Russia on Saturday thanked Bangladesh for abstaining from voting in the UN General Assembly on a resolution that underscored the need to reach "comprehensive and lasting peace" in Ukraine, days after Moscow protested Dhaka's decision not to allow the docking of Russian ships under Western sanctions.
Bangladesh, along with India were among the 32 nations that abstained as the 193-member General Assembly adopted the resolution "Principles of the Charter of the United Nations" underlying a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine, put forward by Ukraine and its supporters.
The non-binding resolution, which received 141 votes in favour and seven against, underscored the “need to reach, as soon as possible, a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine in line with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations.”
“The non-binding “anti-Russian” resolution of the UNGA will not bring the world closer to ending the Ukraine conflict, Moscow’s permanent envoy to the UN Vassily Nebenzia said. Thank you, Bangladesh, for abstaining,” the Russian Embassy here in Dhaka said in a tweet on Friday, a day after the UN resolution.
This comes days after Dhaka said its decision to block the docking of Russian ships under US sanctions was unlikely to affect the existing "friendly" ties with Russia as it is a “tested and long-term friend” of Moscow.
In recent months, Bangladesh has disallowed some Russian ships to anchor at its ports as they came under western sanctions against Moscow as a fallout of the ongoing Ukraine war.
Following this development, Russia summoned Bangladesh's ambassador to Moscow to protest Dhaka's decision to block the entry of Russian ships under Western sanctions.
Last month, Dhaka informed Moscow that they could send any ship, except the sanctioned ones, to Bangladesh’s ports.
The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has dragged on for a year now, and the US and its allies on Friday announced a fresh round of crippling sanctions on Russia.
Published 25 February 2023, 16:11 IST