India abstains on UNSC resolution 'deploring' Russian aggression against Ukraine

India abstained on a UN Security Council resolution by the US that ldquodeplores in the strongest termsrdquo Russias ldquoaggression against Ukraine as New Delhi called for the immediate cessation of hostilities and asserted that dialogue is the only answer to settling disputesThe 15nation Security Council voted on the draft resolution Friday afternoon by the US and Albania and cosponsored by a crossregional group of 67 UN member states including Australia Estonia Finland Georgia Germany Italy Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg New Zealand Norway Poland Romania and the United KingdomIndia China and the UAE abstained on the resolution which received 11 votes in favour by Albania Brazil France Gabon Ghana Ireland Kenya Mexico Norway the UK and the US The resolution was blocked since permanent member Russia and President of the Security Council for the month of February used its vetoldquoIndia is deeply disturbed by the recent turn of developments in Ukraine We urge that all efforts are made for the immediate cessation of violence and hostilitiesrdquo Indias Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti said in the countrys explanation of vote in the CouncilTirumurti also said India is ldquodeeply concernedrdquo about the welfare and security of the Indian community including a large number of Indian students in UkraineHe said that no solution can ever be arrived at at the cost of human livesldquoDialogue is the only answer to settling differences and disputes however daunting that may appear at this moment It is a matter of regret that the path of diplomacy was given up We must return to it For all these reasons India has chosen to abstain on this resolutionrdquo he saidThe envoy said the contemporary global order has been built on the UN Charter international law and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states ldquoAll member states need to honour these principles in finding a constructive way forwardrdquo he saidRussia a permanent member of the 15nation powerful Security Council used its veto power and the resolution failed as expected but Western nations said the resolution seeks to show Moscows isolation on the global stage for its invasion and actions against UkraineAll eyes were on how India will cast its vote on the resolution given that New Delhi has strong defence ties with MoscowThe Council resolution which condemned Russias February 23 declaration of the ldquospecial military operationrdquo in Ukraine reaffirms its commitment to the sovereignty independence unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognised bordersThe UNSC meeting was delayed by two hours and there were some changes in the language of the draft resolution that was finally put to vote An earlier version of the draft had contained language ldquocondemning the 23 February 2022 declaration by the President of the Russian Federation of a special military operation in UkrainerdquoThe final version of the draft that was put to vote removed the reference to the Russian president Vladimir Putin as well as the mention of Chapter VII of the UN Charter which states sanctions and authorisation of force The final resolution also removed a stronger word ldquocondemnsrdquo and instead used the word iquestdeploresiquest for Russias aggressionThe resolution ldquodeplores in the strongest termsrdquo Russias ldquoaggression against Ukrainerdquo and decides that Russia ldquoshall immediately cease its use of force against Ukraine and shall refrain from any further unlawful threat or use of force against any UN member staterdquoThe resolution also said that Russia ldquoshall immediately completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognised bordersrdquoUS Ambassador to the UN Linda ThomasGreenfield before the vote said in the Council that this is a simple voterdquo and those voting no or abstaining ldquoalignrdquo themselves with the aggressive and unprovoked actions of RussiaLet me put it plainly Vote yes if you believe in upholding the UN Charter Vote yes if you support Ukraines or any states right to sovereignty and territorial integrity Vote yes if you believe Russia should be held to account for its actions Vote no or abstain if you do not uphold the Charter and align yourselves with the aggressive and unprovoked actions of Russia Just as Russia had a choice so do yourdquo she saidThe resolution also deplores Russias decision related to the status of certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine as a violation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and inconsistent with the principles of the Charter of the United NationsThe resolution said Moscow ldquoshall immediately and unconditionally reverse the decision related to the status of certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions of UkrainerdquoIt said Moscow shall ldquoimmediately and unconditionallyrdquo reverse the decision related to the status of certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine It calls on the parties to abide by the Minsk agreements and to work constructively in relevant international frameworks including in the Normandy Format and Trilateral Contact Group towards their full implementationIndia has so far refrained from condemning Russias actions in Ukraine and in a statement in the Security Council on Wednesday night just as Putin ordered Ukraines invasion Tirumurti expressed ldquodeep concernrdquo over the developments which if not handled carefully may well undermine the peace and security of the regionThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever