Statement by Vassily Nebenzia, Permanent Representative of Russia to the UN, during the VTC of Security Council members on the situation in Yemen
Mr. President,
We thank Special Envoy Martin Griffiths and Acting ASG Ramesh Rajasingham for the briefings.
To our regret, we have to note that information from Yemen indicates how fragile is the situation in the country. We hear reports about fighting continuing in both northern and southern regions of Yemen. We welcome the ceasefire announced by the “Arab Coalition” and called on its members to adhere to this commitment, as we call all Yemeni parties to do the same. In this regard we encourage parties to implement the Riyadh agreements between the Government of Yemen and the Southern Transitional Council. This would contribute not only to the stabilization in the south of Yemen, but also to the prospects of this throughout the country. Progress on implementation of the Stockholm agreement reached in December 2018 is regrettably very modest, so we encourage parties to fulfil their commitments.
We reaffirm our consistent position on the need for cessation of armed confrontation and launch of inclusive inter-Yemeni talks with the mediation of the UN and M.Griffiths. We are convinced that progress towards the settlement of numerous problems facing Yemen, including its territorial and state structure, can be achieved only through inclusive dialogue which reflects interests of all the country's leading political forces.
In this regard, we supported recent statements of the Security Council including those in line with the appeal by the UN Secretary-General to a ceasefire to stop the confrontation and take necessary steps to combat the spread of Coronavirus pandemic in the country. In contacts with parties involved, we will support such efforts. But we must not forget about the need to fight terrorism as armed confrontation in Yemen contributes to strengthening of terrorist groups there.
We hope that all players of the Yemeni political landscape will respond positively to the efforts undertaken by M.Griffiths to organize contacts of representatives of the Yemeni government and the "Ansar Allah" with participation of the "Arab coalition" in order to de-escalate the situation, ensure a sustainable ceasefire and launch a comprehensive political process. We call on all Yemeni parties to actively engage with Special Envoys proposals for confidence-building measures. For our part, we will continue to do our utmost to facilitate the establishment of such a dialogue under the UN auspices.
At the moment, the priority is to provide humanitarian assistance to Yemenis and help them counter the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic. The humanitarian situation in the country remains dire. Russia, like other UN member states, will continue to contribute to helping the people of Yemen. At the same time humanitarian aid coming to Yemen from abroad should be distributed on a non-discriminatory basis among entire population in all parts of the country, regardless of who control this or that territory.
Thank you.
