Threats to international peace and security (Nordstream Pipeline)

Madam President,
I would like to thank Under Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo for her briefing. We also thank Prof. Jeffrey Sachs and Mr. Ray McGovern for their useful insights. When we met in the Council last September, we expressed great concern about the unprecedented damage caused to the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines as a result of what preliminary investigations by Denmark and Sweden had established to be a deliberate act of sabotage.

We welcome the recent joint update submitted to the Council by Denmark, Germany and Sweden on matter and the confirmation of their respective ongoing investigations by their national institutions. We encourage their further action to conclusively determine the full scope of the incident in respect of the motive and actors. We affirm the international community’s continuing interest in the matter and urge that the ongoing investigative processes should endeavour to keep the Russian authorities and operators informed and their cooperation sought as necessary.

We reiterate our position that in accordance with the objects of Security Council resolution 2341 (2017), critical infrastructure especially of a transnational kind should be protected and kept safe from harm as a bridge for cooperation. We note from the available assessment that the environmental damage thus far has been localized and appreciate the swift action of the concerned countries to mitigate the immediate impact.

We however remain concerned by the greenhouse gas emissions which have non-localised consequences. Before concluding, we continue to urge cooperation among all relevant actors to establish the facts and appropriate remedial action, including ensuring accountability in order to bring an early closure to the matter. While investigations are ongoing, we urge restraint by all parties concerned and caution against unilateral actions that may be detrimental to peace.

I Thank You.