10 February 2025
Mr. President,
We thank Mr. Vladimir Voronkov and Ms. Natalia Gherman for their reports on the activities of the UN structures entrusted to them in combating ISIL. We highly value their efforts and will continue to provide them with comprehensive support.
The Secretary General’s latest report observes that the threat from ISIL not only remains present but continues to grow. Last month, the Council had an open debate on counterterrorism in Africa. Virtually all participants expressed concern about the activity of fighters. That reaffirms the pressing nature and the global scope of the threats.
We firmly believe that the victory in counterterrorism can only be secured through our joint efforts. In word, all agree with this premise, but in deeds pulling efforts becomes a formidable challenge. The problem is that certain States are not willing to abandon the policy of double standards and are not ready to stop using terrorists to achieve their geopolitical goals, including the overthrow of inconvenient Governments and the creation and maintenance of hotbeds of regional instability.
A whole host of Western countries do not view terrorism as an absolute evil nor have they embraced a policy of “zero tolerance” towards terrorism. For them, it is a tool for advancing their neo-colonial policies, exerting pressure on sovereign States and ensuring their own dominance. That is why without any pains of conscience, they support, finance and arm terrorists. It is very convenient, after all, to cultivate a terrorist hydra with their own hands only to carry out military aggression against foreign states and engage in long-term occupation of their territory under the pretext of fighting this hydra.
African states have found themselves on the front lines of counterterrorism efforts, and today they speak frankly about the role of Western countries in triggering this problem. This includes deliberate sabotage and years-long supposedly counter-terrorist operations, which when scrutinized turned out to be a mere imitation, geared to justify the continuation of a foreign military presence that has long become unwelcome by the population.
In this regard, what came to our notice is the outrageous and entirely unsubstantiated conclusion contained in the UNSG’s report under consideration today. Allegedly, one of the reasons for the eastward expansion of the activities of the ISIL-affiliate groups in the Greater Sahel is the counter-terrorism operations of States in the border areas between Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. How is it possible in principle to blame States for counterterrorism efforts and attempts to protect their people from terrorists? Such conclusions cast doubt on the competence of the Secretariat staff who drafted the report. Instead of such conjectures, they would be well-advised to study the facts related to assistance to terrorists in the Sahel provided by some Western countries and Kiev, which in fact covered up the activities of terrorists and prevented their elimination. Ukraine has been provided drones and weapons to terrorists, and Ukrainian authorities have explicitly admitted helping al-Qaida-affiliated fighters who carried out attacks on Mali’s Government forces.
Ukraine had previously been used as a staging ground for foreign terrorist fighters, and now it has morphed into a logistical hub from where Western weapons supplied to the Kiev regime are sprawling around the world. They fall into the hands of both criminals and terrorists. Moreover, the Ukrainian authorities are bragging about committing terrorist attacks as well as about their links to international terrorist networks.
Mr. President,
Terrorism has its root causes. These include armed conflicts, poverty, weak State institutions and lack of control over natural resources. We should not forget that many of these problems are part of grim colonial legacy. However, there is also a “trigger” that is often left unmentioned. Namely, it is the NATO invasion of Libya and the invasion of Iraq, which spawned ISIL.
We believe it is also important to discuss the fact that the cultivation of fighters and the advancement of extremist ideology are often carried out by non-regional forces. They deftly capitalize on socio-economic problems, they engage in a distorted interpretation of cultural and religious foundations, traditions and values, and exploit ideas of fictitious superiority or, on the contrary, “historical grievances”. In this respect, the terrorist “International”, including al-Qaeda and ISIL have a lot in common with radical nationalists in Ukraine. The latter, with the support from their Western sponsors, have turned into outright terrorists who distinguished themselves with systemic crimes against civilians and terrorist acts on the territory of Russia and other countries, just as the Azov Battalion and other neo-Nazi units of the Kiev regime did.
Against this background, we are not a bit surprised by the recent disclosures regarding the activities of USAID agency. We’ve always spoken that the agency has been funding radicals throughout the world. Thus, what was previously attributed to “Russian propaganda,” ultimately has proved to be true.
Mr. President,
The problem of weapons falling into the hands of terrorists is something that was not given due attention in the Secretary General’s report. And this is despite the fact that repeatedly during the operations to destroy ISIL, we find fighters’ storage sites with a great deal of weapons manufactured in the West and in Eastern Europe. Publications on arms deliveries to the Middle East have cropped up sometimes even in Western media outlets.
We cannot overlook the situation in Afghanistan. The growing activity of ISIL-Khorasan is no coincidence. While hastily leaving Afghanistan, NATO troops abandoned vast quantities of weapons and equipment there, which then fell into the hands of ISIL inter alia.
Mr. President,
We emphasize the importance of measures to return foreign terrorist fighters from armed conflict zones, specifically from Syria and Iraq. As the Secretary-General’s report states, the very existence of such camps as Al-Hawl and Roj in the north-east of Syria – where tens of thousands of people, including women and children, are being held – is fraught with violence and human rights violations. Those camps are hotbeds of radicalization and are used by terrorists to recruit new fighters. A number of States refuse to repatriate their citizens, citing political and legal impediments. That is the real root cause of the human rights violations mentioned in the report. We call on all States to step up their efforts to ensure the return of their own citizens, including both the fighters themselves and their family members. At the same time, what should be of the paramount priority following the repatriation is holding such citizens accountable for the crimes they perpetrated.
Russia is committed to the task of returning our citizens. We have returned more than 500 people, including women and children, from Syria and Iraq. We are prioritizing their rehabilitation and reintegration.
Mr. President,
Turning back to the matter of double standards in counterterrorism, I would like to stress that such an approach undermines international peace and security. We demand that Western countries demonstrate transparency and that they renounce selective approaches when it comes to combating terrorism. Almost a quarter of a century has elapsed since 9/11 events. At that point, the international community expeditiously closed ranks and managed to create a comprehensive counter-terrorism architecture. It is important not to bury that foundation, which was so painstakingly forged through our joined efforts.
Thank you.