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The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 5 June 2025.

Statement by Caroline Quinn, UK Deputy Political Coordinator, at the UN Security Council meeting on Syria.

Let me start by welcoming the strong commitment of the Syrian government to turn the page of history. We applaud Syria’s determination to ensure once and for all that the Assad era chemical weapons programme is destroyed.

The UK is greatly encouraged by Syria’s operational and logistical support to the deployments carried out by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, including access to sites and people, and by Syria’s commitment to engage with the international community.

We also welcome the OPCW Technical Secretariat’s deployments to Syria in March and April. The persistence and professionalism shown by OPCW staff in Syria has been exceptional. As has the consistently high quality of the Technical Secretariat’s work on this important file in a very challenging technical environment.

Important progress has been made towards setting up OPCW offices in Syria and the collection and analysis of samples.

These are vital steps towards Syria’s full implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention and UN Security Council resolution 2118, which the Assad regime so flagrantly violated.

There is, however, President, much more work to do in a difficult operational environment.

Due to the secrecy and complexity of Assad’s illegal chemical weapons programme, the precise extent of the challenge ahead is still unknown.

Allow me to make three brief points.

Firstly, both the Syrian government and the OPCW will need to be operationally agile to address any proliferation or health risks found in inspecting sites of concern.

The OPCW’s role is vital. As mandated by the Chemical Weapons Convention and by resolution 2118, the OPCW must verify the Syrian-led declaration and destruction of any remaining elements of Assad’s chemical weapons programme.

Secondly, to achieve this, the OPCW will need technical, financial and logistical assistance from the international community.

The OPCW has provided States Parties with its estimated costs for its work in Syria.

The UK has already provided more than $1 million to the OPCW Syria Missions to support their immediate work and will look to provide further assistance.

We join High Representative Nakamitsu in encouraging others to also provide the necessary resources. In particular, President, we welcome Qatar’s role in representing Syria at the OPCW in The Hague.

Finally, military action by neighbouring states risks delaying OPCW deployments as well as the preservation of evidence at chemical weapons sites. We therefore urge Israel to de-escalate their actions in Syria.

President, we have a historic opportunity to rid Syria of Assad’s chemical weapons.

Let us do our part to support Syria and the OPCW, to enable the new Syrian government to finally close the file on the scourge of chemical weapons use, and on this dark chapter in Syria’s history.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 5 June 2025.

UK and Canada thank the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities for his active start in the role and urge continued prioritisation of support for Ukraine against Russian aggression.

Thank you, Mister Chair.  I am delivering this statement on behalf of Canada and the UK.

High Commissioner, dear Christophe, welcome back to the Permanent Council.  Since this is your first report in this capacity, allow us officially to congratulate you on your appointment and for hitting the ground running.  You have had a very active start to your tenure, as demonstrated by your comprehensive report today.

The UK and Canada are strong supporters of your mandate and the work of your office in promoting the rights of persons belonging to national minorities.

We commend your extensive engagement with – and visits to – a number of our participating States, including Moldova and Central Asia.  We welcome the transparency around your activities, which you have achieved without undermining the “quiet diplomacy” that is an important characteristic of your mandate.

The UK and Canada greatly value your Office’s continued attention to the intersectionality of gender and national minorities.  It is in all our interests that we fully support women’s and girls’ full, equal and meaningful participation in all aspects of public life, including in peace and security.  We agree with you, High Commissioner, that greater gender equality in societies contributes to greater comprehensive security for us all.

We also welcome that you have prioritised support to Ukraine, including an early visit.  We commend the strides that the Ukrainian authorities have made in strengthening the legal and policy frameworks for protecting national minorities and preparing the ground for inclusive education reforms.  This progress provides a promising foundation for Ukraine’s post-conflict recovery.

High Commissioner, your office plays a crucial role which is as important today as it was when created more than 30 years ago. But like most of the OSCE’s tools, it can only play this role when the political will exists to permit it.

The situation in Ukraine is a case in point.  Your predecessor noted prior to the full-scale invasion that Ukraine was “working to maintain the delicate balance between the interests and rights of all groups in society”.  Rather than engage in good faith dialogue, Russia has weaponised the issue of minorities. And the irony is that those Ukrainians who Russia claimed to be protecting, have suffered greatly from its invasion.

The UK and Canada support your office’s continued focus on the situation in the areas of Ukraine’s sovereign territory temporarily under Russian control.  We condemn Russia’s systematic attempt to erase Ukrainian identity in these areas, including forced passportisation and the deportation of children.  The deeply concerning situation in Crimea, including widescale repression of Crimean Tatars, has been well documented by numerous independent organisations.

High Commissioner, dear Christophe, we thank you and your team for your considerable efforts in the period covered by your report.  You can rely on the UK and Canada’s continued support for your institution in the years ahead.  Thank you.

And thank you, Mister Chair.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 5 June 2025.

Ambassador Holland calls out Russia’s latest tactics to frustrate efforts to end its war in Ukraine while trying to convince the world it is serious about peace. He confirms that the Kremlin’s delay tactics will only redouble the UK’s resolve to support Ukraine to secure a just and lasting peace.

Thank you, Mister Chair.  The UK welcomes the second round of bilateral negotiations that took place earlier this week in Istanbul.  We thank Türkiye for again hosting the discussions and the United States for creating the momentum that got everybody to this point.  The agreement to a further large-scale prisoner exchange and the return of fallen soldiers is a further step towards building confidence.

We regret, however, that Russia limited the progress that could be made at Monday’s talks by refusing to send, in advance, the memorandum setting out its position on ending this illegal war.  The memorandum, when it arrived, revealed no movement away from the maximalist terms that we have all heard before.  We also regret that the Kremlin continues to reject a complete, unconditional and immediate 30-day ceasefire.

This is consistent with the tactics that Russia has employed for weeks over peace talks: to draw out the process and refuse to engage in a meaningful way; all while trying to convince the world that it is serious about peace.  We see it in this Council and at the United Nations where Russia makes nonsensical claims.  Among these is the allegation that those who materially support Ukraine’s sovereign right to defend itself from unprovoked aggression, are undermining peace efforts.

Nobody in this room is fooled; we know who started this war, and we know who is resisting efforts to end it.  The UK is committed to securing a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.  Delay tactics from the Kremlin will only redouble our resolve to help Ukraine defend itself and to use our sanctions to restrict Russia’s war machine.

Thank you.