Remarks by H.E. Yurii KLYMENKO 

Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN Office and other International Organizations in Geneva

Head of the Delegation of Ukraine to the Conference on Disarmament

(Geneva, 24.06.2014)

Mr. President,

As far as this is the first time that Ukrainian delegation takes the floor under your Presidency, I would like to congratulate you on your assumption of this position.

Let me express our highest appreciation for the efforts of the P-6 and MemberStates to reinvigorate the work of our forum, in particular by engaging in substantive informal discussions on key issues of the CD’s agenda and by exploring the possibilities of its revitalization.

Mr. President,

Distinguished delegates, 

Ladies and gentlemen,

My delegation would like to take this opportunity to share Ukraine’s views on proposals put forward by the Acting Secretary General of the CD, Mr. Michael Møller.

Firstly, Ukraine has always been supportive of initiatives aimed at enhancing CD’s functionality and procedural efficiency.

In this regard, we welcome the idea of establishing a subsidiary body to review the CD’s working methods through raising the role of the CD Presidency and reconsidering the agenda in order to better accommodate it to the priorities of disarmament in the XXI century. Carry-over of the previously adopted decisions will help to refrain from the need for their repeated approval at the beginning of the next regular annual session of the Conference.

Though the CD’s stalemate is not enrooted in the rule of consensus, which remains the only guarantee to protect the security concerns of the Member States, it should be considered as a privilege for finding ways to reach a general agreement. But not as an instrument for blocking negotiations capable of producing essential compromises. In this context widely exercised practice of application of this rule in procedural matters is of a particular concern.

Secondly, Ukraine would like to add its voice to those who support more active participation of civil society, such as non-governmental organizations and academic experts, in the work of our forum and welcomes new and fresh ideas and expertise they could bring to the CD. Moreover, they can generate a stimulus for public awareness and taking disarmament and non-proliferation issues discussed in this chamber on the broad international and public agenda.

Bearing this in mind we consider that holding an informal CD Civil Society Forum, hosted by the Secretary-General of the CD, should also serve the purpose of revitalization of the Conference.

Thirdly, given the diverse positions of the CD Member States concerning the priorities of work, we consider that the issue of conducting “negotiations on areas of common ground with a view eventually to produce framework conventions” requires more thorough consideration.

This idea directly correlates with our endeavors to achieve a secure world free of nuclear weapons by adopting a comprehensive international umbrella agreement like the anticipated Nuclear Weapons Convention (NWC) accompanied by additional protocols covering the fissile materials cut-off and negative security assurances.

However, we must admit that due to the current political security situation in the world this particular goal cannot be achieved in a short period of time with an adoption of a single treaty.

In our view it would rather require a long-term approach with practical steps and effective disarmament measures to be taken by the international community in a transparent, non-discriminatory, verifiable and irreversible manner to set up a framework of relevant mutually reinforcing legal instruments. The “building blocks approach” could well become a viable option for this purpose.

And last but not least, reaching voluntary, politically binding agreements could certainly constitute a preliminary step ahead of starting the substantive work on key CD’s agenda issues. However it should not become the goal in itself preventing the execution of the Conference’s main task – the negotiation of legally binding treaties.

At the same time we must admit that the confidence in politically binding agreements had been recently compromised. First of all, I mean the breach of the Budapest Memorandum on security assurances to Ukraine by one of its Guarantor states which failed to comply with its international commitments by an overt military intervention and annexation of the integral part of Ukraine - the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, as well as by fueling separatist movements in the Eastern part of my country and providing mercenaries, munitions and training for armed terrorist groups in the regions of Donetsk and Lugansk.

To be frank, the whole truth is that on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the Budapest Memorandum the Russian Federation has violated almost each article of this fundamental document for the whole international security architecture but one (article 5) – using of nuclear weapons against Ukraine.

Given this fact we are confident that there could be no substitute to the internationally legally binding instruments that would assure state’s sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity.

Proceeding from this understanding the President of Ukraine Mr. Petro Poroshenko proclaimed in his inaugural speech that from now on Ukraine will seek the adoption of an international agreement that would replace the Budapest Memorandum. Such agreement must provide direct and reliable guarantees of peace and security - up to military support in case of threat to Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

Mr. President, 

Summing up, I would like to reassure you of my delegation’s full support of endeavors aimed at reinvigorating the work of the Conference on Disarmament - the unique multilateral forum still capable to deliver tangible results despite current challenges.

I thank you.

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