Foreign minister explains voting in favour of Ukraine

Foreign minister AK Abdul Momen has said Bangladesh voted in favour of Ukraine on humanitarian grounds, not under any pressure.

He was speaking to newsmen Saturday morning at the Foreign Service Academy.

The minister was there to hoist the national flag and pay respects at Bangabandhu's portrait on the occasion of Independence Day.

Bangladesh on Thursday voted in favour of the resolution tabled at the United Nations General Assembly aimed at a rapid resolution to the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.

The resolution was passed with 140 votes. The voting took place during an emergency session of the General Assembly held at the UN headquarters in New York.

.

Newsmen questioned foreign minister AK Abdul Momen in this regard on Saturday.

The foreign minister said, "I had even said yesterday that Bangabandhu never took decisions under pressure. His daughter too does not relent to pressure in taking decisions. The reason behind our decision is that we are a peaceful country. We are number one among the UN peacekeeping forces establishing peace across the world. We made a proposal for sustainable peace around the world and 193 countries accepted this. We took initiative through this proposal called 'culture of peace'. The objective of this is to bring a halt to fighting, conflict and crime. We are leaders of peace in the world."

"People in Ukraine are being oppressed, are suffering," he said, adding, "We voted also that food and medicines could reach them in time, that a corridor be made in necessary to bring them out and other issues, especially an end to the war."

In highlighting the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, Abdul Momen referred to the 1971 liberation war. He said, "The people of Ukraine are fleeing their homes as we did. That is why we voted in favour of Ukraine, on humanitarian grounds, in the UN."

In reply to another question, the foreign minister said, "The Ukraine issue will have no impact on the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant. We hope the war will end. We will also deal with the situation."