ISLAMABAD – All efforts should be made to avoid further escalation ofviolence and loss of life as war rages in Ukraine, said Ambassador MunirAkram, Pakistan’s permanent representative at the UN.
The UN General Assembly on Wednesday overwhelmingly voted to snub Russiaover the invasion and demanded that Moscow stop fighting and withdraw itsmilitary forces, an action that aims to diplomatically isolate Russia atthe world body.
The resolution, supported by 141 of the assembly’s 193 members, ended arare emergency session called by the UN Security Council as Ukrainianforces battled on in the port of Kherson in the face of air strikes and adevastating bombardment that forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee.
The text of the resolution “deplores” Russia’s “aggression against Ukraine.”
The last time Security Council convened an emergency session of the GeneralAssembly was in 1982, according to the UN website.
Thirty-five members including China abstained and five countries includingRussia, Syria and Belarus voted against the resolution.
While General Assembly resolutions are non-binding, they carry politicalweight.
Pakistan has so far refrained from taking sides, and urged “dialogue anddiplomacy” to resolve tensions.
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“All efforts must be made to avoid further escalation of violence and lossof life as well as military, political and economic tensions which can posean unprecedented threat to international peace and security and globaleconomic stability,” Akram said at an emergency session of the UN GeneralAssembly.
“As consistently underlined by Prime Minister Imran Khan, the developingcountries are hit the hardest economically by conflict anywhere.”
“We hope the talks initiated between representatives of the RussianFederation and Ukraine will succeed in bringing about a cessation ofhostilities and normalization of the situation,” Akram said.
“A diplomatic solution in accordance with relevant multilateral agreements,international law, and the provisions of the UN Charter is indispensable.”
The UN representative said Pakistan was most concerned about the safety andwelfare of Pakistani citizens and students in Ukraine, adding that amajority of them had been evacuated.
“Those who remain will be evacuated soonest. We appreciate the cooperationof the Ukrainian authorities as well as the Polish, Romanian and Hungariangovernments in this context,” Akram said.
