PRESS RELEASE : It is not a good use of time for the Security Council to prejudge the outcome of Nord Stream investigations – UK statement at the Security Council [September 2023]

Thank you Madam President and thank you to the briefers for their perspectives.

Madam President, the international community remains rightfully concerned about the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines. We’ve repeatedly condemned this attack and we all want clear answers.

That’s why we support the national investigations of Germany, Denmark, and Sweden to determine who is responsible.

In July, Germany, Denmark and Sweden offered a detailed update on the progress of their investigations. That update highlighted the unprecedented nature of the sabotage, and the subsequent complexity of the investigative processes.

We understand these investigations will take time and we have full confidence in their impartiality and integrity.

As we have said before, we do not believe it is a good use of our time for the Security Council to start to prejudge the outcome of these investigations, dictate how they are conducted, or otherwise undermine them.

We, and fellow Council members, should continue to offer our full support to these investigations so that we can establish who was responsible.

President, before I finish, let us pause for a moment on the fact that it wasRussia who called this meeting.

Russia is claiming it is concerned about the destruction of civilian infrastructure – so much so that it seeks to commemorate the anniversary of this attack.

Yet we all know that almost every single day of the year is an anniversary of a deliberate Russian attack on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.

We have seen the systematic bombing of Ukrainian energy and port infrastructure, we have seen over 480 Russian attacks on schools and hospitals and 120 attacks on religious sites.

And beyond infrastructure – what of the lives of civilians themselves? At least 9,614 civilians have been killed and seventeen and a half thousand more injured in Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine.

So as we listen to Russia today, let us not forget what they are doing, deliberately and as a matter of policy.

Let us also not forget the callous disregard Russia showed for civilians and civilian infrastructure in Aleppo, Homs and Damascus when they vetoed nine Council resolutions aimed at ending the Assad regime’s indiscriminate bombing of hospitals and schools.

And let us not forget that while Russia repeatedly brings briefers to the Council from the West who are free to attack Western governments they systematically lock up anyone who dares to criticise the Russian government position at home.

Madam President, Russia’s hypocrisy today is nothing new but it bears repeating, if they are seriously concerned about civilian infrastructure they must cease their relentless attacks and ensure accountability for the appalling destruction and suffering they have caused.

Thank you.