Members of the Security Council will travel to Ethiopia to meet with the African Union in mid-October, the organ's President for the month told reporters at a United Nations Headquarters press conference today, also spotlighting signature debates on the Middle East and the Organization's role.
"The Council's agenda for October is very packed," said Vassily A. Nebenzia (Russian Federation), whose country holds the 15-nation organ's rotating presidency for this month. In addition to being a mandate cycle, October will see the Council travel to Addis Ababa during the week of 13 October to hold an annual joint consultative meeting with the African Union's Peace and Security Council.
He said that the two Councils are expected to discuss "issues of mutual interest that relate to the regional agenda". He spotlighted the Russian Federation's "overall engagement" with African countries - most recently demonstrated by the creation of a new Foreign Ministry department for partnership with Africa.
"This shows our commitment even further to strengthen our ties with African friends, which are historically very close," he said, adding: "So, clearly, the visit to Addis will be the highlight of our presidency."
The other two highlights, he went on to say, will be two signature events - an open debate on the Middle East on 23 October to address the "unfolding catastrophe in Gaza" and another open debate on 24 October to mark the eightieth anniversary of the day on which the Charter of the United Nations entered into force.
This, he emphasized, will be an opportunity to reaffirm that the UN is "not a relic of the past, but a unique, indispensable and adaptable mechanism for addressing the most pressing challenges of the present and the future".
He also spotlighted a 6 October open debate on women, peace and security to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the "seminal" resolution 1325 (2000). While a mandated meeting, he said that it will "definitely be in the limelight".
"And you should recall - and I would remind those who forgot - that the Soviet Union pioneered the women's agenda more than 100 years ago, promoting equal rights for women while, in the West, they had to struggle for another several decades," he observed.
Other meetings and consultations in October will include those on Colombia, United Nations-African Union cooperation, Somalia, Yemen, Great Lakes region, Lebanon, Syria and Haiti - as well as a briefing by the President of the International Court of Justice on 29 October.
The Council will also meet on the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force [Golan] (UNDOF), United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA).
And, on the last day of the Russian Federation's presidency - 31 October - he said that there will be a vote on a resolution concerning the European Union's Operation Althea followed by a debate focusing on Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Lastly, on working methods, he stressed that his country "is all about following the procedure and enforcing the efficiency - if needed, of course - and we will not hesitate to restore the order in the chamber and demand that delegations respect decorum".
He then fielded questions from media correspondents, many of them focusing on the decision by European participants in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action to trigger the "snapback" process for sanctions on Iran. (For background, see Press Release SC/16175 of 19 September.)
Asked about the chance for additional diplomatic discussions, he said: "Our Western colleagues, who initiated the so-called 'snapback' - the legitimacy of which we do not recognize - they keep saying that they are open for a diplomatic solution, although they forfeited a diplomatic solution already."
Underscoring that his country does "not recognize the 'snapback' as coming into force", he observed: "So, we'll be living in two parallel realities - because, for some, 'snapback' happened; for us, it didn't. That creates a problem; how we will get out of it, let's see."
He also said that recent, intensive consultations between Iran and the "European troika" almost resulted in a deal. However, he stressed: "Then they were told by a certain former participant in the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action] - from whom the whole thing started, the first, initial, original sin was committed by that country in 2018 if you remember it - they said 'no' and the Europeans said 'yes, sir' and everything collapsed."
One journalist, pointing to the reference to the United States' withdrawal from the Plan in 2018, asked for an explanation of the Russian Federation's reasoning as to why the "snapback" process is "basically illegal".
Responding, he stressed that his country's position does not stem from that withdrawal. Rather, he recalled that - after certain sanctions were lifted on Iran - European countries reintroduced them in their national jurisdictions, "thus violating the resolution [2231 (2015)] de facto".
"The fact that they reintroduced the same sanctions that were lifted deprives them of the right to invoke any "snapback"," he stated, citing the jurisprudential doctrines of "clean hands" and pacta sunt servanda.
On another issue - Gaza - he was asked whether the United States' recently revealed plan for the Strip will be discussed in the Council. "I'm pretty sure that will be an issue for discussion," he said, welcoming any efforts that would lead to a ceasefire and end the bloodshed.
However, while noting that some Arab countries have characterized the plan positively, he said that "not many Arabs are very happy with the role [former United Kingdom Prime Minister] Tony Blair will play in the whole exercise because they consider him the warmonger and the guy who ignited the whole region with the Iraqi war - he was, you know, the staunchest supporter of the US invasion".
Other questions concerned Ukraine, and he was asked about the lack of meetings on this topic in the current programme of work. Recalling that some Council members mentioned this in breakfast discussions earlier in the day, he said: "We are a fair presidency, if that request will come in due form, we will accommodate it - of course."
On where the potential United States authorization for Ukraine to use Tomahawk cruise missiles would leave relations between Moscow and Washington, D.C., he recalled a statement by his country's Foreign Minister that this is neither a "done deal" nor would change the situation on the battlefield. "If needed, we will find a response," he added.
Asked whether the Foreign Minister will participate in the 23 and 24 October open debates, he said that such participation is anticipated but not confirmed, also noting that his delegation is planning to submit a presidential statement on the UN's current and future "indispensable" role in concert with the latter debate.
Recalling that several world leaders did not express that sentiment during the recently concluded high-level general debate in the General Assembly, one journalist asked for his thoughts. "The UN is a reflection of the geopolitical situation that is in the world," he responded, adding: "To blame UN is to blame ourselves for the miserable state of geopolitical affairs that we witness today."
He was also asked about the selection process for the next Secretary-General, which begins with a joint letter from the Presidents of the Security Council and the General Assembly. Noting that he recently met with the latter, he expressed hope that this letter will be sent "by the end of the year - maybe earlier".
Additionally, he was asked whether the Russian Federation believes that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea should give up its nuclear programme. Noting that such programme is now enshrined in that country's Constitution, he said: "You may like it or not like it, but this is the reality - the reality justified by the threats that [the Democratic People's Republic of Korea] experiences."
Another series of questions probed the current relationship between the Russian Federation and the United States. One correspondent, noting that the former's President offered the latter an extension on the New START Treaty, asked whether Moscow had received a response. "To my knowledge, nothing official from the US Administration yet," he said.
On areas where the Russian Federation could cooperate with the United States, he said that - while "cooperation doesn't mean agreement all the time" - both countries are penholders on the Syrian file and he welcomed the United States' "common-sense position on gender issues and climate".
"There are areas where we can work together," he said, recalling the words of the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation regarding his United States counterpart. Asked whether the same is true for him and United States Ambassador Michael G. Waltz, he said that "we will be gladly doing that if our positions coincide".
And asked about the United States' threats to sanction the Russian Federation, he said that, as these are not Security Council sanctions, they will not be formally discussed in the Council. "[United States] President [Donald J.] Trump is a special kind of politician," he added: "I mean, he likes quick fixes - and this is a situation where quick fixes do not work."
For the full programme of work, please see: https://main.un.org/securitycouncil/en/content/programme-work .
