Statement by First Deputy Permanent Representative Dmitry Polyanskiy at UNSC briefing on the situation in Yemen
Mr.President,
We thank Special Envoy of the Secretary-General Martin Griffiths for his briefing on the situation in Yemen and the steps undertaken to resume comprehensive negotiations under UN auspices. We also thank Mark Lowcock for presenting his assessments of the humanitarian situation in Yemen. We closely followed the statement by Ms.Najiba Al Naggar.
Russia keeps track of the military-political crisis in the Republic of Yemen that has continued for 7 years by now. We have consistently maintained that Yemen’s opposing sides must immediately put an end to violence and embark on peaceful dispute settlement. There is no alternative to inter-Yemeni talks that should take on board the interests and concerns of the sides.
In this regard, we reiterate our support for the relevant efforts of the United Nations. We thank M.Griffiths for the work he has completed at the Yemeni track in recent years, for the attempts he has taken to find solutions and launch negotiations between the sides. This task was never easy, and it remains so. A lot of things still need to be done to achieve peace. We are concerned over the ongoing violence in various parts of the country. Our final goal is a comprehensive and lasting settlement of numerous problems that Yemen and its population are faced with and that also have a bearing on Yemen’s neighbors in the region.
Mr.President,
The issues of Yemeni settlement were the subject of a meaningful discussion that Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had with Yemen’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Compatriots Abroad Ahmad bin Mubarak in Sochi on 26 May during Minister Mubarak’s working visit to Russia. We will further encourage the official Yemeni authorities, “Ansar Allah” movement, and other Yemeni political forces to act constructively and be ready for compromise when addressing the existing disputes. We welcome the constructive role of regional states in the mediator efforts.
Mr. President,
We are convinced that termination of armed action must be accompanied by some confidence-building measures in the political, military, and socio-economic domain that would alleviate the plight of the Yemeni people that the United Nations estimates as the largest humanitarian crisis globally.
In this context, we call on the donors to enhance the much needed financial support for UN humanitarian assistance. Thereby we emphasize that Yemen’s sea, air, and land blockade needs to be lifted, as well as restrictions on deliveries of food, medicines, fuel and other basic goods. We remind that the assistance must not be biased or discriminatory.
We are convinced that the problem of SAFER tanker can also receive mutually acceptable solutions free of any political motivation. We call on the relevant actors, including the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), to act in a constructive spirit.
Mr.President,
In conclusion, let me again call on our colleagues to interact in the interests of general de-escalation in the region, i.a. on the basis of UNSC resolution 598 and the Russian Collective Security Concept for the Persian Gulf.
Thank you.
