United Nations must be committed to non-alignment, says Lavrov

Moscow, (ST) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stressed the need for the United Nations Secretariat to be committed to non-alignment. He called for finding solutions between the different parties in any crisis.

At the beginning of his talks on Wednesday with the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations to Syria Geir Pedersen in Moscow, Lavrov criticized the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, blaming him for “acquiescing to Western pressure” in his statements on the latest developments in Ukraine.

 Lavrov said that the Secretary-General of the United Nations is under pressure from the West regarding what is happening in eastern Ukraine and his statements about this are incompatible with his position and powers under the charter of the UN organization. He added that that Guterres did not even demand the implementation of the Minsk resolutions and agreements or Resolutions 2202 or a meeting between representatives of Kiev, Lugansk and Donetsk. .

On the crisis in Syria, Lavrov said that , “we are constantly communicating with all interested parties in Syria and seek to move forward and achieve progress in this regard, although some countries are trying to create obstacles in all issues, especially against Russia.”

Lavrov pointed out the necessity of the General Secretariat’s commitment not to be biased and to find solutions between the different parties in any crisis, including with regard to Syria, but unfortunately Western pressures affect the secretariat.

Meanwhile, Pedersen said that Secretary-General Guterres stressed the United Nations’ support for the rule of law, the Charter of the United Nations and UN resolutions on Ukraine. He expressed his concern over Russia’s decision to recognize the Donetsk and Lugansk republics, but at the same time he stresses the importance of calling for de-escalation on the basis of United Nations principles.

Pedersen also expressed his hope that the recent international events would not affect matters relating to Syria.

Raghda Sawas