Poland & Estonia Add to Roster of Ukraine Comments at @UN75

The leaders of Poland and Estonia added their voices to the roster of UN member-states that raised the issue of Russian aggression against Ukraine in their addresses this week during the 75th session of the UN General Assembly.

Noting the importance of quality relations among states, Polish President Andrzej Duda, stated that Russia’s aggression against Ukraine shows disrespect for international law.

“There cannot and there will not be a lasting peace in the world unless law is abided by. Our attachment to this value is mirrored by the slogan ‘peace through law,’ which we promoted inter alia during our two-year-long term as an elected member state of the Security Council. In our actions undertaken in the UN forum we are consistent in highlighting the fundamental role of international law in preserving the global security architecture. It is indispensable to ensure cooperation among states in a situation when the fundamental norms of international law are violated, for instance in case of the aggression of the Russian Federation on Georgia or Ukraine,” Duda said.

Turning to the parallel crisis in Belarus also inspired by Russia, Duda said he has appealed to the international community through the UN Human Rights Council to pay attention to the violation of humans rights in that country.

“In the name of Solidarity we should all speak with one voice and demand that fundamental human rights be respected both in Belarus and in other places across the globe. Repressions of political opponents, mass detentions of peaceful protesters or violence and torture being applied against them cannot be tolerated in any state. Belarusians, just like any other free nation, have the right to shape their political future in a sovereign way, without external interference, without domination of other capitals, with the right to freely participate in international cooperation in line with their national interests,” he said.

President of Estonia Kersti Kaljulaid, in her remarks, said “As we tackle the global pandemic, conventional and unconventional threats have not disappeared. The world around us is as unpredictable and unsecure as it was before. Take the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Syria. Or the conflict in Sahel and the recent devastating disaster in Lebanon. As well as the grave human rights violations in Belarus.

“Overall, the pandemic has even reinforced some of the consequences of conflicts, for example the health and well-being of the most vulnerable – the children, women and adolescents. The pandemic has been used as a pretext to lift sanctions or restrict humanitarian aid. New divisions have emerged. This, my friends, is unacceptable.”