India at UNSC: We encourage talks to end conflict, mitigate economic hardships

India's approach will be to promote dialogue and diplomacy with an overarching aim to end the conflict

August 25, 2022

India ready to dispatch the 12th consignment of humanitarian aid to Kyiv

While addressing a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) briefing on Wednesday, India called for an immediate end to the violence and war in Ukraine and has to work to help blunt the economic fallout of the conflict.

India also announced that it is ready to dispatch its 12th consignment of humanitarian aid to Ukraine consisting of twenty-six types of medicines on the special request of the Ukrainian side.

India’s Permanent Representative Ruchira Kamboj told the Security Council, “India’s approach will be to promote dialogue and diplomacy with an overarching aim to end the conflict and work with other partners to mitigate economic challenges emerging from the Russia-Ukraine conflict.”

She said, “India continues to advocate for an immediate cessation of hostilities and an end to violence.”

“We encourage talks between Ukraine and Russia, (and) Prime Minister Narendra Modi has himself, more than once, spoken to them, in this regard,” Kamboj said after the Council heard a grim accounting of the war’s toll from Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Kamboj further said that the humanitarian aid includes `hemostatic bandages` which are meant to stem the bleeding of deep wounds in children and adults and are included in the aid on the specific request by the Ukrainian side as the members meet to mark 6 months since the beginning of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. “This was a specific request by the Ukrainian side and we made sure that we reacted in the fastest possible time to meet this (need),” she added.

Kambhoj said, “India remains deeply concerned over the situation in Ukraine. The conflict has resulted in the loss of lives and countless miseries for its peoples, particularly for women, children and elderly, with millions becoming homeless and forced to take shelter in neighboring countries.”

Rejecting the demands that India lifts its ban on foodgrains exports to the open market, Kamboj said, “Open markets must not become an argument to perpetuate inequity and promote discrimination”.

Pointing out India’s record of delivering vaccines and medicines around the world in times of crisis, she said, “I would like to assure this Council, that India will step forward whenever the global south is constrained on aspects of food, health, and energy security and we will do this in a manner that is helpful to the global economy and does not take undue advantage of countries in distress.”

India, she said, is responding positively to requests from many countries for foodgrains on the basis of equity, affordability, and accessibility.

“In the last three months alone, India has exported more than 1.8 million tons of wheat to countries in need, including to Afghanistan, Myanmar, Sudan, and Yemen,” she said.

She added that India was also increasing the production of agricultural inputs like fertilizers that were in short supply globally.

Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo said that during the past 181 days the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has recorded 13,560 civilian casualties: 5,614 killed and 7,946 injured.

“These figures are based on verified incidents; actual numbers are considerably higher,” she said.

“Today, exactly six months later, there is no end in sight to the conflict triggered by the Russian Federation’s invasion”, she said.

Earlier, Prime Minister Modi has spoken to Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine urging them to hold a dialogue for a peaceful resolution of the conflict.

[With Inputs from IANS]

PGurus is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with all the latest news and views

For all the latest updates, download PGurus App.