State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam said British High Commissioner in Dhaka Robert Gibson “thanked” Bangladesh for abstaining from voting on Crimea issue in the United Nations General Assembly.
“Thank you for abstaining from voting,” he quoted Robert Gibson as saying. Robert Gibson and British State Minister for International Development Alan Duncan met Shahriar Alam at the foreign ministry yesterday.
The UNGA on Thursday adopted a non-binding resolution on Crimea where Bangladesh abstained from voting without explaining the reason.
“He [Gibson] actually expressed his satisfaction and we also said there are friends who are not so happy, but they [British] actually said they are happy that we remained abstained,” Shahriar said.
Earlier, the state minister at a media briefing said Bangladesh was observing the situation in Ukraine.
“Bangladesh being a member of non-aligned countries and G-77, we do not support any party in any internal matter of a country. We did not deviate from that policy and we abstained due to that policy,” he said.
When asked why Bangladesh abstained without giving an explanation, he said it is Bangladesh’s right.
Meanwhile, the United States had regretted that Bangladesh did not support Ukraine on Crimea issue. US ambassador in Dhaka Dan Mozena on Monday said: “I regret that Bangladesh was not able to join the majority.”
According to UN website, by a record vote of 100 in favour and 11 against with 58 abstentions, including Bangladesh, the UNGA adopted the resolution titled “Territorial integrity of Ukraine”.
Russian ambassador in Dhaka Alexander Nicholaev at a programme on Sunday also expressed his satisfaction that Bangladesh abstained from voting when the resolution was adopted.
