Russia has thanked India for abstaining from a vote at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Thursday which it said “lacked basic concepts” for achieving a sustainable peace as dialogue, including a call for negotiations without preconditions, and the inadmissibility of supplying weapons to the conflict zone.
The UNGA resolution ‘Principles of the Charter of the United Nations underlying a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine’ was adopted by a recorded vote of 141 in favour to 7 against (Belarus, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Eritrea, Mali, Nicaragua, Russian Federation and Syria), with 32 abstentions, including India, China and South Africa.
The resolution, voting for which took place on the eve of the first anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, underscored the need to urgently reach peace and demanded that Moscow withdraw its military forces and emphasised the need to ensure accountability for crimes committed on Ukraine’s territory.
Moscow accused the West of remembering the UN Charter only when it wants to mobilise broad support of the international community in favour of Kyiv.
“The tactics did not pay off. The resolution, which is advisory in nature, did not receive more support than the previous documents of the 11th emergency special session of the General Assembly,” said Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova.
“A greater number of countries opposed the proposed project. Dozens of countries abstained, including China, India and South Africa. We are grateful to all partners for their support,” she added.
#Nebenzia: The collective #West must accept the fact that there are other actors on the planet who have own interests, and that they must co-exist with those actors and can as well cooperate with them to mutual benefit on an equal and respectful basis. pic.twitter.com/FRE8Tl1mva
— Russia at the United Nations (@RussiaUN) February 24, 2023
India abstained from the vote citing its “inherent limitations” in reaching the desired goal of “securing lasting peace” in the region.
In explanation of the vote, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ruchira Kamboj also raised “a few pertinent questions” at the emergency special session of the UN General Assembly.
“Are we anywhere near a possible solution acceptable to both sides? Can any process that does not involve either of the two sides, ever lead to a credible and meaningful solution? Has the UN system, and particularly its principal organ, the UN Security Council, based on a 1945-world construct, not been rendered ineffective to address contemporary challenges to global peace and security?” asked Ambassador Kamboj.
Excerpts from PR @ruchirakamboj’s explanation of vote at the #UNGA Emergency Special Session on #Ukraine today. pic.twitter.com/tUptpHj09j
— India at UN, NY (@IndiaUNNewYork) February 24, 2023
India stated that it remains steadfastly committed to multilateralism and upholds the principles of the UN Charter.
“We will always call for dialogue and diplomacy as the ONLY viable way out. While we take note of the stated objective of today’s Resolution, given its inherent limitations in reaching our desired goal of securing lasting peace, we are constrained to ABSTAIN,” added Kamboj.
India has maintained that it continues to remain concerned over the situation in Ukraine as the conflict has resulted in the loss of countless lives and misery, particularly for women, children, and the elderly, with millions becoming homeless and forced to seek shelter in neighbouring countries.
“We have consistently advocated that no solution can ever be arrived at the cost of human lives. In this context, our Prime Minister’s statement that this cannot be an era of war bears reiteration. Escalation of hostilities and violence is in no one’s interest, instead an urgent return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy is the way forward,” Kamboj said.
