India abstains from voting on UNSC resolution seeking probe into Ukraine’s alleged bio weapons
The Russia-sponsored resolution was not adopted as Moscow only got support from China.
India on Thursday abstained from voting on a draft resolution proposed by Russia at the United Nations to form a commission to investigate the alleged involvement of Ukraine and the United States in “military biological” activities.
The document accused Ukraine and the United States of violating the Biological Weapons Convention.
The resolution was not adopted by the United Nations Security Council as Russia only got support from China, reported the Associated Press. A resolution at the council needs to get at least nine “yes” votes for it to be adopted.
The United States, Britain and France voted “no” and the ten other council nations including India abstained from voting.
Counsellor A Amarnath from India’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations said that the country attaches high importance to the Biological Weapons Convention, which is the first non-discriminatory disarmament treaty banning a complete category of weapons of mass destruction.
“India also reiterates the need to negotiate a comprehensive legally binding protocol providing for an effective, universal and non-discriminatory verification mechanism to strengthen the implementation of the Convention,” Amarnath said.
#IndiainUNSC
— India at UN, NY (@IndiaUNNewYork) November 2, 2022
India 🇮🇳 abstained on the draft Security Council resolution on Article VI of BWC
📺Watch: Explanation of Vote by Counsellor A. Amarnath pic.twitter.com/D9FZHQ2JcO
Moscow has been claiming that Ukraine plans to use a radioactive explosive on Russia as the war between the two countries enters the tenth month. However, it had not provided any evidence to support its claims.
In its draft resolution on Thursday, Russia alleged that military biological activity is taking place at laboratories in Ukraine with support from the United States’ Defense Department. After the United Nations Security Council rejected the resolution, Russia’s deputy ambassador Dmitry Polyansky said that his government was “extremely disappointed,” reported AP.
Russia had launched an invasion of Ukraine on February 24. The Kremlin described its actions as a “special operation” to demilitarise and “de-Nazify” Ukraine. However, Kyiv and several Western nations have said that this is a baseless pretext for a war of choice by Russian President Vladimir Putin.