Russia Criticizes UN Resolution Condemning Crimea's Secession
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Russia said on Friday a UN resolution declaring invalid Crimea's Moscow-backed referendum on seceding from Ukraine was counterproductive and accused western states of using blackmail and threats to drum up "yes" votes.
The non-binding resolution passed with 100 votes in favor, 11 against and 58 abstentions in the 193-nation UN General Assembly on Thursday.
"This counterproductive initiative only complicates efforts to resolve the domestic political crisis in Ukraine," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement, Reuters reported.
It accused western states of using the "the full force of the unspent potential of the Cold War-era propaganda machine" to whip up support for the resolution.
"It is well-known what kind of shameless pressure, up to the point of political blackmail and economic threats, was brought to bear on a number of (UN) member states so they would vote 'yes'," the ministry said.
