Adoption of Yemen 2140 Sanctions Committee on Yemen and its Panel of Experts [PoE]

(February 28, 2022; 1000 hrs/2040 IST)

Mr. President,

We welcome the adoption of the resolution to extend the mandate of the 2140 Committee and the Panel of Experts supporting the Committee. India attaches great importance to the work of the Committee and the Panel of Experts and, hence, we have voted in favour of the resolution.

2. This Council has reiterated, through this resolution, an unequivocal condemnation of the cross-border terrorist attacks on Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, particularly those targeting innocent civilians and civilian infrastructure, and has demanded the immediate cessation of such attacks. We welcome the Council’s action to hold Ansarallah accountable for its acts through the imposition of an arms embargo on the Group.

3. It is clear that both the conflict in Yemen and the cross-border attacks are being fueled by the continued supply of arms and weapons in clear violation of the Council’s targeted arms embargo. In this regard, we support the resolution’s call to enhance maritime cooperation in the region and strengthen the Yemeni Coast Guard to effectively detect and prevent violations of the arms embargo. We also underline the need to address the increasing threat emanating from Yemen to safe navigation of commercial ships and merchant vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Such attacks have implications for the overall maritime security in the region and must be deterred. This Council’s affirmation that such acts could constitute a designation criterion can contribute to this deterrence. The Resolution has also explicitly demanded the immediate release of the crew of vessel Rwabee, which includes seven Indian nationals held in illegal detention since January 2022.

Mr. President,

4. As country with strong civilizational ties with Yemen, India is pained to witness the continued sufferings of the people of Yemen due to the ongoing protracted conflict. We reiterate our call to all parties of the conflict to renounce military confrontation and make concrete efforts towards establishing enduring peace. I reaffirm India’s steadfast commitment to a Yemeni-led and Yemeni-owned political process with the goal of achieving an inclusive and peacefully negotiated settlement to the conflict.

I thank you.

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