India, China call for ‘territorial integrity and sovereignty' on Ukraine-Russia conflict

Geneva, Feb 28: India on Sunday (local time) abstained from voting on a resolution to call for a special emergency session of the UN General Assembly on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. This came two days after India abstained from voting on the UNSC resolution condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine, along with China and the UAE.

 

India’s envoy to the UN, T S Tirumurti, said, “The contemporary global order has been built on the UN Charter, international law, and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states. All member states need to honour these principles in finding a constructive way forward.”

 

China’s permanent representative to the UN, Zhang Jun, said the “sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states should be respected and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter should be upheld. Security of one country cannot come at the cost of undermining the security of other nations. Ukraine should become a bridge between East and West.”

 

 

On the other hand, Beijing also voiced out the same while it has been increasing its aggression against India along with the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh since May 2020. After several military talks were conducted, India has batted for territorial integrity and sovereignty in every official statement. India has also kept the stance that it was China who had violated the aggreement and attempted to unilaterally change the status quo at the India-China border.

 

 

On the other hand, Tirumurti said, "Them is no other choice but to return back to the path of diplomacy and dialogue," he said. On the other hand, Tirumurti welcomed the announcement by Ukraine and the Russian delegation to hold talks at the Belarus border. "Our Prime Minister has advocated this strongly in his recent conversations with the leadership of the Russian Federation and Ukraine. In this regard, we welcome today's announcement by both sides to hold talks at the Belarus border."

 

 

He further said, "The global order is anchored on international law, the UN Charter and respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty of all states. We are all agreed on these principles." Tirumurti reiterated to be deeply concerned about the safety and security of Indian nationals, including a large number of Indian students, who are still stranded in Ukraine.

 

"Our evacuation efforts have been adversely impacted by the complex and uncertain situation at the border crossings. It is important to maintain an uninterrupted and predictable movement of people. It is an urgent humanitarian necessity that must be immediately addressed," Tirumurti said. "Taking into consideration the totality of the circumstances, we have decided to ABSTAIN," he added.