Dhaka voted for humanitarian cause, PM says on second UN vote on Ukraine
When there was a vote against a country we abstained. But when the issue of human rights came in the second resolution of UNGA Bangladesh voted in favour of it: PM Hasina told the parliament
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said Bangladesh voted in favour of the second UN resolution on Ukraine as it highlighted the humanitarian issues rather than targeting a particular country.
"When there was a vote against a country we abstained. But when the issue of human rights came in the second resolution of UNGA Bangladesh voted in favour of it," she told the parliament.
The prime minister was replying to a supplementary question from Jatiya Party MP Md Mujibul Haque (Kishoreganj-3) during PM's question-answer session.
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She said people in Ukraine, including children, are suffering and becoming refugees due to the war.
"When the issue of human rights was involved, Bangladesh stood for it ... It is very clear and none should have confusion about it," she asserted.
Explaining further Hasina said that when the first resolution was tabled in the UNGA Bangladesh found that there was no issue of human rights, no initiative of stopping the war and no other issues, but only a vote against a country which is Russia.
"When I saw this I decided not to vote (in first resolution),"she said.
The PM, also the leader of the house, said the war didn't start on its own. Rather there might be someone who provoked and forced it.
She questioned why a single country would be condemned?
She said that Russia is a friendly country of Bangladesh and it stood beside Bangladesh when the 7th fleet (of the US) was sent to help Pakistan during the War of Liberation in 1971.
"Russia was beside us in our bad time and we are surely beside the country, but if they do anything unjustified we don't accept this," she said.
She, however, said it has to be seen who is provoking the war.
