Friday, March 29

Address by K.V. Vorontsov, Head of the Delegation of the Russian Federation, Deputy Director of the Department for Non-Proliferation and Arms Control of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Meeting of States Parties to the Inhumane Weapons Convention on agenda item 13 “Status of implementation and compliance with the Convention and its Protocols”, Geneva, 17 November 2022

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Mr. Chairperson,

We reject the unfounded accusations by the delegations of Western countries and Ukraine regarding the use of conventional weapons during the special military operation in Ukraine. Such insinuations have only one goal – to divert attention from the criminal actions of the Ukrainian armed forces.

The special military operation in Ukraine is conducted in full and strict compliance with the provisions of the Convention on Inhumane Weapons and its Protocols, as well as international humanitarian law (IHL). From its very beginning, Russia has taken comprehensive measures to comply with international relevant obligations. In carrying out international humanitarian law missions, the Russian Armed Forces rely on the provisions of the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the Manual on International Humanitarian Law for the Russian Armed Forces, approved by an order of the Russian Minister of Defense. The manual complements the statutory documents and includes the main provisions of IHL norms as well as recommendations on their application in the preparation and conduct of combat operations.

The Russian Ministry of Defense has established close contacts with specialized structures of the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross in order to provide humanitarian assistance to the population living in the liberated territories and also to work with prisoners of war.

Meetings with representatives of international organizations, primarily the UN and the ICRC, are held on a regular weekly basis to discuss the most urgent humanitarian issues in Ukraine.

In April-May 2022, the Russian Ministry of Defense, together with the UN and the ICRC, successfully conducted operations to evacuate civilians from the Azovstal plant and to withdraw from this facility military personnel of the AFU and fighters of the Azov regiment. They were exclusively humanitarian in nature. Employees of international organizations confirmed the strict observance of IHL norms in carrying them out.

We once again call on the United Nations Member States, the ICRC and other relevant international organizations to exert influence on the official Ukrainian Government and take effective measures to prevent the grave humanitarian consequences of the criminal actions of the Ukrainian armed formations for the civilian population. Violations of IHL principles, including the provisions of the CCW and the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, by the Kiev regime require an immediate reaction of the international community and bringing the perpetrators to justice.

Thank you for your attention.

Source: https://www.mid.ru/ru/foreign_policy/news/1839326/

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