At the outset, I would like to congratulate His Excellency Mr. Abdulla Shahid on his election as President of the General Assembly at its seventy-sixth session and to wish him every success in the discharge of his duties. I would also like to thank the Secretary- General, Mr. Antonio Guterres, for his efforts within the framework of his mandate to achieve the aspirations of Member States in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations.
Over the past two years, the world has experienced unprecedented circumstances. Hospitals reached full capacity, millions of lives were lost, economies contracted, poverty and hunger soared, cities were forced into lockdown, curfews were imposed, universities and schools closed their doors and we grew afraid of approaching one another. All that was caused by an invisible virus that continues to evolve and mutate, threatening to claim more lives all over the world.
In those difficult times, there was a glimmer of hope. Extraordinary efforts were made and significant breakthroughs were achieved by a number of countries at the medical and human cooperation levels. However, there was a dark side too, as some countries used the pandemic as a way to settle political scores and accuse other countries of creating the virus, while some
countries selfishly ignored the needs of other countries, choosing to believe that they were living alone on an isolated island.
Even worse, some took advantage of the pandemic to scale up their unilateral coercive economic measures against countries and peoples that differ from them, despite the catastrophic humanitarian impact of such measures. The repeated appeals by United Nations and humanitarian organizations calling for such measures to be waived or reduced fell upon deaf ears. If the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) can claim one life in the absence of so-called sanctions, it can claim many more lives when such sanctions are in place.
The Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights said,
“Sanctions are bringing suffering and death to countries like Cuba, Iran, the Sudan, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen”.
As noted also by a group of independent United Nations human rights experts,
“Sanctions that were imposed in the name of delivering human rights are in fact killing people and depriving them of fundamental rights, including the rights to health, to food and to life itself”.
We welcome the theme of the seventy-sixth session of the General Assembly, “Building resilience through hope”. Nevertheless, I wonder whether some will heed that theme. Will they really build capacities sustainably and respect the rights of people? Will they learn from the lessons of the past? Will certain Governments abandon their flawed policies that have jeopardized security and stability worldwide? Those questions require clear and decisive answers if the theme of this general debate is not to remain a mere slogan for media and political consumption that is far removed from the actual reality.
As members are well aware, my country, Syria, was one of the countries most affected by terrorism and terrorist crimes, which were perpetrated with military, financial, media and logistics support from countries known to sponsor terrorism. I cannot adequately describe how much our people have suffered as a result. Innocent people were killed, safe people were displaced, infrastructure was destroyed, the resources of the country were looted and terrorism caused humanitarian crises in a country that was proud of the achievements made by its people in different fields, in which the development rate reached more than 9.5 per cent in 2010 before the start of the terrorist war against Syria.
However, thanks to the sacrifices and heroic deeds of our people and army, and with the valuable support of our allies and friends, we have made exceptional achievements in combating and eradicating terrorism. History will show that the Syrian people not only defended themselves, their country and their civilization in their struggle against terrorism but also defended all humankind.
That noble fight will continue until all Syrian territories are freed from the scourge of terrorism, State authority is re-established and security and stability are restored nationwide. That is our national and constitutional duty and a non-negotiable right. We will not succumb, regardless of the external aggression and pressure and the lies and accusations that are promoted. We say to those who continue to wager on terrorism and invest in it that their bet is a losing and destructive one. Such terrorism will turn against them sooner or later. Innocent people will pay the price in the end, as they have in different countries of the world. We must never let that happen again.
In that regard, it seems that one of the speakers at this rostrum a few days ago is still totally detached from reality, harbouring illusions that he can turn back time, that his money can cover up his failures and crimes or that his continued investment in terrorism in Syria can achieve the goals of his masters.
Syria has seriously and positively engaged in the Astana process, hoping it would contribute to the fight against terrorism and the country’s security and stability. However, the Turkish regime has shown time and again that it is not committed to either the outcomes of the Astana process or the Sochi agreements on Idlib, in the north-west of Syria. Instead, it continues to support and protect the terrorist groups that operate in that region, especially the Al-Nusra Front, which was designated by the Security Council as a terrorist organization. As a result, the region has become an incubator for foreign terrorists, as confirmed by the reports of relevant Security Council committees.
In addition, the Turkish regime has perpetrated — and continues to perpetrate — war crimes and crimes against humanity in the territories it occupies in Syria. It has carried out Turkification
and forced displacement policies, while oppressing the people of the region, who reject that occupation. It also inflicted collective punishment on people, deliberately and repeatedly cutting off the water supply of more than 1 million Syrians in Al-Hasakah and its surrounding residential areas. The Turkish regime also reduced the water level of the Euphrates River to less than half the level agreed upon between the two countries in a 1987 agreement, resulting in grave humanitarian, ecological, health and agricultural consequences.
All those violations and crimes require urgent and serious action by the Security Council and the Secretariat to bring them to an immediate end.
We reiterate that any foreign presence on Syrian soil without the consent of the Syrian Government is illegal and constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and the Charter of the United Nations, as well as all Security Council resolutions on Syria, which declare a strong commitment to Syria’s sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity. Such a foreign presence hinders counter-terrorism efforts and threatens regional stability and security.
Therefore, the forces of Turkey and of the United States, which continue to occupy Syrian territories under false pretexts and to loot the natural resources belonging to the Syrian people, must cease those activities immediately and without any preconditions. Just as Syria wiped out terrorism from most of its territories, we will work to end the occupation with the same resolve and determination, using all possible means under international law. History shows that Syria always prevails in driving out occupiers, sooner or later.
As for the few that seek to implement secessionist agendas in north-east Syria, we warn them against harbouring such illusions, which have been rejected by the Syrian people. They align themselves with those that plot against the unity of Syria’s soil and people and will be dealt with accordingly. They must abandon their delusions, wake up and learn from recent lessons, namely, that betting on external occupying forces over their own people is doomed to fail and will only bring them humiliation and harm their country and people — if they still consider themselves part of the Syrian people.
In tandem with fighting terrorism, the Syrian Government has always been open to any genuine, sincere and impartial political efforts aimed at helping us overcome this crisis inflicted upon the Syrian people and State, despite the obstacles placed in our way by those countries that have absolutely no interest in Syria’s stability. While unwavering in our commitment to our national principles, the Syrian Government participated in the Geneva talks, the Moscow consultations and the Astana meetings.
We also facilitated the convening of the Constitutional Committee by helping reach agreement on its composition and rules of procedure. In that regard, we reiterate that the process must be Syrian- led and Syrian-owned, with absolutely no external interference. The Constitution and all related issues fall within the exclusive prerogative of Syrians and must be decided by Syrians alone. We also stress that the Special Envoy for Syria must focus on his role as a facilitator and report on proceedings in an honest, unbiased and objective manner.
We have repeatedly emphasized that Syria’s doors remain wide open for the safe and voluntary return of all Syrian refugees to their homeland. All relevant institutions in Syria are tirelessly working towards that goal by rebuilding and rehabilitating infrastructure and services in areas reclaimed from terrorism, or by putting the necessary procedures in place to facilitate the return of people and meet their basic needs.
To that end, a number of decrees have been issued with a view to ensuring the safe and voluntary return of the people concerned. Regrettably, while the Syrian State and its allies are making honest efforts on the humanitarian issue, others continue to take advantage of the pain and suffering of Syrians to advance an agenda that has nothing to do with humanitarian objectives or the interests of Syrians. In that regard, we stress the need for the humanitarian action undertaken in Syria to respect the State’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity and to be approved by and coordinated with the Syrian State, in line with resolution 46/182. We also stress the need for humanitarian activities to be expanded to incorporate development assistance and early-recovery and resilience projects, which would provide water, sanitation, health care, education and housing services.
We stand ready to do what it takes to ensure humanitarian access to beneficiaries in Syria. The so- called cross-border aid mechanism must be shut down following incidents involving all kinds of corruption and inefficiency — I repeat, incidents involving all
kinds of corruption and inefficiency — especially the diversion of aid to terrorist groups instead of the people who actually need it.
The Syrian Arab Republic stresses once again that the use of chemical weapons is condemned and completely unacceptable under any circumstances, by anyone, anywhere and at any time. That is Syria’s position, and that is why Syria voluntarily acceded to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and fulfilled all relevant obligations in record time, in just days, knowing that certain countries have continuously maintained such weapons since the Second World War. They know who I mean and are present here in this very Hall. Syria has cooperated continuously with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to close that file as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, certain countries have sought to explicitly politicize that dossier. They continue to make baseless accusations against Syria, relying on information from terrorist groups and their supporters, which should come as no surprise. They even doubted Syria’s cooperation with the OPCW, in addition to taking advantage of reports that lack credibility and professionalism. They get their information from the Internet, and Members are aware of who is publishing such information on the Internet.
Those countries have also manipulated the provisions of the CWC to create illegal mechanisms and take a decision imposed by Western countries against Syria at the twenty-fifth session of the Conference of the States Parties to the CWC. That decision constitutes a dangerous precedent for the OPCW and a threat to all States parties.
Since 1967, Israel has continued to occupy a cherished part of Syria’s territory — the Golan Heights. Therefore, the Syrian Arab Republic remains firmly committed to exercising its right to fully recover the occupied Syrian Golan, up to the line of 4 June 1967. All decisions and measures taken by Israel, the occupying Power, to alter its natural and demographic features or to impose on it Israeli laws, control and administration are null and void and have no legal effect under international law and relevant United Nations resolutions, notably, resolution 497 (1981).
We can no longer accept the totally unacceptable failure by the United Nations and the international community to compel Israel to implement those resolutions and cease its grave systematic violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, in particular its settlement policy and support for terrorism. It must stop practising persecution, racial discrimination and arbitrary detention against the Syrian citizens under its occupation. Israel plunders the Golan’s natural resources and repeatedly carries out acts of aggression and violations against Syria’s sovereignty. Israel must be held accountable for such rogue behaviour and must not enjoy impunity. That is important for maintaining regional security and stability and to uphold our rights, justice and international law.
Despite what we have been through in Syria over the past few years, the Palestinian question remains the central national question for Syria, which will spare no effort in supporting the fraternal Palestinian people in their struggle to reclaim their occupied territory and regain all their legitimate rights, especially the right to establish their independent State on their territory, with Jerusalem as its capital, the right to full membership in the United Nations and the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homeland, in line with international law and relevant United Nations resolutions.
Syria also calls for an end to Israel’s war crimes and crimes against humanity in the occupied Palestinian territories, especially killings, settlement activities, states of siege, arbitrary detentions, forced displacements and racial discrimination. Syria holds those countries that support Israel responsible for the implications and persistence of those crimes.
My country reiterates its full support for, and solidarity with, the position of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the face of the illegal and irresponsible measures by the United States against it, especially with regard to the withdrawal of the United States from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. In that regard, Syria also condemns the economic embargo imposed on Cuba for decades and the American militarization of the situation in the Korean peninsula.
My country also demands an end to all forms of economic terrorism imposed by the United States and its Western allies against Venezuela, Iran, Belarus, Nicaragua and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and my country, Syria, in accordance with international law and United Nations resolutions. In that regard, I must also express our support for Russia’s and China’s approach to upholding international law, maintaining security and stability and promoting
development worldwide in the face of the hegemonic attempts and external interference policies of certain countries.
In conclusion, I stress the need to promote dialogue and understanding among our States based on mutual respect, common interests, sovereign equality and respect for international law. That will build a new, more balanced, democratic and just world and contribute to achieving the common aspirations of our peoples and the development, prosperity and stability to which we all aspire. That must be done free from the policies of certain Governments that are based on military and political interference, support terrorism and impose unilateral coercive measures, in contravention of all the values espoused by humankind and the principles of the Charter of the United Nations. Some countries need to understand that we live in a single, interconnected world and that no country can serve its interests and ensure its security at the expense of the interests and security of other countries.