Russia-Ukraine war: India is on the side of peace and will remain firmly there, Jaishankar tells UNGA

New Delhi: As the months-long Russia-Ukraine conflict continues to rage on, India on Saturday (September 24, 2022) told the UN General Assembly that it is on the side of peace and that it will remain firmly there. Speaking at the General Debate of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that India is on the side that respects the UN Charter and its founding principles.

"As the Ukraine conflict continues to rage, we are often asked whose side we are on. And our answer, each time, is straight and honest. India is on the side of peace and will remain firmly there," he said. 

"We are on the side that respects the UN Charter and its founding principles. We are on the side that calls for dialogue and diplomacy as the only way out. We are on the side of those struggling to make ends meet, even as they stare at the escalating costs of food, of fuel and fertilizers," Jaishankar added.

He also said that it is in our collective interest to work constructively, both within the United Nations and outside, in finding an "early resolution" to this conflict.

There is no justification for any act of terrorism, regardless of motivation

In a strong message on terrorism, Jaishankar said that no rhetoric, however sanctimonious, can ever cover up blood stains and asserted that nations who defend proclaimed terrorists in the United Nations neither advance their own interests nor their reputation.

Noting that while the global attention has been on Ukraine, Jaishankar said that India has also had to contend with other challenges, especially "in its own neighbourhood", in an apparent reference to the unresolved standoff with China in eastern Ladakh and strained relations with Pakistan.

"Having borne the brunt of cross-border terrorism for decades, India firmly advocates a 'zero- tolerance' approach. In our view, there is no justification for any act of terrorism, regardless of motivation. And no rhetoric, however sanctimonious, can ever cover up blood stains," he said.

"The United Nations responds to terrorism by sanctioning its perpetrators. Those who politicise the UNSC 1267 Sanctions regime, sometimes even to the extent of defending proclaimed terrorists, do so at their own peril. Believe me, they advance neither their own interests nor indeed their reputation," the external affairs minister stated.

India's Statement at the General Debate of the 77th session of #UNGA. https://t.co/WuNNyRth4y

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) September 24, 2022

This was strong, though veiled attack against Pakistan and its all-weather ally China, which has on multiple occasions blocked bids and proposals by India and its allies to designate Pakistan-based terrorists under the 1267 sanctions regime of the UN Security Council.

This month, China has put a hold on a proposal moved at the United Nations by the US and co-supported by India to designate Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist Sajid Mir, wanted for his involvement in the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attacks, as a global terrorist.

Last month, Beijing also put a hold on a proposal by the US and India at the United Nations to blacklist Abdul Rauf Azhar, the brother of Jaish-e Mohammed (JEM) chief Masood Azhar and a senior leader of the Pakistan-based terror organisation. Azhar, born in 1974 in Pakistan, was sanctioned by the US in December 2010. In June this year, China put a hold, at the last moment, on a joint proposal by India and the US to list Pakistan-based terrorist Abdul Rehman Makki under the 1267 Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council.

India to work with G20 members to address serious issues of debt, food and energy security

As India assumes the Presidency of the G20 this December, Jaishankar said that New Delhi will work with the group's other members to address serious issues of debt, food and energy security. 

"The reform of the governance of multilateral financial institutions will continue to be one of our core priorities," he said.

(With agency inputs)