By Arul Louis United Nations, Aug 25 : In a call for an immediate stop to the war and violence in Ukraine, India has pledged to work to lessen the economic repercussions of the war.
“India’s strategy is to encourage diplomatic dialogue and dialogue with the ultimate goal of bring the conflict to an end and collaborate with others to ease the economic risks that arise from the conflict between Ukraine and Russia,” India’s Permanent Representative Ruchira Kamboj spoke to the Security Council on Wednesday.
She stated, “India continues to advocate for the immediate end of hostilities as well as an end of violence.”
“We recommend discussions between Ukraine and Russia, (and) Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself has several times talked to them in this regards,” Kamboj said after the Council received a bleak account of the casualties of war by Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
The Prime Minister Modi has met with the presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine in a call to engage in a dialogue towards an amicable solution of the crisis.
Since the war started in February Guterres stated that “thousands of civilians have been killed and injured including hundreds of children.Countless others have lost family members and friends as well as beloved ones.”
He also said “The rapid rise of already high fuel, food, fertiliser and fuel prices has created an international crisis that could force millions of people further to extreme poverty, thereby increasing malnutrition and hunger.”
In keeping India’s delicate balance in the war, Kamboj did not directly condemn Moscow or publicly support Kiev as she did speak of the impact of war on Ukraine and New Delhi’s assistance to Ukraine.
She stated, “India remains deeply concerned about the current circumstances in Ukraine.This conflict has resulted in the loss of lives and numerous miseries for its citizens, especially for women as well as children and the elderly, with millions becoming homeless and forced to seek shelter in neighboring countries.”
“India has just delivered its 12th shipment of humanitarian aid to Ukraine comprising of 26 varieties of medications, including ‘hemostatic bandages’ to stop bleeding of deep wounds in children and adults,” she said.
“This was a particular request from the Ukrainian side, and we ensured that we responded in the fastest time possible in order to satisfy the (need),” she added.
In a statement, Kamboj resisted the demand for India removes its ban on exports of foodgrains to the market open to all, Kamboj said, “Open markets should not be used as an excuse to perpetuate inequality and encourage discrimination”.
In announcing India’s track record of providing vaccines and medicines across the globe in times of crises, she said, “I want to assure this Council that India will take action whenever the world’s south is restricted in terms of food, health and energy security and we will do it in an approach that is beneficial for the world economy and doesn’t take unjust advantage of countries in difficult times.”
India, she said, is taking positive action to requests from several countries for foodgrains on basis of affordability, equity, and access.
“In the last three months, India has exported more than 1.8 million tonnes of wheat to countries in need, including Afghanistan, Myanmar, Sudan and Yemen,” she said.
She also said India has also increased the production of agricultural inputs such as fertilisers, which were in short supply across the globe.
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 upon actual incidents.The actual numbers are much more,” she said.
“Today exactly six months after the invasion, there’s no resolution in sight to the war caused by Russia’s invading”, she said.
(Arul Louis may be reached via [email protected] and he can be followed via @arulouis.)
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