Permanent Representative of Russia to the UN Vassily Nebenzya’s interview with Sputnik Africa
Sputnik Africa: How Moscow sees this shaping cooperation in the security sector and ensuring a balanced narrative, global narrative with African institutions?
Vassily Nebenzya: Russia and formally the Soviet Union was always friendly with Africa, and I think the Soviet Union was instrumental in facilitating African countries getting their independence. We celebrate this year, the 65th anniversary of the Declaration of Granting Independence to Colonial People. Yesterday, by the way, the General Assembly adopted a resolution which is called International Day Against Colonialism in all its forms and manifestations, which we championed as Russia, together with our friends from the group of the Friends of the UN Charter. The resolution was adopted,14th of October will be celebrated as the International Day. Russia develops its relations with the African countries extensively, and it's not just in the security area. We are witnessing growing trade, we are opening more and more embassies, some of which we had to close in the difficult times of the early 90s. We're reaching out to Africa. We conduct Russia-AU summits, African summits. So, indeed, we established a new department in Africa, besides the bilateral department that always existed. We have this new department of partnerships with Africa, because these partnerships are growing and developing, and that testifies to our, not just to our return to Africa, but to our growing cooperation with the African countries, let alone Ethiopia, with whom we have diplomatic relations from the 19th century. We never closed an embassy here.
Sputnik Africa: During its Security Council Presidency, what concrete steps will Russia take and support African Union's call for permanent seats at the UN Security Council?
Vassily Nebenzya: The process of reforming the Security Council is within the General Assembly, in the so-called intergovernmental negotiating mechanism that exists for a long time, where ideas how to reform the UN Security Council are being discussed. And it's not due to willingness or unwillingness of say, permanent members or other members that we have not come to a conclusion how to reform the council. There are five clusters there and they are all interconnected, interrelated and you cannot, unless you agree on all five clusters, there will be no reform. And countries and various groups have different priorities, often contradicting and it's very difficult to agree upon. We're making progress but it's a very slow one. But what regards Africa? We always said as Russia, and not just Russia, many say the same thing, that the historical injustice towards Africa should be rectified, and Africa should be well represented on the renewed Security Council. And we say it openly, that we do not need new Western members on the Council who are plenty enough there right now. We need the voices of the Global South who are underrepresented. That means first and foremost Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Africa is well positioned because it sits on the Ezulwini consensus and the Sirte declaration and that what bonds African position together. When finally we come to a conclusion on all the five clusters, I'm sure that Africa will be duly represented on the Council.
Sputnik Africa: How is terrorism being addressed in line with the AU and the UN priorities?
Vassily Nebenzya: Yesterday we had the so-called informal seminar between the Security Council and the Peace and Security Council of the African Union. One of the issues was countering terrorism and violence, extremism leading to terrorism. And that was, of course, about Africa because no region in Africa is immune to these threats. The terrorist organizations, which are plenty. Al-Shabaab, Boko Haram, Islamic State of West Africa, they are too many, I would say. They adapt to the counter-terrorist measures, they use new tools, they perfect their methods, so to say, methods of recruiting and operations. Of course, they are involved in drug trafficking, human trafficking, arms trafficking. And UN office on counter-terrorism, which was headed by Russian Under-Secretary-General Voronkov, did a lot of things, including through the Russian mediation and facility and promotion to facilitate and to help African countries with many things that prevent terrorism like water control, like methods of countering terrorism, etc. Our agencies were involved, we provided voluntary contributions for these seminars. But the terrorism is a global problem now. It does not just concern Africa. It's an evolving thing, which is one of the main threats to international peace and security. And Africa should be protected. And of course, Russia as a permanent member of the Security Council is doing whatever it can to help its brothers in Africa to counter terrorism.
Sputnik Africa: Given Ethiopia's pivotal regional role, how is Russia working to build on the historic and long-standing ties with Addis Ababa to advance Africa's Agenda 2063?
Vassily Nebenzya: We support African Agenda 2030, which is silencing the guns. We support the African Initiative 2063, which is aimed at developing Africa. We say we work with Ethiopia in the United Nations very closely. We do it bilaterally between our countries. We say all the time that colonialism practically is non-existent these days, but there are new forms of colonialism, which is neo-colonialism, which still binds African countries and other developing countries to their former mentors through the financial tools. They extract resources, immense resources from the African countries. In fact, the conflicts in Africa often follow mineral resources. There are vested interests to control these areas. We speak about that openly. Our initiative on colonialism, to which I alluded to, is one of the tools to attract attention to the need of the African countries to liberate from the new forms of exploitation. Ethiopia is not an exclusion, we are friends with Ethiopia, long-time friends, and we are working together bilaterally and multilaterally in the international organization.
Sputnik Africa: With the establishment of the Russia's new department for partnership with Africa, how will Moscow ensure more stronger coordination in the UN system, particularly to financing AU-led peace initiatives in the continent?
Vassily Nebenzya: We are favoring the AU led missions. So far we have technically only one mission which is AU led, which is AUSOM, the African Union Mission in Somalia, but there are issues with financing because when we adopted Resolution 2719, there was a commitment that the African Union will contribute 25% and the rest will be contributed by donors, but donors now are sidelining, jumping off and refusing, to pay what they committed to. But your question was, how we will do it through the new department. The department is about multilateral cooperation with African countries and I think the best manifestation of it is the Russian-African summits and the Russian and African foreign ministers' meetings, to which I already referred to, and cooperation with the African Union, needless to say, and with other regional organizations in Africa, you've got like us, you need them. And of course, with the individual countries as well.
Sputnik Africa: You have already mentioned that Russia puts greater importance to its relationship with the African Union in various sectors. Could you elaborate on what makes this year's consultation, the 19th consultation particularly significant for Moscow's African policy?
Vassily Nebenzya: As you know, we are the president of the Security Council in October, and I was proud to lead the delegation of the security council to Addis. That's a regular event, annual one, which happens in New York and Addis alternatively. We have strong cooperation with the African Union, both as Russia and as the Security Council. We think that the problem, the issue is that African files occupied quite a lot of agenda of the Security Council. Even this month we had the Libyan mission discussed, Great Lakes, Somalia, AU cooperation with the Security Council. When I come back, we will discuss CAR, central African Republic. So the Council's agenda is really full with African files every month, but this month it's even more intensive. And I think that the cooperation between AU and AUPSC and the Security Council is exemplary, in fact, which is proved by the meeting that is taking place right now. We discussed quite a number of subjects. We discussed the WPS, Women, Peace and Security Agenda and the 25th anniversary of the signature resolution. Then today, we are discussing AU some, then Sudan, South Sudan, Great Lakes, Lake Chad Basin, the Gulf of Guinea, you name it. But I just wanted to tell you that since you're asking about the Security Council and we are presiding in October, October, 24th of October marks the 80th anniversary of the United Nations, which is under our presidency. And our signature event on that day will be United Nations 80 years looking into the future, where we want to discuss the UN, what it achieved in 80 years. And what the future awaits it. Many criticize UN, but UN is a combination of member states. So if they criticize, they criticize themselves. We have to recognize that it's the member states that make possible or impossible things to be adopted or happen. But UN is indispensable. Still, this is the most universal organization that represents the whole world.
Sputnik Africa: My last question, if you are okay, Your Excellency. How does Russia assess the growing diplomatic voices of Africa at the UN Security Council regarding the crisis in Gaza? And what kind of cooperation can emerge between Moscow and the African countries to promote a just and fair and lasting peace in the Middle East?
Vassily Nebenzya: You know that in the Security Council, there are always three African countries represented. One is from North Africa, an Arab country, not always from North African, but an Arab country. Then two African countries from the continent, and now they invented a format which they call three plus. Because Guyana, who is from the Caribbean, when they joined that group and they coordinated their position together. And they are on the same page on so many issues. And on Gaza as well, because they have a principle position on Gaza, what was happening there, and what is happening now. We all are praying that this ceasefire stays, because it claims too many lives for nothing in fact. So many civilians died. And I think that Africans deserve praise for their position on the Gaza crisis, on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Sputnik Africa: Thank you very much, Your Excellency.
Vassily Nebenzya: Thank you very much.