India calls for dialogue over Crimea at UNSC, says individual relations 'stand own merit'

India on March 17 advocated for peaceful dialogue over the situation in Crimea at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in a follow-up to March 12 meeting adhering to the Arria-formula. While speaking at the UNSC, India’s Deputy Permanent Representative-Political Coordinator to the UN, R Ravindra as per news agency ANI report, said that India has advocated political as well as diplomatic solutions that safeguard the legitimate interests of all the nations in the region to ensure prolonged peace and stability in Europe and beyond. 

Russia had sent its troops into Crimea and annexed the European peninsula in 2014 while backing the separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine in a six-year war that has reportedly killed thousands of people. However, since July 2020, an uneasy cease-fire has been in effect. 

On March 18, apart from India said it would advocate for peace, the Group of Seven nations (G7) along with the European Union (EU) denounced “Russia’s continued actions to undermine Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence.” Ravindra said at UNSC that the path forward regarding Crimea can only be through peaceful dialogue for a lasting solution that is accepted by all parties in concern. 

"I wish to clarify that India's relations with countries in the region stand on their own merit. They are not affected by any individual issue or crisis or external factors," India’s Deputy Permanent Representative-Political Coordinator to the UN said.

While thanking the Russian delegation for organising the follow-up meeting, Ravindra warned, “Allow me to also place on record our reservations on this format of meeting as it has been misused in the past."

The second meeting in five days

The march 17 meeting was the second Arria-formula meeting on Crimea in five days. On Wednesday, the meeting was organised in a follow-up to the March 12 high-level Arria-formula meeting on Crimea that was organised by UNSC members including Estonia, France, Ireland, Norway, the UK, and the US. According to Russia, the meeting’s objective was to provide comprehensive information on the situation in the peninsula from current residents of Crimea. 

Earlier, Russia has drawn the attention of the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urging the organisation to remain unbiased in their remarks about Crimea, the Russian-speaking province of Ukraine that was acceded to Russia after the 2014 referendum.