Thank you, Madame President.

The Netherlands aligns itself with the statement by the European Union, and in addition I would like to make the following remarks in my national capacity.

Madame President, I thank you for convening this plenary session of the Conference on Disarmament, which is very timely. My delegation commends your leadership in managing the Conference on Disarmament in such a graceful way; please be assured of  the full support of my delegation in these challenging times.

Madame President,

Let me start by referring to the speech delivered by the Netherlands’ Foreign Minister, Wopke Hoekstra, at the High Level segment of the CD on Tuesday (1 March 2022) in which he stated that dialogue and diplomacy is the only way forward and that the Conference on Disarmament is crucial to this process. The world needs this forum and needs it especially today.

However, we cannot ignore the geopolitical reality.

Russia’s unwarranted, unprovoked, and illegal invasion of Ukraine is an outrageous violation of international law, including international humanitarian law,  and of Ukrainian sovereignty. The Netherlands condemns this invasion in the strongest possible terms.

Russia’s actions are an attack on the rules-based order that is the very foundation of our security. The UN Charter was written precisely to prevent a military invasion like the one Russia is undertaking as we speak.

Russia is not only violating international law, it is also violating the basic principles of human co-existence. At the cost of many lives with unknown consequences ahead of us.

There are several credible reports about Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilians and even the use of cluster bombs and thermobaric weapons. The Netherlands strongly condemns attacks on civilian targets and the use of cluster munition by any actor at any time.

We are deeply concerned about the humanitarian crisis that is unfolding, resulting in untold suffering for the Ukrainian people, and in large flows of refugees moving from Ukraine to Poland and other neighbouring states. The Netherlands stands ready to support the victims of the war in Ukraine.

The Netherlands commends the strength, courage and resilience of the people of Ukraine, defending their sovereignty, democracy and freedom. We call upon all states to show Ukraine and the Ukrainian people that they are not alone.

In the strong conviction that we do not want to live in a world where might is right, we need to turn our collective anger into collective diplomatic responses. To protect the lives and rights of innocent people. And to protect the legal frameworks aimed at securing peace, justice and human rights.

The perpetrators of the crimes should realize that they are being watched, followed and will be identified. They should realize that evidence is being compiled with a view to their prosecution.

The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has already indicated that the ICC may exercise jurisdiction and investigate any act of genocide, any crime against humanity, and any war crime committed in Ukraine since 20 February 2014.

The Netherlands also strongly supports the initiative in the Human Rights Council to establish a UN mandate focused on investigation and the collection of evidence. We need to end impunity and ensure full accountability.

We are encouraged that the UNGA resolution on the Aggression against Ukraine received tremendous support, with a voting result of 141 in favour. It is a clear signal that Russia is further isolated.

Peace and stability will only be possible if the Russian Federation pulls back its military forces, fully respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and returns to the path of diplomacy.

We call on Russia to de-escalate and to immediately lower the  alert level of its nuclear forces to pre-war levels. As all nuclear armed states of the NPT reiterated this January: a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought.  In the interest of all humanity, Russia should heed its commitments and immediately cease this nuclear brinkmanship.

We also condemn the involvement of Belarus in this aggression against Ukraine. We call on Belarus to abide by its international obligations, also as a non-nuclear weapon State under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Our work on nuclear risk reduction is more important than ever. We need to continue this worldwide dialogue. In this light, it is of utmost importance that the NPT Review Conference take place as soon as possible, wherever that may be.