United Nations S/ PV.7886 Security Council Provisional Seventy-second year 7886th meeting Tuesday, 21 February 2017, 10 a.m. New York President: Mr. Klimkin/Mr. Yelchenko ....................... (Ukraine) Members: Bolivia (Plurinational State of) ..................... Mr. Arancibia Fernández China ......................................... Mr. Liu Jieyi Egypt ......................................... Mr. Aboulatta Ethiopia ....................................... Mr. Alemu France ........................................ Mr. Delattre Italy .......................................... Mr. Cardi Japan ......................................... Mr. Bessho Kazakhstan .................................... Mr. Vassilenko Russian Federation ............................... Mr. Iliichev Senegal ....................................... Mr. Seck Sweden ....................................... Ms. Söder United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland .. Mr. Rycroft United States of America .......................... Mrs. Haley Uruguay ....................................... Mr. Rosselli Agenda Maintenance of international peace and security Conflicts in Europe Letter dated 3 February 2017 from the Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General (S/2017/108) This record contains the text of speeches delivered in English and of the translation of speeches delivered in other languages. The final text will be printed in the Official Records of the Security Council. Corrections should be submitted to the original languages only. They should be incorporated in a copy of the record and sent under the signature of a member of the delegation concerned to the Chief of the Verbatim Reporting Service, room U-0506 ([email protected]). Corrected records will be reissued electronically on the Official Document System of the United Nations (http://documents.un.org). 17-04561 (E) *1704561* S/PV.7886 Maintenance of international peace and security 21/02/2017 The meeting was called to order at 10.10 a.m. and whose talent, professionalism and dedication were recognized by all his colleagues. Tribute to the memory of His Excellency The Government of Uruguay offers its sincere Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, Permanent condolences to the family of Mr. Churkin and the Representative of the Russian Federation to Russian Government its sincere condolences for their the United Nations terrible loss. We should have wished to express to Vitaly The President: As members know, yesterday the personnally our great admiration of his professionalism Council adopted a press statement on the passing of the and our pleasure in sharing his experience, knowledge Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation and honest work. to the United Nations (SC/12724). As President of the Mr. Liu Jieyi (China) (spoke in Chinese): China Security Council, I propose that the Council observe is deeply shocked at and regrets the untimely passing a minute of silence in connection with the death of of Ambassador Churkin following a brief illness. We Ambassador Vitaly Churkin. express our deep sorrow at his passing and offer our The members of the Security Council observed a heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family and the minute of silence. Government and the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation. Mr. Iliichev (Russian Federation) (spoke in Russian): The Russian delegation is grateful for the As the Permanent Representative of the Russian warm words and expressions of condolence on Russia’s Federation for over 10 years, Ambassador Churkin irreparable loss of Ambassador Vitaly Churkin. We was an able, experienced and senior diplomat. He have lost an outstanding diplomat, a great professional, made enormous contributions to the United Nations a talented orator and polemicist, and a soulful and and multilateralism. He worked right up to the last kind-hearted person. He had encyclopedic knowledge minute of his life as an exemplar of dedication that he often applied in practice, delving into the finer and professionalism, and was thus an outstanding points of all issues discussed. Working at the forefront representative of diplomats. We are deeply saddened of international diplomacy and occupying the most by his passing, which is a loss for the entire United critical posts, Vitaly Ivanovich defended the positions Nations diplomatic corps. Ambassador Churkin was a of his country for more than 40 years. good friend to many of us present here. He was sincere and kind. Although we mourn his passing, his memory Thanks to his talent and brilliant mind, he often will remain with us forever. He will be deeply missed. found solutions to what seemed to be impossible May he rest in peace. situations. He always sought ways to unify efforts and strike a balance of interests, while carefully listening to China joins with the Russian Federation and other the views of his partners in debates. That is why he was Council members in playing an active role in upholding respected by all who worked with him, even those who multilateralism and the principles and purposes of the may not have agreed with his approach. The hundreds Charter of the United Nations, the maintenance of world of calls and letters of condolence that continue to flow peace and the promotion of common development. into the Russian Mission bear witness to that. Mr. Alemu (Ethiopia): Let me say from the bottom Vitaly Ivanovich will always remain in our memory of my heart that the passing of Ambassador Vitaly as a principled diplomat of the highest calibre, a leader Churkin is a great tragedy, not just for his family and Russia but for the Organization and multilateral who demanded much but also upheld the highest diplomacy, at a time when the United Nations is needed standards. I again thank everyone for their kind words. more than ever. One need not delve into this at length. Mr. Rosselli (Uruguay) (spoke in Spanish): In a These are not normal times. This is a period when we press communiqué issued yesterday, the Government need a person like Vitaly — a patriot for his country, of Uruguay expressed its deepest sorrow over the no doubt, but also a diplomat whom we could trust at passing of Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, Permanent a time when that quality is not found in abundance. He Representative of the Russian Federation to the United would never mislead you and was a person who allowed Nations, noting that he was a highly seasoned diplomat space for mutual accommodation. One thing is very who represented his country responsibly and earnestly clear — he left us a time when people like him are 2/70 17-04561 21/02/2017 Maintenance of international peace and security S/PV.7886 needed the most. On behalf of my Government, I want “The passing of Vitaly Ivanovich, with whom I to express condolences to his family, his colleagues, worked for the past three years in the United Nations, is the United Nations family and the Government of the for me a personal tragedy. It is an intolerable loss for the Russian Federation. whole diplomatic corps. He was an outstanding person, a good friend, a reliable ally and a true professional. Mr. Arancibia Fernández (Plurinational State We shall always remember him. May he rest in peace.” of Bolivia) (spoke in Spanish): I should like at the outset, on behalf of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Mr. Bessho (Japan): I was deeply shocked and to offer our most sincere condolences to the bereaved saddened by the news of the passing of Ambassador family, the Mission of the Russian Federation, the Vitaly Churkin. I happened to meet him on Sunday Government and the people of Russia on the passing of at lunchtime; coincidentally, we we were seated next Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, who was a great exponent to each other at a restaurant. He was with his wife, I of global diplomacy. was with my wife, and we were all very happy at the time. In fact, he had arrived a bit after I did, so I did The Bolivian Mission to the United Nations regrets not realize that he was there. I suddenly heard a voice the loss of one of the most brilliant Ambassadors in saying, Koro, what do you recommend? I looked back our forum — a fervent defender of multilateralism and there was Vitaly, looking happy, looking very well who always managed to build bridges for dialogue and with his usual big smile. and agreement between diverging positions, thereby resolving the most difficult issues, as with the ceasefire We happened to be of the same age, so while a lot agreement in Syria, which was a milestone that would of heated discussions took place in the Chamber and in the consultation room, I always had something that I not have been possible without Ambassador Churkin’s felt for him. He was certainly a great, true, outstanding work and commitment to peace. His principled position diplomat. He worked hard for his country, but at the was also apparent in other situations, such as that in same time we all loved him for his humour and his Palestine and his opposition to neocolonialism. willingness to try to resolve issues. May he rest in Lastly, on behalf of Ambassador Llorentty Solíz, peace. who is travelling and therefore not able to attend today’s Ms. Haley (United States of America): I should like meeting, I extend our most sincere condolences to the to express the deepest condolences of the United States family of Ambassador Churkin. Ambassador Llorentty on the passing of Ambassador Vitaly Churkin. I did not Solíz considered him a brilliant colleague and a close, have the honour of working with Vitaly