The United Nations Security Council has adopted a resolution presented by Albania and the United States to convene an Emergency Special Session of the UN General Assembly over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, for the first time in 40 years.
After 40 years since it last happened, the #UNSC adopted a resolution presented by 🇦🇱 and 🇺🇸, to convene an Emergency Special Session of @UN General Assembly on #Ukraine.
Read the explanation of vote by #AlbaniaUNSC🇦🇱 👉 https://t.co/fAZTTaQwvS. #STANDWITHUKRAINE 🇺🇦 https://t.co/yfzB8L4u6A
— Albania in UN (@AlMissionUN) February 27, 2022
Albania’s UN ambassador Ferit Hoxha explained that the text is procedural in nature but has “significance of historic proportions”.
“Those 5 lines of the text we just adopted, open the big doors of the place where the world meets, the UN General Assembly, to speak out and condemn an unprovoked and unjustified pure act of aggression.
The UNGA Emergency Session is all about condemning an unprovoked war, it is about upholding the Charter; it is about sending a clear and iron-strong message of what is acceptable and what is not, including to the Russians citizens, who need to listen to the world and hear it!,” Hoxha said in a statement.
He added that Russia must be stopped in its attempt to break the international rules-based order to place it with its will.
Member states of the UN must remember that international law, rules and the UN charter are their best friend, best army and best defense, he said.
“Russia can, at any moment, come back to reason, stop the war, recall its invading troops, go back to talks – real talks for peace, not for surrender and capitulation. But this needs lucidity, courage and wisdom, not threats for apocalypse,” he continued.
Last week, Russia vetoed a UN Security Council vote demanding Moscow cease its assault on Ukraine.
In the vote, 11 of the council’s 115 members voted for the text while China, India, and the United Arab Emirates abstained. A “no” from any permanent measure from the council means it cannot pass, thus Russia’s veto has prevented further progress.
The text was prepared by the US and Albania and called for “action by air, sea, or land force to enforce international peace and security.”
Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Secretary-General António Guterres, said that while the United Nations had today not achieved its primary objective to end war, “we must never give up.”
