Mereja Forum

[Zmeselo]

[Temt]

Statement Delivered by Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Osman Saleh at The Group of Friends in Defense of the UN Charter
Sep 23, 2022



Excellencies,
Distinguished Colleagues,

It gives me great honor to convey to you the warm brotherly greetings of H.E. Isaias Afwerki, President of the State of Eritrea, who wished us all success in our deliberations. I would also like to congratulate the Group for this Third Ministerial Meeting and the Political Declaration before us. My deepest gratitude further goes to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela who successfully steered our works and for graciously hosting us at its esteemed Mission.

Excellencies,

In a period of time when the lofty ideals of the UN Charter are being blatantly dented and unilateral coercive measures, as opposed to multilateral principles, have become the norm, the Third Ministerial Meeting of our Group of Friends in the Defense of the UN Charter signifies both practical and symbolic importance. Sovereign equality of nations – small or big; poor or rich –, as envisioned in the UN Charter, has been severely undermined by unilateral coercive measures, unwarranted sanctions and interventions. These illegal acts do not only erode the Charter fundamentals, but they are also intended to subdue nations, foment chaos, and impoverish societies. As a spill-over effect, the spirals of assorted conflicts, including proxy wars, geopolitical tensions, terrorism, cross-border crimes, and so on are jeopardizing regional and international peace and stability. Apparently, these legacies of the ‘uni-polar’ global order are sliding us into another cycle of a ‘cold war’ theatre.

Startlingly, acute inequalities, exacerbated by the Covid pandemic, are also hitting the roof and millions have been forced into a destitute state. Besides, the dangers of climate change are hideously inflicting human and socio-economic calamities.

Excellencies,

It is against these injustices and daunting collective challenges that the vision and actions of our Group of Friends need to be cogently articulated and executed. Above and beyond, the sacrosanct tenets that constitute the UN Charter and international law namely, sovereign equality, independence, territorial integrity, and non-interference – should be resolutely upheld. The core purposes of the Charter –international peace and security, development, and human rights – equally remain crucial and indispensable in realizing the collective aspirations of humanity. Thus, the existing global order and its institutional architecture – as unfair as it is designed – need sweeping and comprehensive reform. And to this end, a conspicuous vision and coordinated actions are plausible imperatives in laying a level-playing field, whereby the intergovernmental and multilateral nature of any UN processes are ensured.

Excellencies,

Within the one-year period, our Group of Friends has managed to galvanize the requisite groundwork for future collective endeavors, wherein the level of commitment and goodwill of member States is of essential imperative. While assessing past undertakings and sketching plans, thus, it is vital to embrace a more ambitious and achievable action plan that addresses and counters existing and evolving challenges. In this regard, a qualitative expansion of our membership is needed to strengthen and deepen the works of the Group. However, any numerical increase should not temper the core principles and purposes that the Group was established for. Besides, coordination of activities needs to be equally operationalized in all chapters where multilateral fora are situated.

Finally, I would like to assure you that Eritrea remains steadfastly committed to upholding the objectives of our Group of Friends and looks forward to the first meeting of the ‘National Coordinators’ to be held in Tehran in November.

Thank You!!

[Temt]

Statement of the Delegation of Eritrea to the 51st Session of the UNHRC
Sep 23, 2022



Delivered by Adem Osman, Chargé d’affaires of the Embassy and Permanent Mission of Eritrea in Geneva.

Thank you, Mr. President.

Eritrea would like to reiterate its principled position that States shoulder the primary responsibility to safeguard human rights and to address challenges if any.

The dire security and human rights challenges that we witness today in Ethiopia are the consequence of the unprovoked and premeditated war unleashed by the Tigray Peoples’ Liberation Front on the Northern Command of the Federal Forces of Ethiopia in the first week of November 2020 as well as the subsequent offensives that it launched in the Amhara and Afar Regions in the period thereafter. These reckless and deplorable military attacks with the rampant use of child soldiers were characterized by wanton pillage, destruction of property, and egregious atrocities. Unfortunately, the present report largely ignores the heinous crimes committed by TPLF in what has become a familiar pattern to whitewash its crimes while shifting the blame to its primary victims to advance ulterior political agendas.

The report is indeed at variance with the facts on the ground and the alleged human rights conclusions are unsubstantiated or misplaced, at best.

The accusations that the Eritreans National Defense Forces have committed grave crimes and that Eritrea has exacerbated the situation are simply untenable and peddled for the political purposes mentioned above. It is also incompatible with the historical track record of established norms and discipline that characterized the conduct of its combatants and army in the imposed wars that it had to grapple with in previous decades.

Finally, we strongly reject the recommendations and in particular; the malicious trend to link and refer the UNHRC session to the UN Security Council.


I thank you.