Statement by H.E. Ambassador Vitaly I. Churkin, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations, during an Open Meeting of the UN Security Council "Maintenance of International Peace and Security: War, its Lessons, and the Search for a Permanent Peace"
“War, its Lessons and Search for a Permanent Peace” – the Jordanian Presidency has raised the bar of today’s debate to an unprecedentedly high level. The proposed topic has boggled the minds of thinkers for centuries. It continues to be relevant today. There are solid starting points for its discussion in the existing system of historic coordinates. We are currently commemorating two events that are essential for drawing lessons from war and searching for lasting peace. These days seventy years ago saw the lifting of the Siege of Leningrad, a city which was never conquered by fascist invaders – at the cost of hundreds of thousands of lives of its inhabitants. On January 27 – the day of the liberation of Auschwitz death camp by the Red Army – we honor the memory of the victims of Holocaust – a heinous Nazi crime.
The verdict of history, reaffirmed by the Nuremberg Tribunal, is as resolute as the Victory of the Soviet Union-led Anti-Hitlerite Coalition and as unconditional as the capitulation of Nazi Germany: Nazi organizations, practice and ideology are criminal.
It is this dictum that turned the Victors into the United Nations and inspired the Charter of our Organization.
This truth does not allow for compromise. Speculation that the manifestations of Nazism do not need to be fought against today since a healthy society will itself reject these ideas disregard not only the malignant nature of this phenomenon but also today’s alarming reality. Why even in some countries with deeply-rooted democratic traditions is the misanthropic “Mein Kampf” among Internet best-sellers? Why neo-Nazi and far-right parties and organizations are getting stronger, and racially-motivated attacks and killings are a regular occurrence? Why is a former Waffen SS legionnaire, whose services were rewarded by the Nazis with a Knight’s Cross, buried with state honors? Why attempts are made through crude revision of history to present Nazi accomplices as heroes of the national liberation movement? Why do relevant international institutes fail to react in a principled manner to outrageous violent acts by fascist-spirited thugs and to direct incitement to killing? Why does the so called “political correctness” prevent some from supporting the annual General Assembly resolution condemning the new forms of racism and the glorification of Nazism, while some others “switch off” their conscience altogether and vote against?
All these questions require honest answers. Otherwise, we all will be facing an uncertain future which would be a far cry from the ideas of permanent peace and widely declared democratic principles.
An irreplaceable foundation for pursuing permanent peace today can be found in international law and its cornerstone – the UN Charter. Respect for the sovereignty and unique identity of nations, for the prerogatives of the Security Council as the body with primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security – these are the essentials for avoiding dangerous upheavals with disastrous consequences. This conclusion has been confirmed at a high cost by the history of the last decade as well.
The Security Council, bearing its high responsibility under the UN Charter, should act in the interests of the entire international community and not its individual members who might be guided by their own geopolitical, economic or ideological motives.
Decisions by the Security Council must be abided by fully in keeping with their letter and spirit.
Whenever crises break out, including domestic ones in various countries, it is imperative, first and foremost, to facilitate constructive dialogue among parties concerned.
Besides, one must not forget that the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of sovereign nations has not been abrogated by anybody. Imposition of recipes, especially those with such strong “drugs” as regime change, is fraught with destabilization accompanied by deteriorating conflicts and expanding terrorist threat.
The goal of reaching “permanent peace” will remain a dream unless the habit of saber-rattling is overcome and a strong consensus is hammered out in favor of political and diplomatic solutions even to the most acute problems.
Despite the great complexity of today’s international relations, we are seeing encouraging progress in some areas. I am talking about the first agreement reached between the “P5+1” and Iran regarding the latter’s nuclear program, the decision to destroy the Syrian chemical arsenal, and the convening – at the initiative of Russia and the US – of a conference to settle the devastating conflict in Syria. Those undertakings must be successfully and fully implemented.
This would mark an important step towards “permanent peace”, which will only be secured through more hard work by the international community, building on the existing potential for cooperation.
