Right now, the UN Security Council is holding a meeting where “peace and security in Ukraine” is the theme.
There has been tension in advance as to whether Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov and Ukrainian President Zelenskyj will meet here. Lavrov is initially not to be seen in the Russian delegation.
Vasiliy Nebensya, Russia’s ambassador to the UN, began the meeting by arguing about the agenda.
Laughter in the hall
The Russians were unhappy that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj was given speaking time early in the meeting, since Ukraine is not a member of the Security Council.
Albania’s Prime Minister, Edi Rama, who is also the leader of today’s meeting, replied that by allowing the Ukrainian president to speak early, Security Council members would have the opportunity to respond to his statements. The Russian delegation was not satisfied with this justification, and believed that this was contrary to the regulations for the meetings. After much exchange of words back and forth, the Security Council chairman had enough:
– I must say that this about breaking rules and laws coming from you is quite impressive, said Rama dryly and sarcastically.
– There is a solution for this. You stop the war, and President Zelenskyj stops talking here, Rama continued, prompting laughter in the hall.
Watch the session here:
– What makes it important for us to hear him first, is what you have ensured, added Rama, before he tried to continue the meeting. It didn’t work, as Nebensja wanted to speak once more.
– You are here as the head of the Security Council today, and not as Albania’s representative, Nebensja reminded.
Zelensky’s speech
A little later, Zelenskyj spoke. The Ukrainian president emphasized how unfair and wrong Ukraine feels that Russia sits on the Security Council.
Zelenskyy referred to the Russian delegation as “liars, whose job it is to whitewash the aggression and genocide” that Russia is carrying out in Ukraine.
When the Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama, spoke again, he delivered a powerful volley of a speech:
– It will be an insult to the intelligence of this organization if we do not unanimously recognize and say out loud who is the aggressive party, and who is being attacked. It is the same sharp difference as between war and peace, said Rama, referring to the Russian author Tolstoy, who wrote the book “War and Peace”.
Pictures of Russian Nebensja during the speech showed that he was on the phone, and was more focused on it than the Albanian prime minister’s speech. Other representatives watched closely.
– If we fail to admit this crystal clear truth, we are not only failing Ukraine and its people. We are failing our core responsibilities, compromising the future and betraying all our children from Brazil to Spain from the Arctic to the South Pole, Rama continued.
– Ukraine’s struggle is also the struggle of everyone who wants to live in a world where nations are free and equal, where territorial integrity is indisputable and the right to live in peace is unquestionable. The opposite is not only short-term, but extremely dangerous for everyone under this roof. That’s why everyone has to do their part, said Rama.
2023-09-20 15:38:14
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