The Russian delegation at the 46th session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva said that the resolution on Syria adopted on Wednesday by Britain, the European Union, Turkey, Jordan, Qatar and Kuwait was " extremely biased".
Dmitry Vorobiev, a representative of the Russian delegation, said in a speech at the session that the document was "extremely biased, based on unfounded speculation and false assumptions, distorts reality, and is overtly politicized".
The diplomat noted that the Russian delegation has been trying to find "at least some common sense or a hint of objectivity" in the draft resolution "prepared by our British colleagues". But the authors "unashamedly exaggerated, preparing a one-sided, unbalanced, and uneditable document, which included every accusation imaginable and unthinkable, and addressed only one side of the Syrian conflict". The representative of the Russian delegation drew attention to the fact that the resolution "lacks a clear reference to the imperative of the fight against terrorism, thus distorting the true cause of the tragedy that happened in Syria". In addition, the topic of "foreign occupation of a part of the territory of Syria and plundering of natural wealth" was not covered, the efforts of the Syrian authorities to overcome the crisis were not mentioned.
The resolution singles out the Syrian authorities as the main target for criticism and condemnation. It alleges that "tens of thousands of people have been killed while in the custody of the ruling regime," and states that "the Syrian authorities have carried out widespread and systematic attacks on civilians in accordance with firmly established policies, including crimes against humanity."
In addition to Russia, Armenia, Bolivia, Venezuela, China and Cuba voted against the resolution. The Chinese representative said in a statement that its content was "unfair and biased" and that the document itself "puts unilateral pressure on the Syrian government." "Such a draft resolution will not contribute to achieving a political solution to the Syrian issue and cannot alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people," the diplomat summarized.
The document was supported by 27 of the 47 countries that are members of the HRC: in addition to the EU countries, these include Somalia, Togo, the Marshall Islands and Ukraine. Fourteen states, including Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan, abstained in the vote.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Imago / TASS
Based on materials from TASS