NEW DELHI: Ambassador Asoke Mukerji, India’s Former Permanent Representative to the United Nations points out how “India’s abstention is also a position, a middle path that is not justifying either the action on the ground or the proposed response.” He tells Amitabh P. Revi in this discussion streamed before the March 2, 2022 UNGA vote, “we have the right to take our own view”, pointing out, “we were elected by our constituency, the 54 member Asia Pacific Group”. Ambassador Mukerji highlights “only 5 of those 54 co-sponsored the resolution.” The former envoy says “the Security Council has just washed its hands off pressing issues for India and others like the complete takeover of a Afghanistan by a proscribed terrorist organization”, adding, “we can’t go along with these double standards”.
Watch the complete discussion here(https://stratnewsglobal.com/europe/an-ineffective-un-security-council-and-russias-war-in-ukraine-indias-position/)
TRANSCRIPT:
Abstention is also a position. It is the middle path, position. We are not justifying either the action on the ground nor are we justifying the proposed response. So those are the two extremes and we are in the middle. We also need to recognize, we have our own position as India and we have been among the leading voices for dialogue and democracy in decision making. In the context of the veto, we have a different position. We are not a military ally of either of the sides in this issue. We are partners of both. We are strategic partners of both Russia and the United States. So, we have the right to take our own view. But more than that, most people forget that the elected members in the Security Council are elected on behalf of the regional groups. Ee represent, we were elected by our constituency, which is the Asia Pacific Group. The Asia Pacific Group has 54 members in the UN General Assembly. Out of these 54 only five co-sponsored the resolution and these are Cyprus, Fiji, Japan, Kiribati and Kuwait. None of the other members of the Asia Pacific group in the UN co-sponsored the resolution that was vetoed. We have to also be in touch with our own constituency. And for our constituency, the pressing issues include Afghanistan, where the Security Council has just washed its hands off the complete takeover of a country by a proscribed terrorist organization. We can’t go along with these double standards. So therefore, are we alone? We are alone in the sense that we are not part of the western military alliance. But are we alone in the United Nations? I don’t think we are alone. We are with the other 134 developing countries, the vast majority of whom did not co sponsor this resolution.
