Kathmandu: Nepal has voted in favor of a UN resolution calling on countries not to recognize the four regions of Ukraine which Russia has claimed following referendums held late last month and demanding that Moscow reverse course on its “attempted illegal annexation”.
In the voting held on Wednesday, 143 countries voted in favor and five countries voted against it. A total of 35 countries including Nepal’s immediate neighbors— India and China—abstained. The countries who voted against it were Belarus, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Nicaragua, Russia, and Syria.
Speaking at the UN General Assembly, Amrit Bahadur Rai, the Permanent Representative of Nepal to the United Nations, said that Nepal is deeply distressed by the protracted violence and conflict in Ukraine that has posed a serious threat to international peace and security.
“In the past, Nepal’s position on Ukraine has remained clear that the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity, political independence, and non-aggression as enshrined in the United Nations are inviolable and must be fully respected by all member states at all times,” he said.
There cannot be any ifs, and, or buts, Rai added.
“Fundamentals of Nepal’s on policy and these principles are foundations of peace and security and stability in the world. Nepal reiterates its call for the cessation of hostilities in Ukraine to create conditions for dialogue and diplomacy, which are pathway to resolve conflicts and find a lasting political solution,” he said.
“We condemn Russia’s illegal so-called referendum within Ukraine’s internationally-recognized borders and demand it reverses its annexation declaration”, reads the resolution.
The resolution “defending the principles” of the UN Charter, notes that the regions of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia are temporarily occupied by Russia as a result of aggression, violating Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, and political independence.
The General Assembly automatically took up the resolution for debate, triggered by Russia’s use of the veto in the Security Council over its attempted annexation.
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