UNGA Resolution on Ukraine Lacks Impartiality: Iran Envoy

Most of the world’s nations voted in favor of the UN resolution demanding that Russia “immediately, completely and unconditionally” withdraw its military forces from Ukraine, at a rare emergency session of the UN General Assembly on Wednesday.

In comments after the voting, Iran’s UN envoy Majid Takht Ravanchi said, "The Islamic Republic of Iran is following the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine with grave concern."

“We reiterate our principled position regarding the need for peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance with international law and underline the need for full respect by all parties for the well-established provisions of the United Nations Charter, international law including international humanitarian law. We emphasize that sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states must be fully respected and safety and security of all civilians must be guaranteed,” he said in an address to the UN General Assembly Eleventh Emergency Special Session on Ukraine.

“In order to find long-term and sustainable solutions to such crises, it is necessary to address their root causes. We note that the current complexities in the fragile region of Eastern Europe have been exacerbated by the provocative actions and decisions of the US and NATO. The security concerns of Russia must be respected,” the Iranian ambassador added.

“Wars and destructions inflicted on civilian lives and infrastructures are not acceptable, wherever they occur. The Islamic Republic of Iran calls for urgent cessation of hostilities and de-escalation of tensions in the current conflict. In this regard, Iran underlines the essentiality of dialogue to address issues of concerns to all sides leading to long-lasting results,” he noted.

“The UN must always avoid double standards, particularly when it is considering issues related to the maintenance of international peace and security. It is unfortunate to note that the UN, in particular the Security Council, has at times neglected this principle which has undermined its credibility. A case in point is the Security Council’s handling of the conflict in Yemen,” Takht Ravanchi added.

“We believe that the current text of the resolution before the General Assembly lacks impartiality and realistic mechanisms for resolving the crisis through peaceful means. Furthermore, not all member states of the United Nations were given the opportunity to engage in negotiations on the text of the resolution,” he said.

“It should be emphasized that the General Assembly is not in a position to determine the existence of an act of aggression because, in addition to Article 39 of the Charter, GA Resolution 3314 of 14 December 1974 calls on the Security Council to determine the existence of an act of aggression,” the Iranian diplomat stated.

“Moreover, convening the emergency special session based on the General Assembly resolution 377 A (V) shall not be considered as the end of the dialogue,” he said.

“My government continues to call for a comprehensive, peaceful, and sustained resolution to the current conflict including an immediate cease-fire and start of the dialogue as well as provision of humanitarian assistance to the people in need. For the above-mentioned reasons, my delegation abstained from voting on this draft resolution,” he concluded.