Statement by Deputy Permanent Representative Gennady Kuzmin at UNSC briefing on Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea
Mr.President,
We thank the briefers for the valuable insights and their input in this discussion.
Over the reporting period, the number of piracy and robbery attacks on vessels in the Gulf of Guinea has slightly decreased. At the same time, the root causes of this phenomenon have not been eradicated, so unfortunately, risks to the safety of international navigation, i.a. those associated with taking of hostages for ransom still persist.
We appreciate the efforts of the UNODC in providing technical assistance to the states of the Gulf of Guinea, including through the Fund of the Global Maritime Crime Program. We are convinced that capacity-building of coastal states and enhancement of their capabilities to suppress and prevent acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea are key to success.
We are actively engaged in this critical work. Thus in the reporting period Russia made contributions to the Fund in order to facilitate technical assistance to Gabon, Ghana, Nigeria, and Equatorial Guinea. We remained focused on the need to build combat capacity of maritime enforcement agencies of those states, thanks to which the situation in the Gulf of Guinea can be stabilized in a sustainable manner.
Mr.President,
In light of the regional specifics of piracy and armed robbery at sea, we continue to advocate for establishment of a specialized mechanism under UN auspices to address the entire range of issues related to combating maritime crime.
Thank you.
