A group of states in defense of the UN Charter, which along with Russia, in particular, includes Venezuela, Iran, China, North Korea, Cuba, Nicaragua and Syria, appealed to the UN Secretary General to demand the lifting of unilateral sanctions that impede the efforts of states to combat the spread of coronavirus. This is stated in a statement published on the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

“Russia has consistently opposed the use of unilateral restrictions, which run counter to the norms of international law and cause significant damage to the socio-economic development of states. We presume that in the context of the rapid spread of infection, the question of removing such barriers is of particular relevance, including with a view to providing the countries affected by the restrictions with the necessary medical supplies, ”the diplomatic department notes.

The Foreign Ministry also believes that international restrictions imposed earlier by the UN Security Council should not be a "brake on the fight against a pandemic."

“Sanctions regimes of the Security Council provide for exceptions and exceptions of a humanitarian nature. It is necessary that these safety mechanisms work smoothly and do not fail due to the politicized installations of individual states, ”the department noted.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin came up with the initiative to lift sanctions against COVID-19-affected countries at the G20 virtual summit. He proposed the creation of “green corridors”, free from trade wars and restrictive measures, for the mutual supply of medicines, food, equipment and technology.

“In this regard, the head of the Russian state voiced the idea of ​​introducing a joint moratorium on restrictions on essential goods, as well as financial transactions for their purchases,” the Russian Foreign Ministry notes.

A few days before the G20 summit, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in his letter, urged G20 leaders to lift the sanctions restrictions that hinder the supply of food and medical supplies amid the spread of coronavirus. He also emphasized that in this situation, states should be in solidarity with each other.

  • Coat of arms of the United Nations
  • Reuters
  • © Carlo Allegri

Urgent revision of sectoral sanctions against countries that are faced with the problem of COVID-19, called on the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet. She noted that restriction could have disastrous consequences for the health system and a violation of human rights.

“In the context of a global pandemic, barriers to medical care in one country only increase the risk for each of us,” she said in a message posted on the UN website.

Justified call

Recall that the outbreak of COVID-19 was recorded in the Chinese city of Wuhan at the end of December 2019. Currently, outside of China, the disease has been reported in patients in more than 190 countries. On March 11, the World Health Organization announced the coronavirus pandemic. According to the data of Johns Hopkins University, as of March 28, a total of more than 600 thousand people had the disease confirmed, more than 28 thousand people had died. The United States came to first place in the world in the number of cases, more than 100 thousand cases of infection were detected there. In Europe, Italy remains the leader in terms of the number of infected people (about 86 thousand cases), followed by Spain (over 72 thousand), Germany (more than 53 thousand) and France (about 33 thousand).

According to experts, in such an extremely unfavorable epidemiological situation, all countries of the world should come to the realization of the need to lift unilateral sanctions.

“It is very important to remove restrictions in a situation of such a global challenge as coronavirus, when it is necessary to create maximum conditions for protecting the population of certain countries,” Vladimir Shapovalov, deputy director of the Institute of History and Politics of the Moscow State Pedagogical University, emphasized in an interview with RT.

He called the call of the international community justified, because every day sanctions against certain countries "take a large number of lives in a pandemic."

Political analyst Alexander Asafov, in turn, noted in a conversation with RT that the “introduction of green corridors” that Vladimir Putin spoke about could “significantly help” countries in the fight against COVID-19.

Pandemic Restrictions

At the same time, as analysts note, the call to lift sanctions restrictions is aimed primarily at the United States and other Western countries.

Thus, according to the head of the Federal Bundestag Committee on Economics and Energy Klaus Ernst, the sanctions policy of Washington against the backdrop of a pandemic is unacceptable.

“Instead of negotiating mutual compromises and thus contributing to the peaceful world community, the US is trying through a policy of sanctions to impose its will unilaterally on others and put them at a disadvantage in favor of the US economy,” Ernst told RIA Novosti, commenting on the situation. around possible new measures against Russia.

  • Bundestag meeting on the spread of coronavirus infection (COVID-19), March 25, 2020
  • Reuters
  • © Axel Schmidt

We will remind, earlier the American newspaper The Wall Street Journal reported that the White House is considering introducing sanctions restrictions against the Russian Federation in order to achieve "stabilization of oil prices."

In addition, according to Ernst, Washington’s attempts to impose their interests unilaterally for the sake of economic benefit are “irresponsible and take lives”, in particular in Iran and Syria, which are suffering from a shortage of medical supplies, including drugs, due to restrictions.

“The lifting of sanctions, and not their extension, is what is required at the moment. And I really hope that the German government and the rest of the EU will come to realize this fact, ”said the head of the Bundestag committee.

Russia previously also called on the United States to abandon sanctions against Iran amid the situation with COVID-19. This was stated by Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. According to him, Washington realizes that its policy seriously limits Tehran’s ability to combat the coronavirus, but ignores this in pursuit of its geopolitical goals.

Recall, on March 20, the Iranian representative to the UN said that the country's efforts "to identify cases of infection and treat patients, as well as effectively prevent the spread of the virus are blocked by American economic and medical terrorism and sanctions."

“By limiting our ability to prevent the further spread of coronavirus (including to other countries), inhumane and illegal US sanctions harm the health and lives of citizens of both Iran and other countries. In other words, while the United States is trying to keep the virus at home, it also contributes to its spread in the rest of the world, limiting the capabilities of professionals in specific countries affected by the virus, who are trying to fight a pandemic in their country, ”the document says.

It is worth noting that the United States, despite the pandemic, continues to expand sanctions restrictions, in particular against Russia, Iran, Syria and Iraq.

“Activate pressure”

According to Vladimir Shapovalov, the sanctions of the United States and its allies “flagrantly violate” the UN Charter and the norms of the World Trade Organization.

“But the United States and other Western states are members of the UN Security Council and the WTO. A large number of deaths from coronavirus are already on the conscience of Western countries, since the sanctions regime creates serious barriers to the provision of medical care and the purchase of necessary medicines. At the same time, Washington artificially creates a situation of humanitarian catastrophe, and its allies follow this fairway, ”the expert said.

The expert predicted that from the United States and other Western countries there would be “no direct reaction” to calls from the international community to lift unilateral sanctions.

“The same policy will continue. Moreover, the US will try to use this pandemic situation to deliver even more blows to countries under their pressure, because in this situation they are in a vulnerable position, ”the analyst said.

Alexander Asafov also believes that, despite the need to unite countries around the world to face new challenges, the United States and its allies are not ready to take such a step.

“They do not want to change the logic of their foreign policy, to give up economic pressure. Let me remind you of the attitude of the American side as a whole towards the UN, including regular threats from Washington on the cessation of the activities of this organization. The call to lift unilateral sanctions will also not be heard. On the contrary, the Americans are intensifying their pressure on opponents through restriction, using various reasons for this, including the same coronavirus infection, ”the expert said.

Analysts also agree that with their aggressive actions in the context of the spread of the coronavirus, Washington and its allies "threaten the security of the whole world."

“After all, the virus knows no boundaries, and the situation in one country can directly affect the state of affairs in another. Moreover, Western states led by the United States risk the lives of their own citizens, but this does not stop them - a cynical policy takes over for the sake of realizing their own goals and strengthening their positions, ”Shapovalov concluded.