by First Deputy Permanent Representative Dmitry Polyanskiy at UNSC briefing on Ukraine
Mr.President,
Before you proceed with adopting the agenda for this meeting, I would like to express our principle-based disagreement with the Presidency’s approach to inviting delegations to participate in this meeting under Rule 37.
In violation of the existing practice, the British Presidency unilaterally decided to give the floor to eight member-states of the European Union and NATO and their closest allies, as well as the representative of the EU itself despite the regular practice of the Council to have no more than 3 delegations under Rule 37. It is clear that today’s participants, who are being guided by NATO’s principles, will not add any value to the discussion, but will only drag out this meeting, turning it into a debate, the convening of which the UK never agreed on with Council members. This approach demonstrates a lack of integrity of the Presidency and represents an attempt to exert pressure on UNSC members. There is and can be no plausible explanation why a Security Council meeting needs to turn into a get-together of NATO states.
However, the British Presidency does not seem to care at all about its own reputation or about the rules and traditions of the UN Security Council. It does not draw any conclusions even from its own mistakes as President of the UN Security Council, which have already piled up in the first half of July. We may also recall that in February of this year we witnessed attempts by an EU member who was President of the Council to turn a UNSC meeting Ukraine into a political spectacle that was performed to accommodate European ministers who were arriving in New York. An exact same thing is happening today too.
We must note that London time and again demonstrates a complete disregard for the procedures and practices of the Security Council, putting a national position and interests of NATO above the duties of the President of the UN Security Council, who is supposed to be the guardian of procedure pursuing a balanced and impartial approach. Unfortunately, for the second year in a row, British diplomacy is failing this elementary task.
Thank you.
