Yelchenko: Russia discrediting international efforts to counter terrorism

Volodymyr Yelchenko, the Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN, made a corresponding statement at the UN Security Council open debate “Threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts: combating the financing of terrorism.”

“In the temporarily occupied Crimea, the aggressor state [Russia] is discrediting international efforts — including those of this Council — to counter terrorism by producing fake accusations of terrorist activities and by illegally sentencing innocent people,” Yelchenko said.

He reminded that just a few days ago, on the 5th anniversary of the adoption of the General Assembly resolution on the territorial integrity of Ukraine, the Russian occupation authorities had again resorted to the persecutions of the Crimean Tatars, accusing them of terrorist activities.

“Considering that Islamic extremism had never been part of the history of the Crimean Peninsula before the Russian occupation, the frequency with which the occupational authorities are using this accusation to justify their searches and detention of Crimean Tatar individuals strongly suggest that it is a pretext for discrimination,” the Ukrainian diplomat stressed.

Thus, such actions constitute a “blatant violation of the Convention on Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination by the Russian Federation,” the Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN said.

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