Bangladesh abstained from voting as the UN General Assembly adopted a new resolution calling for an end to the war in Ukraine, hours before the conflict entered its second year.
The resolution was voted on Thursday night with 141 votes in favour, seven against and 32 abstentions.
Various countries presented their views on the resolution titled “UN charter principle underlying a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine”. When two amendments to the draft resolution were put to the vote, a majority voted against those.
On February 21, Bangladeshi Ambassador to Moscow Kamrul Ahsan was summoned to the Russian foreign ministry. It was then assumed that Bangladesh would abstain from voting on the resolution.
Among the eight South Asian countries, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka abstained from voting. On the other hand, Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan and Maldives voted in favour.
Eight countries from the 10-member ASEAN voted in favour. Vietnam and the Lao PDR abstained from voting. At the same time, China also abstained from voting.
Belarus, Syria, North Korea, Mali, Eritrea and Russia voted against the resolution.
Earlier, Bangladesh voted in favour of two of the five resolutions on the Ukraine war and abstained from voting on three.
In this regard, former foreign secretary Md Shahidul Haque said: “If such a resolution is not acceptable to the two warring parties, even if it is accepted, it will not have any effect. This resolution was not acceptable to Russia.”
He said: “If peace is to be established, both sides have to protect their faces. From the current situation, it is seen that no one is unilaterally dominating here. Both sides have to compromise to stop the war.”
He also said that Russia has been fighting in Ukraine for the past one year and Ukraine has put up a strong resistance against the powerful Russia with the help of the Western world.
Regarding Bangladesh's position, the former foreign secretary said: “This is the right decision. If you vote in favour here, it would appear that Bangladesh is leaning more towards the western world.”