UN Security Council: Belarus Considers Drone Incident a Provocation

An extraordinary session of the UN Security Council was held in New York to address the drone incident that took place on the night of September 10.

Recall that on that night, 19 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) entered Polish territory from Ukraine. Warsaw immediately accused Russia of being responsible.

Official Moscow categorically denies such allegations. Belarus also notes the confrontational nature of Poland’s policies, which has been especially evident in light of recent events.

Artem Tozik, Belarusian Acting Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, stated:

*"We regret that Poland, in its request for this Security Council meeting, accused Belarus of escalating the situation and neglecting international law. We reject any claims directed at us concerning the incidents involving UAVs violating Polish airspace on the night of September 10. These accusations are particularly unfounded, especially considering that Belarus was the first—and possibly the only—country to inform Poland of the approaching drones."*

Only 46 out of nearly 200 UN member states supported a joint statement implicating Russia in the drone incident in Poland. Unsurprisingly, among those advocating for confrontation are Belgium, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United States, Ukraine, and France.

Meanwhile, Poland has yet to publish the data collected by its military, which would provide a comprehensive picture of what transpired. Just prior to the discussion on Poland, the UN addressed issues related to the Middle East.

The General Assembly of this international organization endorsed the so-called New York Declaration, which envisages the creation of a Palestinian state within the borders of 1967. A total of 142 countries supported the initiative, while only 10 opposed, including Israel, the United States, and some of their allies.