Statement by Chargé d'Affaires a.i. Dmitry Polyanskiy at a UNSC Briefing on Threats to International Peace and Security caused by ISIL
Mr. President,
We thank Mr. Vladimir Voronkov and Ms. Natalia Gherman for their substantive briefings on the activities of the departments they head. We highly commend the work of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) and the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED). Russia stands ready to continue providing them with comprehensive support so that their relevant mandates could be implemented effectively, and in the interests of all Member States.
Today's meeting provides an excellent opportunity to comprehensively assess the situation regarding counterterrorism, identify problem areas, and determine specific steps to address them.
We have carefully examined the latest report by the UN Secretary-General on threats caused by ISIL. We agree with the assessment contained therein that the danger posed by this international terrorist organization is not getting lower. The group is adapting to new conditions, including by changing the geography of its activities. It is increasingly pivoting to Africa. The report notes that ISIL is harnessing a combination of factors to consolidate and expand its presence there, namely political instability, weak governance, and armed conflict. However, for us it is clear that this is not the full picture. Once again, the report fails to mention a key element, namely the role of Western countries' interference in the domestic affairs of the States in the region. The events of recent decades clearly show who has paved the way for terrorists coming to Africa. The destruction of state institutions in Libya and Iraq as a result of NATO interventions created a long-term power and security vacuum, which militants have taken advantage of. Today, in pursuit of their geopolitical interests, the former colonial powers continue to support illegal armed groups on the African continent and exploit local tensions and socio-economic problems.
The persistent disregard of these factors in the Secretariat's analytical materials not only distorts the real picture, but also hampers the development of effective measures. If the real causes of instability are not fully explicated, the solutions developed will not be sufficiently effective.
We firmly condemn the use of terrorism by certain Western countries as a tool of their neocolonial policies. African States have repeatedly emphasized that instead of the pledged support, they have actually received subversive activities. This fact clearly explains why long-standing so-called counterterrorism operations were hardly effective. A rallying cry of fighting terrorism served merely as a pretext for continued foreign military presence, which runs counter to the interests of the affected states.
France is particularly prone to such strategies. Representatives of the countries of the region regularly share intelligence information proving that Paris, unfortunately, is supporting terrorist groups in a futile attempt to retain its elusive control over the former colonies.
In this regard, we would like to emphasize once again that international assistance in the field of counter-terrorism should be provided strictly at the request of States. At the same time, specific steps taken as part of such assistance must respect the sovereignty of the requesting State and should not entail any interference in its internal affairs. We support the decisions of countries in the region to curb the presence of foreign military contingents whose actions did not comply with these principles. In particular, this applies to cases whereby, under the pretext of combating terrorism, former colonial powers have de facto maintained and expanded their military presence in violation of the fundamental principles of international law, including the UN Charter.
Mr. President,
In this context, what the Kiev regime is doing on the African continent is something that deserves our particular attention. There are concrete facts that clearly demonstrate that the Ukrainian special services, including the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, have been involved in subversive activities in the Sahel countries and other regions of Africa. They are supplying militants with weapons and drones, training them how to use this weaponry, coordinating the actions of terrorists, including JNIM in Mali, and deploying trained mercenaries to act against local governments. All of the above requires a thorough international investigation involving the relevant UN mechanisms.
Mr. President,
In line with UNSC resolution 2734, the reports of the Secretary-General on threats posed by ISIL should include specific information on the scale of the threat and the sources of financing for terrorists, including, inter alia, the illicit trade in artifacts, oil, and other natural resources. Unfortunately, the document under consideration pays minimal attention to these issues.
Nor can we ignore the serious problem of weapons falling into the hands of terrorists. The report mentions this only tangentially. But the facts speak for themselves: numerous warehouses with Western and Eastern European weapons have been repeatedly discovered in the course of operations to eliminate ISIL cells. Western weapons supplied to the corrupt Kiev regime continue to flow into various regions of the world, including areas where ISIL and Al-Qaida are active.
Furthermore, the section of the report on UN support to Member States provides no information on specific results achieved. A trite listing of activities, seminars, projects, and programs cannot be regarded as such. We would like to have future documents focused on the results achieved on the ground through the UN support.
We were unpleasantly surprised by the inclusion in the report of information about certain “political dialogues” on interlinkages between counterterrorism and peacekeeping. We do not share the view that such dialogues can really “lay the foundation” for future reviews of the peacebuilding architecture and the next review of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. We would like to emphasize that we are talking here about meetings between certain states that are ramming through their own narrow agendas and promoting individual UN structures. Their approaches, which allow for muddling peacekeeping and counterterrorism agendas, do not enjoy universal support. These are two stand-alone areas, and each one requires specific tools and resources. Artificially combining them could hinder the effective implementation of the priority task of eradicating the terrorist threat.
Mr. President,
The report contains alarming signals that ISIL and its affiliates are actively using modern technologies, including artificial intelligence. This is not an abstract threat. We are talking about the creation and dissemination of disinformation, automated recruitment, as well as about the planning and operational management of terrorist attacks. We are convinced that the UN and its Member States must act proactively in this area. Of key importance here is cooperation without politicization and double standards.
In this regard, I would like to emphasize that Russia has consistently advocated for an honest, depoliticized, and results-oriented fight against terrorism without any “hidden agendas.” We are open to cooperation with UN member states and UN structures on the basis of the principles of the UN Charter, above all sovereign equality of States and non-interference in internal affairs. Only international cooperation based on mutual respect and dialogue will help achieve a lasting decrease in the terrorist threat and strengthen international security.
In conclusion, we cannot but mention that the unconstructive and politicized approach of one delegation prevented the Council from agreeing on a standard draft press statement on the terrorist attack in the Iranian city of Zahedan on July 26. This is becoming a bad tradition: individual members of the UNSC are increasingly refusing to condemn terrorist attacks, sometimes they are even trying to find excuses to justify them. We would call on all our Council colleagues to remember the key principle of our work regarding counter-terrorism – terrorism is not and can never be justified, regardless of its forms or manifestations.
Thank you.
