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Foreign ministry explains why Russia did not join Istanbul humanitarian summit commitments

According to the ministry, the UN member states were not involved in drawing up the commitments which go far beyond the international humanitarian reaction
Russian Foreign Ministry Natalia Garnelis/TASS
Russian Foreign Ministry
© Natalia Garnelis/TASS

MOSCOW, September 19 /TASS/. Russia has not joined the voluntary commitments of the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul, Turkey, in May on the initiative of the United Nations secretary general on grounds that the UN member states had not been involved in drawing up these commitments and the United Nations had done that on its own, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

Some of the commitments and obligations go far beyond the international humanitarian reaction. "We do not think that the commitments undertaken by individual countries should automatically become universal," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in connection with participation of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in the work of the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly.

The task of meeting the needs of the population stricken by various humanitarian crises is a vital area of the United Nations activities. "We proceed from the fact that the underlying principles of humanism, neutrality and impartiality are unshakable. They are fixed in a resolution of the United Nations General Assembly 46/182 and form the foundation of the current international system of humanitarian reaction," the Russian Foreign Ministry stressed.

The 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly opened in New York on September 13. The United Nations members will discuss a wide range of urgent global and regional issues. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is heading the Russian delegation to the General Assembly. On September 23, Lavrov will deliver a speech at the general political discussion of the United Nations General Assembly.