NEW YORK, 12 OCTOBER – Italy addressed the Special Emergency Session of the UN General Assembly on Ukraine ahead of the vote to condemn Russia for the ‘sham referendums’ in four Ukrainian provinces. “We reject and unequivocally condemn the illegal attempt by Russia to annex the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia. Such unilateral annexation is void, and cannot determine any legal effect whatsoever”, the Italian Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Maurizio Massari, said: “Italy does not and will never recognize the illegal attempt of annexation, just as it has not recognized the illegal attempt of annexation of Crimea”, the Italian envoy added.
“The sham referendums in Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia during its war of aggression against Ukraine constitute a flagrant breach of the UN Charter and blatantly violate international law and the principles of the Helsinki Final Act”, Ambassador Massari continued, referring to the holding of such consultations in the context of widespread human rights violations and intimidation by the illegitimately appointed authorities in the occupied territories of Ukraine.
“We must all stand together to resist Russia’s actions against a sovereign UN member State and uphold the principles of the UN Charter. Therefore, we call on all UN member States to support the draft Resolution and vote Yes”, the Ambassador continued. The vote on the resolution – co-sponsored by about 70 countries, including the 27 EU Member States – is scheduled for this afternoon in New York.
The Italian speech contained a firm condemnation of Russia’s brutal and indiscriminate attacks on many cities in Ukraine in recent days, and the call for Russia to put an end to its military aggression, to withdraw from all Ukrainian territories and to engage in diplomatic dialogue: ” Italy expresses its strong support for urgent and concrete de-escalation and a peaceful solution with respect for Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity, along the lines of the resolution’s OP7. Russia needs to stop this senseless war, which is causing huge human losses and it’s having serious economic repercussion around the world and hitting the most vulnerable countries and categories of people”. (@OnuItalia)
