Uzbekistan remained neutral in the UN resolution against Russia

Yesterday, 23 February, during the special session on Ukraine, the United Nations General Assembly adopted an anti-Russia resolution dedicated to the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.  141 countries voted for the document, 7 countries opposed it (Russia, Belarus, North Korea, Mali, Nicaragua, Syria and Eritrea).  32 delegations abstained, including Uzbekistan.

At the same time, during the voting process, the amendments of Belarus were not approved.  Minsk intended to remove from the document the provisions that blame Russia for starting the conflict.  The amendments also proposed removing the clause calling on the Russian Federation to immediately withdraw its troops from Ukraine and condemning the leaders of the Minsk-format countries who do not want to reach an agreement in Ukraine.

In addition, the Belarusian side was in favor of including a clause calling for a negotiated solution to the conflict in the resolution.  The original text of the resolution only calls on states and international organizations to “double support for diplomatic efforts to achieve a just, comprehensive and sustainable peace in Ukraine in accordance with the UN Charter.”  Minsk also proposed a ban on the supply of weapons to Kiev in the resolution.

According to the document, Russia is solely responsible for the start of the conflict.  The text calls on the parties to fulfill their obligations towards civilians and prisoners.  It also stresses the need for the most serious crimes committed in Ukraine to be held accountable under international law through appropriate, fair and independent investigations and prosecutions at the national or international level.

According to Vasily Nebenzia, the permanent representative of Russia at the UN, the resolution does not help to move to a peaceful resolution of the conflicts between Russia and the West, which intensified a year ago.  According to him, the document is one-sided and far from reality.

32 countries abstained from voting, including Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, China, India, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Armenia and a number of other countries.  Turkmenistan did not participate in the voting process.

The document was adopted by majority vote.