X-Captive Nations Recall War

In Ukraine at 71st UN GA Talks

Leaders of Latvia and Estonia reminded the international community of the Russian war in Ukraine during their addresses today during the second day of general debates during the opening of the 71st session of the UN General Assembly.

Below are the relevant excerpts:

Latvia, President Raimonds Vÿjonis

We must remain vigilant and insist that all States abide by their obligations under international law.

Russia has undermined the foundations of international law by changing borders of sovereign States through the use of force.

Latvia together with the international community will continue to stand for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. The illegal annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation will not be recognized and must end. Any discrimination against the Crimean Tatars and ethnic Ukrainians in Crimea requires a firm UN reaction.

The international community must work to facilitate the peaceful resolution of the conflict in the eastern Ukraine. All parties must fulfill their commitments under the Minsk Agreements and make the Minsk process work.

Latvia continues to support Ukraine in its reform process and its humanitarian needs.

Estonia, President Toomas Hendrik Ilives

Certainly the world was more stable then, before the economic crisis, the migration crisis; current conflicts in the wider Middle East or Russia’s aggression against Georgia and Ukraine; before the war on truth and facts that seems to have taken over in many places. Despite our concerns at the time, we lived in a world more stable, where optimism was not yet naivete. Today, in too many parts of this world, we find a conflict either emerging, raging or frozen. Terrorism, always a scourge, dominates our daily headlines in all parts of the world.

Not all of today’s conflicts and crises could have been prevented. Yet the effect of many could have been mitigated had we acted sooner, had the proper mechanisms to resolve them been in place. When I addressed this assembly in the wake of the Russia’s invasion of Georgia in 2008, I warned not to apply international law selectively. International law had been clearly violated, yet little was done. Six years later, in 2014, we saw a repeat performance in Ukraine. Part of a sovereign state was annexed, part turned into a warzone. For the first time since World War II borders in Europe had been changed through use of force. The prohibition on the use of force to change borders lies at the heart of the UN Charter. It was blatantly violated and yet the UN could not make a difference. Russia’s aggression in Ukraine continues.

Territories of Georgia and Ukraine remain occupied by a foreign military, frozen conflicts remain in

Nagorno-Karabakh and Trans-nistria.

X-captive nations must unite to defend themselves against Russian aggression. – TC

Ukraine’s Poroshenko at UNGA Urges Justice,

Development & Security to be Included in SDGs

Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko, addressing the seminal global theme of Sustainable Development Goals from the point of view of a head of state of a country that is defending itself against foreign invasion, called on the international community to include concepts of justice, development and security in the 2030 Agenda.

Speaking at the general debate at the 71st UN General Assembly session today, Poroshenko warned UN member-states that appeasing foreign aggression and terrorists will not bring peace, stability and security to the world. On the other hand, he continued, violators – both “perpetrators and masterminds” – of the UN Charter and global order must be held accountable for their crimes.

“There is a critical need to make our Organization capable of addressing effectively acts of aggression and to bring those responsible to justice. Otherwise, no nation, no UN Member State can enjoy sustainable security and development,” Poroshenko said, echoing the words of Poland’s President Andrzej Duda, expressed yesterday.

Speaking about one of the worst years in recent memory, Poroshenko questioned what makes evil so strong and good so weak nowadays? His tacit reply was acquiescence to injustice.

“But never since the end of the Cold War have international norms and principles been unilaterally defied on such a scale and with such brutality. The Charter of the United Nations – the document underpinning our responsibility for maintaining the world order – has never been questioned. And never has a Security Council member been a major violator of the UN Charter while being at the same time the instigator of, and active participant in, a conflict as well as its mediator. As a result, global instability is no longer a subject of academic debates,” he said. The unspoken instigator of the conflict is Russia.

Poroshenko offered the 193 General Assembly members two choices.

“Either we recognize the problem and spare no efforts to address it on the basis of shared values and principles, or deceive ourselves by the illusion of stability, turn a blind eye to obvious facts and leave the future of the United Nations – this unique platform for common action – at the mercy of one player who blatantly violates the UN Charter.”

However, he continued, if the global community makes the unfortunate mistake of selecting the latter alternative, the world will “face severe disappointment.”

“The price for this short-sightedness has long been known – it is human lives. In the last century, humanity paid an enormous price following two world wars – about 70 million lives. Isn’t it enough?” he said.

He said Ukraine today is a testing ground for a new hybrid form of warfare, which through global ambivalence is spreading around the world. Consequently, he continued, “It is time for the Security Council to go resolutely and effectively into this issue.”

With the UN being on the threshold of electing a new secretary-general, Poroshenko said he hoped he or she “would ready to use decisively all tools at his or her disposal, including those provided under Article 99 of the UN Charter, in case of a threat to peace and security.”

Turning to Russia’s war with Ukraine, Poroshenko said since 2014, his country “has learned from its own tragic experience what foreign-grown terrorism feels like.”

He pointed out that the terrorist component of the undeclared hybrid war is evident.

“Dramatically, it has become a daily routine in the occupied areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine. For over two years of this tragedy, Ukraine has received extensive and irrefutable evidence of direct involvement of Russia, its state agencies and officials in financing, sponsorship, and coordination of terrorist groups which have committed countless crimes against my compatriots.

“The shocking reality is that there is a roughly 38,000-strong illegal military force in Donbas and its large part is regulars and mercenaries from Russia. This force is armed to the teeth by Russia,” Ukraine’s president said.

Accusing Moscow of being fully intent on deceiving the international community about its crime, Poroshenko said that Russia has been denying its military presence in Ukraine at every conceivable forum, including the UN Security Council.

“Today, in response to thousands of available photos, videos, satellite images, eyewitness and other evidence of the Russian military presence in Donbas, Russia only goes over and over again with a cynical recitation ‘We are not there.’

“Russia used to say the same about Crimea. ‘We are not there.’ And then a sham referendum was conducted at the Russian gunpoints. And a few days ago, a contradictory statement by Russian president that Crimea, can you imagine, was annexed in accordance with the UN Charter. Do we really refer to the same Charter?” he said.

In its third year, Poroshenko said, Russia’s aggression against Ukraine “continues bringing pain and suffering to the Ukrainian people” with 2,430 people killed.

“The total death toll of this war in the heart of Europe inflicted on us has amounted to 2,500 military and 7,500 civilian. Altogether 10,000 people. Hundreds of hostages remain in unlawful captivity in Donbas and in Russia,” he continued.

Russia’s war against Ukraine has also touched the lives of Ukrainian children with the taking of hostages who were later seen on videotape being interrogated for allegedly conspiring to commit subversive operations. He urged UNICEF to investigate this occurrence.

Poroshenko emphasized that the Minsk accords have failed to result in peace because Russia continues to violate its provisions. However, he emphasized that Ukraine is fully committed to implementing the tenets of the ceasefire.

He demanded that Russia “set the captives free, stop shooting, withdraw weapons, let the OSCE carry out its mandate and watch over the Ukrainian-Russian border without hindrance, withdraw Russian weaponry as well as regular and irregular military units.”

Occupied Crimea is also enduring Russia’s brutality, Poroshenko said.

“The latest stroke in this picture is the ban by the Russian occupation authorities on the activities of the Mejlis, the self-governing body of the Crimean Tatar people. Add to this the arbitrary detention of Ilmi Umerov, Deputy Head of the Mejlis, in a psychiatric facility for 20 days. In fact, the outrageous practice of punitive psychiatry, which had been widely used by the Soviet repressive machinery, is now back in service for Russia.

“We urge Russia to grant unimpeded access of international human rights organizations to both Crimea and Donbas, and implement the decision of UNESCO Executive Board on establishing monitoring in Crimea at the institutional level,” he said.

Poroshenko urged the UN to protect the rights of the Crimean Tatars while appealing to the member states not to recognize what he called the illegitimate elections in the occupied Ukrainian peninsula.

“If you do recognize them, this will play into the hands of the aggressor and encourage further repressions,” he warned.

The global community also faces the likely possibility that Russia will deploy nuclear weapons in Crimea, which “would destroy the global system of non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and brutally violate Ukraine’s non-nuclear status.”

Despite the hardships that Ukraine is facing, Poroshenko assured his listeners that Ukraine “is fully committed to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, which were adopted by the UN General Assembly last year.”

Turning to a quotation devised 70 years ago by Prime Minister Winston Churchill, one of the founding fathers of the United Nations, at the Westminster College, where he also spoke of an iron curtain descending across Europe, Poroshenko insisted that world leaders must not close their eyes to violations of the UN Charter in order to remove contemporary difficulties and dangers.

“They will not be removed by mere waiting to see what happens; nor will they be removed by a policy of appeasement,” he said.

Poroshenko said "the two giant marauders – war and tyranny,” must be confronted in order to be overcome.

Polish President at UN Recasts 2030 Agenda in Three Pillars

Polish President Andrzej Duda, speaking today on the first day of the general debates at the opening of 71st Session of the UN General Assembly, recast the UN’s iconic 2030 Agenda – the Sustainable Development Goals – into three pillars that emphasized his vision of a just, secure and humane world.

“Sustainable development, human rights protection as well as peace and security – these are the goals pursued by the United Nations whose achievement has been mankind’s yearning,” Duda observed. “These three rules, the free foundations of sustainable development are: responsibility, solidarity and justice.”

Duda elaborated on his vision:

“Responsibility arises from our obligation to take care of the heritage that we are going to leave to our children and grandchildren. How we are going to be remembered by them and what they are going to write about us in history books. Responsibility is underpinned by the conviction that history does neither begin nor end here and now – but is a succession of generations, destinies and commitments. Responsibility understood this way pertains nowadays especially to social issues and natural environment. Responsible development is a development which cares.”

“Solidarity. This concept is particularly close to the Polish people who led by the social movement bearing this name (Solidarność) carried out a peaceful political transformation a quarter of a century ago, rejecting the system founded on lie and enslavement. What has given the Polish Solidarity its durable foundations to rely on, was a community of sensitivity to the misfortune of other people and respect to any man, regardless of his or her origin or financial situation.

“The third pillar of sustainable development is justice. A just and equitable order as an order in which the sustainable development model can be delivered, is founded on observance of human rights and law of nations. Individual freedom, dignity of human person and inviolability of his or her life, as well as freedom of conscience and religion - these are constituents of the catalogue of inalienable human rights which nowadays call for particular protection. There are by far too many sites worldwide where freedom is constrained by an oppressive political system; where human dignity is violated, and also man's most fundamental right: the right to life is encroached upon.”

In his image, Duda sees a close interdependence among development, human rights and freedoms, while making a direct connection between respect for human rights and the right to life.

“Only respect of human rights, not only the political ones but also social, economic and cultural, allows to fully harness human potential, and eventually, to the implementation of sustainable development model. Nevertheless, it must be remembered that all human rights are derived from the most fundamental one: the right to life,” Duda said.

Contrary to the Polish representative’s address last year, this year Duda only once referred to Ukraine, when he spoke about the hideous refugee consequence of the war in Ukraine. He said Poland has acted out of its sense of solidarity by increasing its “humanitarian and development aid in the Middle East region and to the East. In our efforts to build peace and sustainable development we set great store by education of children and young people. My country has been and will continue to be an active advocate of solidarity in the international arena.”

Duda also refrained from mentioning Russia when he spoke about aggressor states and invaders but was not short of condemning aggressors and invaders. However, he seemed to allude to Russia’s war against Ukraine and its occupation of Crimea.

“Today, I wish to reiterate in most clear terms: we must abide by the rules which is expressed by a Roman paremia: Ex injuria jus non oritur – ‘law is not born from lawlessness.’ No aggressor has right to the territory occupied by him. We reject the system in which it is politics of force and aggression that predetermines destinies of nations,” he said.

Aggression violates a nation’s right to a peaceful, stable and secure existence, and the aggressor must be held accountable for its transgressions, Duda said. Otherwise, bilateral and global confidence will be undermined, he added.

“The effectiveness of global action in this regard shall depend on international solidarity and concerted action between our states. In the meantime, any act of aggression which encroaches on international commitments undermines mutual trust among states and societies. It undermines the order, which was so strenuously built in the wake of World War 2.

“That is why it is so crucially important to make sure that the policy of force would each time meet with a decisive opposition of the international community. In order for the law to be effective, any violation thereof must trigger off execution of consequent measures.”

Duda concluded by emphasizing that “responsibility, solidarity and justice: these are the pillars on which Poland would like to build international community for sustainable development of free nations and equal states.”

Free World’s Boredom will be Its Downfall

Russia’s war against Ukraine has entered its 31^st month and Europe and the free world is showing more and more signs of frustration, boredom and exhaustion.

Russia is continuing its military advances against sovereign Ukraine with its own regular armies and armaments as well as its separatist-terrorists. Moscow is pursuing its latest expression of unbounded imperialism as it strives to recover its imperial glory with impunity.

In the wake of this, the free world and Euro-Atlantic political and military structures are at a loss what to do about it. The Minsk truce is a failure. Economic sanctions against the Russian leadership haven’t halted Moscow’s invasion. Negotiations and pleas have been ridiculed by Putin and his junta.

Without anywhere to turn, some global leaders have begun begging Kyiv to stop the fighting while urging a return to normal relations with Russia in the hopes that everything will be alright.

Nothing has worked and the Russian war against continues. Civilians are killed, more than a million Ukrainians have been turned into refugees and human rights are violated.

I have written in previous Torn Curtain 1991 blogs that Europe’s ennui and favoritism for Russia will send a signal to the Kremlin that what it’s doing is okay with the international community. Such a mindset will consequently lead Russian leadership to continue pushing its borders farther west through the former captive nations and old Europe. It will give Putin the opportunity to fulfill what Soviet Communists and tsars failed to accomplish – global domination.

Indeed, Europe has evolved into a pretentious group of countries with self-anointed visions of grandeur and holier-than-thou temperaments. It has tired of having to deal with Ukraine. Russia’s war against Ukraine has tested European leaders’ patience beyond their limited thresholds of tolerance.

But Europe’s irrepressible, gaping yawn will endanger Ukraine but not only. It will also pave the way to Europe’s demise at the hands of a stalking, belligerent Russia.

Geoffrey R. Pyatt, former US ambassador to Ukraine, a staunch advocate of Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and indivisibility, had elaborated in an interview that I cited in my blog that Kyiv faces the threat of what he described as “Ukraine fatigue” from its fair-weather (my description) European allies.

Turning to those that want to resume so-called normal relations with Russia, Linas Linkevičius, Lithuanian minister of foreign affairs, has been one of the outspoken critics of the free world’s political myopia. In an article in EurActiv he chastised the free world for paying too much attention to not provoking Russia. Linkevičius warned about the dangers of acting in a “pragmatic and responsible manner” with Russia.

“With Russian actions in Georgia, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, areas of the sovereign country were occupied. The protests of the international community, NATO and the EU were forgotten within several months and the ‘pragmatic and responsible’ position had the upper hand, i.e. cooperation with Russia was going on as usual. Russia did not ask for anything; it was the West that took the role as usual because ‘isolation is harmful, not profitable,’ etc.,” Linkevičius wrote.

Today, too, with Russia invading Ukraine and occupying Crimea and eastern oblasts, the free world is choosing narrow-minded pragmatic and responsible actions such as sanctions while other activities that will isolate Russia or ban it from the global table have not been enacted. Business goes on as usual.

Many countries feign deafness with regards to Russian explicit and implicit threats.

In a September 17 article in EuroActiv, Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, Ukraine’s First Vice-Prime Minister for the European and Euro-Atlantic integration of Ukraine, warned of the impending doom that will shatter Europe’s peace if it fails to shake off its feeling of frustration. She pressed European leaders to unite with Ukraine and the other x-captive nations in subduing Russian aggression.

“It is very important for us that Europe is united against Russian aggression,” Klympush-Tsintsadze said in an interview that appeared in EuroActiv. “I do not like to hear comments from some European countries, who place the two camps [of the conflict in the east of the country] on an equal footing, suggesting that they are equally responsible. Because there is just one attacker, and Ukraine is the victim.

“I would like to see more unity and responsibility in the West. Crimea was annexed illegally.”

She also counseled against believing Russian promises regarding the Minsk ceasefire accords and even nuclear non-proliferation. Can the free world trust Russian signatures when Moscow doesn’t live up to its commitments in the Budapest Memorandum, she asked.

Today I received a statement signed by 35 European politicians and intellectuals in which they caution the free world against displaying “tiredness of being conscientious.” Indeed, Europe has been known throughout history as demonstrating strength, unity and single-mindedness in vanquishing tyrants, such as Adolf Hitler. However, its change of heart now endangers mankind.

They wrote:

“The exhaustion from the incessant stream of threats could have been predicted.  But now that exhaustion has become a danger:  it provokes a moral alienation, allowing us to compromise with truthfulness.  That is why Europe is being overwhelmed by populism with its very simple responses to complex issues.  This is why xenophobia and chauvinism emerge as a defense mechanism against foreigners.  This is why it becomes easier to hide from problems, to avoid the additional responsibilities, to look inward.  This turns to self-isolation.

“Russia's war against Ukraine, the occupation of the Crimea, the armed intervention in the Donbas, tens of thousands of victims, 1,500,000 internally displaced refugees belong to those problems from which a European philistine wants to hide behind the screen of exhaustion. Daily Russian diversions, provocations and blackmail no longer appall a portion of the European polity. They have become accustomed to this war. The routine dulls empathy; indifference levels the victim and the aggressor.

“But Russia's war against Ukraine continues. The aggression continues.”

They signatories pointed out that as Russia’s war in Ukraine continues and exhausts slowly, European exhaustion is the Russia’s strongest ally, “who with arms in hand violates world order.”

They condemned this dangerous exhaustion and calls for a return to business as usual with Russia, saying “this is a horrifying self-illusion and self-deception. Life in Europe has changed. One of the main reasons is the attempt of foreign aggression to inject onto the very values, sense and style of life in Europe. No attempt to hide in one’s one home will return the previous comfort.”

Their concluding appeal to the free world sounded like this:

“We call on all thinking people of our joint European community to show solidarity and to find the strength to stand against the threats of self-isolation, xenophobia and populism, which will dismember Europe.

“And Europe needs to fight with all its strength from an exhaustion of its conscience as an exhaustion of itself.

 “Let’s not be afraid of the future.  Let’s create it together.”

The statement was signed by the following:

Vytautas Landsbergis, the first Head of the renewed state of Lithuania

Valdas Adamkus, President of the Republic of Lithuania (1998-2003, 2004-2009)

Aleksander Kwasniewski, President of the Republic of Poland (1995-2005), Honorary Doctor of the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy

Algirdas Saudargas, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania (1990-1992, 1996-2000)

Petras Vaitiekūnas, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania (2006-2008)

Audronius Azubalis, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Lithuanian Republic (2010-2012 

Antanas Valionis, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Lithuanian Republic (2000-2001)

Uffe Elleman-Jensen, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Denmark (1982-1993) 

Juri Luik, Minister for Foreign Affairs (1994-1995) and Minister of Defense (1999-2002) of Estonia

Jon Baldvin Hannibalsson, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iceland (1988-1995) 

Karel Schwarzenberg, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic (2007-2009, 2010-2013) 

Sir Malcolm Rifkind, Foreign Secretary (1995-1997) and Defense Secretary (1992-1995) of the United Kingdom 

Adam Michnik, Founder and editor-in-chief of Gazeta Wyborcza newspaper, Honorary Professor of the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy

Adam Rotfeld, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Poland (2005) 

Vyacheslav Briukhovetsky, Honorary President of the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, member of “The First of December” Initiative Group

Bohdan Hawrylyshyn, member of the Club of Rome, founding member of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Honorary Professor of the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, member of "The First of December" Initiative Group

Lubomyr Cardinal Husar, Major Archbishop Emeritus of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, member of “The First of December” Initiative Group 

Ivan Dziuba, former dissident, literary critic, member of Ukraine’s National Academy of Sciences, Honorary Professor of the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, member of “The First of December” Initiative Group 

Yevhen Zakharov, former dissident, human rights activist, member of “The First of December” Initiative Group

Myroslav Marynovych, former dissident, philosopher, human rights activist, Vice-Rector of the Ukrainian Catholic University, member of “The First of December” Initiative Group

Volodymyr Panchenko, literary critic, member of “The First of December” Initiative Group 

Myroslav Popovych, philosopher, director of the Ukraine’s Skovoroda Institute of Philosophy, Honorary Professor of the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, member of Ukraine's National Academy of Sciences, member of “The First of December” Initiative Group 

Vadym Skurativskyi, philosopher, culturologist, member of “The First of December” Initiative Group

Yuri Shcherbak, writer, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine, member of “The First of December” Initiative Group 

Ihor Yukhnovskyi, the first Leader of the democratic People's Rada in the Parliament of Ukraine (1990 – 1994), scientist, member of Ukraine's National Academy of Sciences, member of “The First of December” Initiative Group

Ivan Vasyunyk, Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine (2007-2010), chief of the secretariat of “The First of December” Initiative Group

Danylo Lubkivsky, Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine (2014) 

Volodymyr Viatrovych, historian, head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance

Josyf Zisels, former dissident, head of the Association of Jewish Organizations and Communities in Ukraine 

Volodymyr Ohryzko, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine (2007-2009) 

Yuriy Makarov, journalist, writer 

Olena Styazhkina, historian, writer, member of the Ukrainian PEN-Centre 

Oksana Zabuzhko, writer 

Audrius Siaurusevicius, Director General of the Lithuanian National Radio and Television 

Ramūnas Bogdanas, former advisor to Mr. Vytautas Landsbergis as the first head of state of Lithuania

Is this the free world’s last chance to save itself from Russian global domination? Does the free world want to succumb to its exhaustion, frustration and boredom, and abandon Ukraine to Russia’s aggression?