Statement by the
Delegation
of Ukraine to the United Nations at the XX meeting of the Security Council, held on 19 November 2014, in connection with the Council’s consideration of the item entitled “Threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts”

Mr. President,


Ukraine fully supports the position of the Security Council that terrorism in all forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security and that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable regardless of their motivations, whenever and by whosoever committed.
Almost every day we learn with the deep sorrow of new victims of terrorist attacks which occur in all corners of the world. This world's evil can be eliminated only through consolidated and decisive measures taken by international community.
Ukraine is deeply concerned about Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Al Nusrah Front (ANF) and other terrorist entities associated with Al-Qaida and the negative impact of their presence, violent extremist ideology, and actions on the stability of Iraq, Syria and the region, including the devastating humanitarian impact on the civilian populations which has led to the displacement of millions of people, and about their acts of violence that foment sectarian tensions.

Mr. President,

Ukraine supports central role of the United Nations in the global effort to suppress international terrorism as well as in promoting international cooperation in this field. The Global Counterterrorism Strategy continues to be central to address the evolving trends of the terrorist phenomena, and to do so in an integrated and balanced way.
We took note of the Secretary General's Report on measures to eliminate international terrorism (document A/69/209). As a party to all UN Conventions and Protocols on counterterrorism, Ukraine calls upon all member states that haven’t done so, to consider becoming parties to the aforementioned international instruments.
Ukraine is a party to about 20 multilateral conventions and protocols in the field of counter-terrorism. Ukrainian Government is actively involved in counter-terrorism cooperation with many international and regional organizations, including United Nations, OSCE, Council of Europe, and Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF), as well as Organization for Democracy and Economic Development – GUAM.


Mr. President,

Nuclear terrorism, as well as proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, continues to be one of the most challenging threats to the international security. I am proud to say that my country plays one of the leading roles in preventing nuclear terrorism. Furthering its longstanding goals in nuclear nonproliferation, Ukraine has responsibly implemented its pledge to get rid of all national stocks of highly enriched uranium. The meaning of this voluntary step is clear – Ukraine is a consistent and reliable partner who makes valuable contribution to combating nuclear terrorism as well as strengthening the entire system of nuclear safety and security. And this is despite the fact of foreign aggression that my country has been experiencing.

Mr. President,

Unfortunately, since recently, the problem of terrorism has become pertaining to my country. As you might know, the Government of Ukraine has been conducting counterterrorism operation in the east of Ukraine since the last March. This operation fully complies with the UN Charter and all their other obligations of Ukraine under international law, in particular international human rights law, international refugee law, and international humanitarian law.
It's incredible – terrorism occurs in the country where the terrorist threat was assessed by UN experts as low just a few months before the occupation of Crimea by the Russian Federation and the establishment of the terrorist organizations DPR and LPR. As it turned out, foreign factors might encourage this evil to grow rapidly. The situation in the world in general and in my country in particular shows that the international community must redouble its efforts in the fight against terror.
One of the most important tasks is the completion of over the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism. We consider that the 2007 proposals might be a good basis for consensus among all delegations. We call upon all member states to intensify their efforts aimed at finalizing the negotiation process on this matter.
Ukraine is extremely concerned with the facts of blatant violation of international counterterrorism treaties by some states. One of the neighbors of Ukraine continues to break its international obligations on terrorism. In particular, it has completely neglected its obligations under the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism of 1999 and the International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings of 1997. This state, acting through various state institutions, physical and legal entities under its direct control, commits the crime of terrorism. It was the unlawful actions of this neighbor that had led to the occupation of the Crimea and destabilization in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions of Ukraine.

Mr. President,

As it is evident in the situation in Ukraine, terrorism can be used as a hidden aggression against sovereign states. We call upon the international community to continue to take decisive action to combat the state or state-sponsored terrorism against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its members. We believe that some of the principles enshrined in the Declaration of the International Conference on Terrorism of 1987 (document A / 42/307) reflecting the essence of the notion of state terrorism can be taken as a basis for the preparation of a new legally binding instrument in this field.

Mr. President,

Without the bona fide fulfillment of international treaties and sincere cooperation by all states parties any international efforts in the area of counterterrorism, including the efforts of the Security Council, shall be vain.
On our part, I would like to underline that Ukraine will continue to be committed to cooperation at international, regional and sub-regional levels in order to make world-wide environment completely intolerable towards terrorism and its supporters.

I thank you Mr. President