Ambassador Olof Skoog, the UNSC President for July 2018, speaks with Rudaw at UN Headquarters in New York. Video: Rudaw
Sweden's Ambassador to the UN Olof Skoog served as the
president of the Security Council for July 2018. He speaks with Rudaw's Majeed Gly
about the Syria conflict, Kurdish issues, and broader topics in the Middle
East and around the globe. Skoog expresses that he is against grandstanding in the Security Council
because it hurts the UN's impact on the ground.
In Syria, Skoog sees a political solution as the only answer. Regarding US-Russian relations, he emphasizes that personal relationships within the Council are good, but outside rhetoric may differ. He dismisses the idea that Western powers have given up in Syria and Russia is running the show, but acknowledges a general 'disappointment.'
Gly asks if Kurdish groups in Syria are under represented on the world stage. Skoog says he is in favor of meeting non-state actors and those who can make a difference because he wants to understand, but also because the Kurdish population has played a huge role in Iraq and Syria.
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