breaking latest news – A tense meeting, as announced, that saw Russia assume the presidency of the United Nations Security Council. The Foreign Minister of Moscow, Sergey Lavrov, accused the United States of “having taken the path of destroying globalization” and of wanting to “impose order in the world, in contrast with the Charter of the United Nations”. “The US – he added – is trying to undermine multilateralism in the Indo-Pacific”.
“Once again, as in the years of the Cold War, we have reached a dangerous point, which could be even more dangerous – said the head of Russian diplomacy – The loss of faith in multilateralism is aggravating the situation, in which financial aggression economic and economic development of the West is destroying the benefits of globalization, in which Washington and its allies abandon diplomacy and demand that relations be clarified on the battlefield”.
“Accelerate the reform of the Security Council”
“All of this takes place within the walls of the United Nations, an organization designed to prevent the horrors of war. The voices of responsible and rational forces, appeals to political wisdom and the revival of the culture of dialogue are silenced by those who has taken a course aimed at undermining the fundamental principles governing communication between states. We must all go back to the basics: commitment to the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, in all their diversity and interdependence,” he said.
“Genuine multilateralism today requires the United Nations to adapt to the objective trend towards the formation of a multipolar structure in international relations,” added Lavrov. “The reform of the Security Council must be accelerated by expanding the representation of Asian, African and Latin American countries within it. The current extreme overrepresentation of the West in this main body of the United Nations undermines the principle of multilateralism”, concluded the minister of Moscow Foreign Affairs.
The call of Guterres
“The Russian invasion of Ukraine, in violation of the UN Charter and international law, is causing enormous suffering and devastation in the country and in the world“, adding to the “global economic shock” generated by the Covid-19 pandemic, it is was instead the call of the Secretary General of the United Nations, Anthony Guterres.
The Permanent Representative of the European Union to the UN, Ambassador Olof Skoog, for his part underlined that “if Russia is interested in real multilateralism, the first step is to demonstrate it”. “On February 23, the United Nations General Assembly reiterated its call on Russia to withdraw all military forces from the territory of Ukraine immediately, completely and unconditionally,” read another passage from the statement. The other European ambassadors were present, including the Italian Permanent Representative, the ambassador Maurice Massari.
“If Russia sincerely wants to respect multilateralism, it must respect the rules of the international order and put an end to violations of the Charter”, reiterated the Paris representative, Ambassador Nicolas de Riviére, who accused Moscow of “acting illegally ” since 2008. “Russia – he said – illegally used force in Georgia in 2008, in Crimea and Donbass in 2014. And more than a year ago in Ukraine”. “Russia – he added – is violating the cardinal principles of international order, the sovereignty and international integrity of Ukraine and humanitarian law and is systematically targeting civilians, deporting children and carrying out atrocities “.
Whelan’s sister alongside the US ambassador
The United States has publicly accused Russia of having “violated human rights and fundamental freedoms”. The indictment was read by the US Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfieldalongside whom was Elizabeth Whelan, sister of Paul Whelan, arrested in Russia in 2018 on spying charges.
“Paul – said the sister of the arrested American – has not committed any crime, but a crime has been committed against him”. “Paul – he added – was the director of a security company, he had a job he loved, he had a home he loved, a life of hope and opportunity. All of this was taken away from him by Russia, a country that reveals itself in its culture and tradition of lies”.
“Today – the US ambassador had said shortly before – we are discussing the defense of the United Nations Charter but it is impossible to ignore the elephant in the room: Russia” which “has continuously violated universal human rights and fundamental freedoms both outside and within its borders”.
“This – he added – includes the arbitrary arrest of political activists, journalists and opposition leaders, as well as American citizens”. “Paul Whelan – he recalled – is being held in a Russian penal colony, simply because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. And now Evan Gershkovich (the Wall Street Journal journalist arrested in Moscow last month; ed), arrested for having his job as a journalist, as you are doing it here today”.
Beijing calls for an end to sanctions
China has asked the Security Council to “immediately stop unilateral sanctions” against Russia. In his speech during the session, Beijing’s representative at the UN Glass Palace also argued that President Xi Jinping is convinced that “building a community with a free future for humanity represents a fundamental direction for tackling the challenges and the difficulties of today’s world“.
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