-calls for Russia to withdraw from Ukraine
Guyana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hugh Todd, on Wednesday said that states must exist without threat to sovereignty and territorial integrity, and has called on the United Nations to honour its charter prohibiting the use of force and help put an end to the Ukraine/Russia conflict through diplomatic and political means.
According to a release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Todd at the time was delivering a statement during the UN Security Council Briefing on the Maintenance of Peace and Security of Ukraine (Political and Security). The meeting was held on the sidelines of the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York and was chaired by Slovenia in its capacity as President of the Security Council.
Todd noted that next month will mark 79 years since the entry into force of the United Nations Charter that binds “We the peoples of the United Nations” to the collective pursuit of peace, the promotion of human rights, and the advancement of social and economic progress. He reminded that those nations that have chosen to join the United Nations and accept the obligations of its Charter, have each agreed to be bound by all its provisions, including the prohibition on the use of force.
He went on to explain that this prohibition – enshrined in Article 2(4) – is one of the Charter’s most explicit provisions and the foremost foundational principle of international law. It demands that every Member State of this Organization, “refrain in its international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of [another] state.”
Todd then pointed out that some 79 years later, member states find themselves confronted with conflicts and crises that challenge the most basic tenets of the Charter and the realisation of our collective desire for peace, most notable of which is the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, which has already claimed the lives of over 11,000 civilians.
The Foreign Minister at this juncture, emphasised that Guyana deplores the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state and as such, joins the international community in calling for full respect for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
And as is the case with most military conflicts, he pointed out that in both Ukraine and Russia, civilians continue to bear the brunt of the conflict with many having paid the ultimate price and with 40 per cent of Ukraine’s population now in desperate need of humanitarian assistance and over 10 million displaced.
“Guyana reiterates its call for the parties to the conflict to comply fully with their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law. We also call on the Russian Federation to allow full, unhindered humanitarian access to the people in need in the temporarily occupied territories.”
In seeking a path to lasting peace, the Foreign Minister noted three points that Guyana wished to underscore.
Firstly, that this conflict cannot be solved through military means and only a serious political and diplomatic process can pave the path to peace. Guyana commends the efforts of those who have committed to finding pathways to peacefully end the war and stresses the need for this to be a collective endeavour. “We, therefore, encourage further intensification of diplomatic dialogue with the conflict parties toward the de-escalation of hostilities and in the pursuit of sustainable peace.”
Secondly, respect for the provisions of the UN Charter and international law must be upheld. This means that the acquisition of territory by force must not be condoned in any way, either individually or collectively, allowing every state to pursue its national development without an unnecessary and expensive burden of having to arm itself in defence of its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
And thirdly, Guyana reiterates its call for the Russian Federation to immediately withdraw its military forces from the internationally recognised territory of Ukraine and end its invasion of Ukraine. This can be the first step toward finding lasting and sustainable peace.
