By Anjali Sharma
UNITED NATIONS – UN head António Guterres on Friday met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at BRICS Summit in Kazan and reiterated that Russia’s on-going invasion of Ukraine violates the United Nations Charter and international law.
According to a readout issued by UN spokesman’s office in New York stated that their meeting took place on Thursday, in Kazan, Russia, at the 16th BRICS Summit.
Mr. Guterres wrote on Friday in a post on social media platform X, that during the meeting, he had emphasized to President Putin the illegality of the Russian invasion.
“I reiterated the points I made in the Summit session,” Mr. Guterres said.
The BRICS group was founded by Brazil, Russia, India and China in 2006 with South Africa joined the bloc in 2010 and has expanded to a bloc of nations which collectively represents nearly half of the world’s population.
Guterres highlighted the need for peace in Ukraine, “a just peace in line with the UN Charter, international law and General Assembly resolutions.”
He emphasized the importance of upholding everywhere the values of the UN Charter, the rule of law, and the principles of sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity of States.
Guterres also expressed his strong support for the establishment of an agreement for safe navigation in the Black Sea, which an essential avenue for global food security during his meeting with Mr. Putin.
“The Secretary-General expressed his belief that establishing freedom of navigation in the Black Sea is of paramount importance for Ukraine, the Russian Federation and for the world’s food and energy security,” according to a readout of the meeting issued by the spokesperson office in New York.
“He fully supports the continuation of negotiations in this regard and expresses his deep appreciation for the work being done by Türkiye,” the readout added.
Transport of agricultural goods, especially grain from Ukraine and other ports on the Black Sea, as well as fertilizers have been severely affected since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, jeopardized food security and skyrocketing prices globally.
It was brokered by the UN and Türkiye in July 2022, the Black Sea Grain Initiative and the subsequent parallel accord between UN and Russia were crucial in restoring trade in the vital commodities.
The Initiative was not renewed after its third term, which expired on 17 July 2023, impacting again the trade route.
UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq addressed questions about Guterres’ meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, despite an active International Criminal Court warrant against the Russian leader.
Haq, said that any engagement between UN officials and individuals under indictment is based strictly on operational necessity.
“There are very clear operational issues that we have to deal with,” Mr. Haq explained, referred to the readout from the meeting and noted concerns about the war in Ukraine and safe navigation in the Black Sea.
“These are all reasons for having a meeting such as this, again, under strict conditions in terms of dealing with operational matters, while you have to deal with indicted personnel.”
Comments are closed.