MOSCOW, September 2 (RIA Novosti) – Forceful external interference does not create democracy, but leads to the destruction of the state, Alexey Borodavkin, Russia’s permanent representative to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva, said at a special session of the UN Human Rights Council dedicated to the situation in Iraq.
“The current tragedy in Iraq is clear evidence that wrongful external interference with the use of force, which leads to the destruction of the state, does not create democracy and does not contribute to the promotion of human rights. Chaos gives rise to extremism and terrorism. And it is not the fault, but the misfortune of the Iraqi and the Syrian governments that are forced to fight in a life-and-death struggle with international terrorist organizations. The international community must help them in every possible way, coordinating their actions with Baghdad and Damascus,” Borodavkin said as quoted by the Russian Foreign Ministry Monday.
Borodavkin noted that some governments indirectly contribute to terrorist activity and that Russia has repeatedly warned of the detrimental consequences of such irresponsible policy, which are clearly seen in Iraq and Syria, where the Islamic State (IS) militants have intensified their attacks.
The IS, formerly known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS), is a radical Sunni group that has been active in Syria, but started launching attacks in northern and western Iraq in June. Later that month, the radicals seized the Iraqi city of Mosul and announced that they had established a caliphate on the territory under their control, forcing hundreds of thousands of people, including ethnic and religious minorities, to flee.
In August, after Iraq asked the international community for help, the United States started launching air strikes against IS positions in the north of the country.
According to the UN, the Islamic State and associated armed groups' activities in Iraq have led to thousands of causalities, mainly among civilians.
