The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Thursday voted in favour of suspension of Russia from the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC). India and 57 other countries on Thursday abstained in the United Nations General Assembly on a vote with regard to the suspension of Russia from the Human Rights Council. The resolution was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly with 93 members voting in its favour and 24 countries against it. The US-initiated resolution expressed “grave concern at the ongoing human rights and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, particularly at the reports of violations and abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law by the Russian Federation, including gross and systematic violations and abuses of human rights”.
In his statement on the UNGA resolution, T.S. Tirumurti, India’s Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations, said that since the inception of the Ukrainian conflict, India has stood for peace, dialogue, and diplomacy. “We believe that no solution can be arrived at by shedding blood and at the cost of innocent lives. If India has chosen any side, it is the side of peace and it is for an immediate end to violence,” he said.
“We continue to remain deeply concerned at the worsening situation and reiterate our call for end to all hostilities. When innocent human lives are at stake, diplomacy must prevail as the only viable option,” he added. Tirumurti noted that the impact of the crisis has also been felt beyond the region with increasing food and energy costs, especially for many developing countries. “It is in our collective interest to work constructively, both inside the United Nations and outside, towards seeking an early resolution to the conflict.” He said recent reports of civilian killings in Bucha were deeply disturbing. “We have unequivocally condemned these killings and support the call for an independent investigation,” Tirumurti said. He said India has been at the forefront of protecting human rights, right from the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. “We firmly believe that all decisions should be taken fully respecting due process, as all our democratic polity and structures enjoin us to do. This applies to international organisations as well, particularly the United Nations,” Tirumurti added.
A vote on whether or not to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council took place after the US envoy to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield made a case for seeking the suspension of Russia from the Human Rights Council in front of the UN Security Council on Tuesday. The UNGA voted in favour by two-thirds to remove Russia from the Human Rights Council. Hundreds of civilian residents were found dead on the streets in Bucha, besides their homes, and in mass graves. Ukraine accused Russia of the Bucha massacre. However, Russia has denied the allegations and said that it was Ukrainian propaganda.
Meanwhile, a report from New Delhi said that India on Thursday said it has established economic ties with Russia and its focus is on stabilising these relations in the current circumstances while asserting that “political colouring” should not be attributed to the engagement. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, Arindam Bagchi also said India has been “very open” about its economic relations with Russia and that discussions are underway on what kind of payment mechanisms can work between the two countries in view of the current situation. The comments came amid uneasiness in some Western capitals over India not condemning yet the Russian aggression against Ukraine and New Delhi’s decision to procure large volumes of discounted crude oil from Moscow. “We have established economic relations with Russia. Our focus is on stabilising these established economic relations in the current circumstances. We have been very open about it,” he said. Bagchi also cited continuing procurement of crude oil from Russia by Europe. “Let me just emphasise that energy flows to Europe are continuing, fertiliser purchases have been insulated, there are such other examples also. So…political colouring should not be attributed to our actions,” he said. In a related development, Air India has suspended its twice-weekly Delhi-Moscow non-stop flight with effect from 1 April 2022. Now there is no direct connectivity between India and Russia, sources said. “Dear fellow citizens. Please note that Air India has stopped selling tickets on the Delhi Moscow-Delhi route. The prospects for the resumption of flights remain uncertain at the moment,” the Russian embassy in India said in a Facebook post. According to Air India, funds for previously purchased tickets for cancelled flights can be returned to passengers in full.
