UNSC Briefing on threats to International Peace and Security Sabotage of Nord Stream Pipelines
Khalilah Hackman (Ms.)
Security Council Chamber
United Nations, New York
September 26 2023
I Thank you Mr. President,
We have listened closely to the information provided by the briefers and note a common interest in unraveling the facts surrounding the sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines.
The successive damage to the two Nord Stream gas pipelines, at a time when the global energy crisis was already on the rise, shocked the conscience of the international community into a renewed awareness of the strategic linkages between critical infrastructure and security, economic stability and sustainable development of societies. The depravity of the actions highlighted the importance of concerted global efforts to put in place preemptive as well as mitigating measures against such actions.
The incident in our view reflects a disregard for the inherent rights of the populations that depend on the infrastructure and remains unacceptable by all standards.
We reiterate the necessity for States to uphold their responsibilities established under international law and reaffirmed by the decisions of the Security Council for the protection of critical infrastructure. It is necessary to forestall future occurrences as damage or destruction caused to critical infrastructure in one sector, be it energy, water, communication, cybersecurity or transportation, often result in extensive and rippling consequences on other sectors and populations creating situations of instability and instigating humanitarian crises.
We support the sustained interest of the Council in helping unravel the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines and urge that the differences in the views held by Council Members on the establishment of an international investigative mechanism should not detract from the unified position expressed against the sabotage of the pipelines in previous meetings of the Council.
Mr. President,
As the Council revisits the issue on the one-year mark of the incident, Ghana would like to reiterate the following four (4) points:
a) First, we continue to believe that establishing the facts of such heinous actions is necessary to ensure accountability on the part of the perpetrators and send a strong message against the deliberate destruction of critical infrastructure anywhere. It is in this regard, that we accord importance to the ongoing national investigations by the concerned countries of Denmark, Germany and Sweden and urge support for their efforts aimed at uncovering the facts beyond the initial establishment of the incident being a sabotage. We further believe that the outcomes of the national investigations would be instructive for the future actions of the Security Council on the matter.
b) Second, we reiterate our appeal to all parties to work in a collaborative manner and in good faith consistent with the provisions of Security Council Resolutions 2341 (2017). We are of the view that the sharing and exchange of information, technology, expertise and other relevant resources between and among the countries as well as the Russian operators would contribute immensely to ensuring coherent outcomes and the early conclusion of the investigative processes.
c) Third, to address the persisting problem of speculations and accusatory rhetoric which only fuel the existing geopolitical tensions, we urge the parties to work in a more open and transparent manner. While acknowledging that some information may be sensitive to the national security of the concerned countries, we encourage the provision of regular updates on the status of the investigations to bolster international confidence in the national processes.
d) Fourth and finally, we reiterate our previous submission regarding the necessity of a time-frame for concluding the national investigations and presenting the outcomes to the appropriate international institutions, including the Security Council, for necessary follow-up actions.
Thank you for your kind attention.