The senator led a roundtable on the 75th anniversary of the United Nations.
Konstantin Kosachev, Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs, has led a roundtable, 75 years of the United Nations: Historical lessons and modern challenges and threats to international security.
In the modern world, it is important to ensure that the United Nations remains effective and to strengthen its role in international affairs, Konstantin Kosachev said. “Russia is confident that the UN must be preserved and enhanced, and should operate in the interests of all humankind,” he said.
The senator added that the UN Charter entered into force on 24 October 1945, after the Soviet Union sent a note on its ratification on that day.
It is symbolic, Konstantin Kosachev said, that in October 2020, the Russian Federation presided in the UN Security Council, vigorously promoting the current international agenda.
The transition to videoconferencing, which has become the most popular format of UN events because of the pandemic, does not prevent the Organisation from fulfilling its mission, the senator said. “Russian President Vladimir Putin’s high-profile address at the UN General Assembly was proof of that,” he added.
In addition to the problems caused by the novel coronavirus, the UN is facing a whole range of other challenges, the senator said. “These problems have been accumulating over the years. There is an ongoing debate about the need to reform the UN, and how well its current structure meets modern needs, how effective the organisation is in countering both traditional and new challenges and threats.”
The UN does not have any limits on its ability to exercise the powers entrusted to it, Konstantin Kosachev emphasised. “The organisation works the way its member states allow it to work. As for the problems that arise in the modern world and in international relations, they are primarily caused by certain countries’ actions that bypass the organisation and violate the UN Charter.”
According to the senator, the United States is quickly moving away from the spirit and letter of the UN Charter, trying to prevent the UN from fulfilling its mission. “Such steps include the US withdrawal from a number of international bodies, and Washington’s unilateral actions bypassing the UN Charter. But the most striking example is the US withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the Iranian nuclear programme, a document approved by a UN resolution,” he noted.
Even the procedure for withdrawing from the Plan, which is also detailed in the resolution, was clearly violated by the United States. All this gives obvious reason for concern, the senator said.
In turn, Russia is ready to make every effort to help maintain the United Nations’ role, mission, and place in the modern world, Konstantin Kosachev said. “The UN Charter is the main source of international law. We are interested in preserving international law; we cannot allow it to be substituted or replaced by a rules-based order. Our efforts are aimed at having this position implemented as effectively as possible. Otherwise, the entire framework for the modern international order created by the founding fathers of the UN in 1945 will be broken,” he added.
The senator expressed confidence that the international community is capable of solving this problem. “We are ready to work with all our partners who share this conviction,” Konstantin Kosachev concluded.
The conference was attended by First Deputy Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs Vladimir Dzhabarov, Deputy Chair of the Committee Vladimir Lukin, member of the Committee Dina Oyun, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin, President of the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) Igor Ivanov, Academic Director of the Institute for the US and Canadian Studies of the Russian Academy of Science (RAS) Sergei Rogov, RIAC Director General Andrei Kortunov, Director of the UN Information Centre in Moscow Vladimir Kuznetsov, as well as diplomats, academics and representatives of international organisations.
The speakers discussed the possibilities for strengthening the UN and its institutions as a key dialogue platform for solving the entire range of global international problems. They also highlighted the need to enhance Russia’s representation in the UN bodies.
The participants in the roundtable at the Federation Council also visited an exhibition there dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the United Nations.