17 December 2024
Madam President,
We thank the UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen and the Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher for their briefings. We have listened to the assessments by the President of the Syrian Negotiating Committee, Bader Jamous, as well as the representative of civil society, Waad al-Kateab.
We are closely following the developments in the brotherly country of Syria, which has entered a new – “transitional” – period of its history after the major part of the country’s territory came under the control of an alliance of armed groups. Obviously, no one can predict today the outcome and the political and socio-economic ramifications of the tectonic shifts taking place in this country. We all hope for the best. I would like to emphasize that the Russian Federation has always stood with the brotherly Syrian people, we have always provided, are providing and will continue to provide them with the needed support.
It is the Syrian people, in all their ethnic and religious diversity, who must determine Syria’s future. And this future is currently very uncertain given the internal instability which is fraught with a palpable threat to its sovereignty and statehood. The territorial integrity of the country is more vulnerable now than ever, and there is a real risk that Syria will break down along ethnic and religious lines into a number of cantons. The Syrians today must make every effort to ensure a truly inclusive national dialogue without separating people into losers and winners. That would be a very serious and complex endeavor for the Syrians to embark on, and the international community must fully support them.
The threat posed by the Israeli actions is equally pressing for the Syrians today. Using spurious pretexts of self-defense and security, Israel has in fact launched a full-scale operation to destroy the country’s defense potential. The Israeli Air Force carried out massive airstrikes in the past, but since December 8th alone they are reported to have launched over 500 airstrikes. As a result, Syria’s Navy was destroyed, along with 90 per cent of its air defense/missile defense systems, and half of its air force. In addition, massive strikes were delivered on Government buildings, as well as on dozens of manufacturing and storage facilities in Damascus, Suweida, Deraa, Homs, Tartus, Latakia and Palmyra (Idlib, At-Tanf and areas across the Euphrates obviously remain outside of this equation). In the early hours of December 14, Israeli Air Force struck facilities in Damascus on mount Qasioun, destroying electronic warfare stations.
Furthermore, we can’t but mention here the land incursion by the Israeli troops in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, which is a flagrant violation of the provisions of the 1974 disengagement agreement and an open encroachment on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of a neighbor. According to reports, Israeli troops have not only occupied the Syrian side of the disengagement line but they have advanced much further. Israeli military equipment was spotted almost 20 kilometers away from Damascus. The arguments that peacekeepers must be protected sound particularly cynical against this backdrop, since peacekeepers are now actually deep behind the Israeli lines.
Yet, the ability to effectively defend the borders – which are now being attacked by Israel – is one of the basic factors of Syrian sovereignty. We urge to call a spade a spade and not sweep the facts under the rug if they are inconvenient for West Jerusalem. If Israel really wants to have good relations with its neighbors, then these relations should be built not from the position of force but on an equal and mutually beneficial footing.
Distinguished colleagues,
At the current juncture, one of the main tasks, in our view, is preserving Syrian state institutions and making sure that they are properly functioning so as to provide decent living conditions for ordinary Syrians. What is important here is ensuring the rule of fundamental norms of law, protecting the rights of the civilian population, including its vulnerable categories, advancing civil peace and national harmony, and preventing acts of vandalism, violence and bloodshed. In that context, we note the statements made by the de facto Syrian authorities, who claim that they intend to facilitate the work of the State apparatus, maintain law and security, firmly suppress the criminal activities, and prevent extrajudicial justice. We trust that those approaches will be supported by all Syrian stakeholders.
On a separate note, we would like to emphasize that Syria is a place where Muslims and Christians have lived together for many centuries, and it is in Damascus where the residence of John X of Antioch and All The East is located. John X is Patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch, which remains in sister communion with the Russian Orthodox Church, and we do hope that Syria will continue being a homeland for all its citizens regardless of their religion.
We are convinced that the path to sustained normalization in the SAR lies through the launch of an inclusive inter-Syrian dialogue, which should take into account legitimate interests of all ethno-religious groups of society, and be geared to ensuring national harmony and a comprehensive process of political settlement in accordance with the basic principles set out in UNSCR 2254.
We support Geir Pedersen’s efforts to facilitate national de-escalation and launch a political process with the mediation and support from the UN. We remain convinced that there is a need to harmonize approaches by main international players aimed at creating conditions conducive for stabilizing the situation in Syria. We believe that it is the Special Envoy who should play a leading role in coordinating this work. In that context, we welcome your initiative, Geir, to convene an International Conference on Syria and call upon all parties concerned to assist with implementing this proposal.
Given how dramatic the changes in Syria are, we believe that it would be premature to come up with any optimistic forecasts or talk seriously about the improved humanitarian conditions of ordinary Syrians. We would like to see Syria prosper as well, but so far Syrians are still facing a deepest humanitarian crisis.
90% of the population live in poverty, 70% need urgent food aid. Spiking inflation and devaluating currency (triggered by the latest developments) have aggravated the socio-economic conditions of Syrians. In some parts of Syria, bread prices have grown up by 900% since November 27. The disruption of supply chains due to the closure of borders may lead to increased shortages of resources and means of sustenance.
Another pressing issue is forced displacement of people. There is a trend for the refugees to return to Syria, but there is also an outflow of people from the country. More than 1 million people have been forced to flee their homes since the fighting escalated. The majority are women and children, who have been facing extremely difficult conditions both within and outside the country. We must also remember those who have recently fled Lebanon into Syria because of the Israeli bombings. They need help and, at the very least, they need their safety ensured.
Madam President,
We are concerned about reports that humanitarian activities in Syria are extremely limited now. Humanitarian workers have reported security problems, power cuts and instances of looting. In Damascus, in particular, warehouses with humanitarian aid have been looted. At the same time, we support the intent of the UN humanitarian agencies to maintain their presence on the ground and continue providing assistance to those in need.
The humanitarian crisis in Syria, which has reached a catastrophic level, requires urgent and coordinated action by the entire international community. Unfortunately, the UN humanitarian appeal on Syria is seriously underfunded and has only received one third of the funding (32 per cent). In this regard, we would like to ask the so-called “traditional donors” – Are you going to uphold the principles of humanity and impartiality when it comes to the Syrian humanitarian file? Or are you going to persist (as usual) with your sanctions crusade against the Syrian population? Sanctions must be lifted because, as we have always said, they affect ordinary people.
For our part, we will continue to provide assistance to the brotherly Syrian people.
Thank you.