Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov faced two major boycotts on Tuesday as he spoke at two international forums, reflecting Moscow’s diplomatic isolation following the invasion of Ukraine.
The first case occurred when numerous delegations, including those from Ukraine and Western countries, left the room as Lavrov’s speech at the Conference on Disarmament was broadcast by video, leaving the site almost empty.
Less than an hour later, a new room abandonment occurred when the Russian minister was speaking by video before the Human Rights Council of the one.
Lavrov had planned to travel to Geneva to participate in the two conferences but canceled at the last minute invoking the “anti-Russian sanctions” that prevent him from flying over the territory of the European Union, which forced him to send his speeches by video.
At the Disarmament Conference, a forum created in 1979 to curb the arms race, diplomats walked out of the room at the start of Lavrov’s speech, an AFP journalist found.
Outside the chamber, diplomats gathered in front of a large Ukrainian flag and applauded loudly.
Applause might be heard in the room where Lavrov’s speech was continuing with only a few ambassadors present, including those from Venezuela, Syria, Yemen and Tunisia.
“It is important to show a gesture of solidarity with our Ukrainian friends,” said Yann Hwang, French ambassador to the Conference on Disarmament, the only multilateral body of the international community for negotiations in this sector.
show of support
Something similar happened when the broadcast of Lavrov’s recorded speech before the UN Human Rights Council began.
The diplomats filed out of the room in an orderly manner as the video of the Russian minister played, according to an AFP journalist at the scene.
“Thank you very much for this wonderful show of support for the Ukrainians who are fighting for their independence,” declared the Ukrainian ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Yevheniia Filipenko, who led the way out of the room.
“Any invasion constitutes a violation of human rights… massive violations and loss of civilian life,” French Ambassador Jerome Bonnafont said.
Russia has become an international pariah since the invasion of Ukraine began last week, leaving dozens dead in cities and forcing thousands of people to seek refuge in neighboring countries.
In fact, the Conference on Disarmament began with a minute of silence for the Ukrainian “victims”.
“Russian indiscriminate attacks once morest civilians and critical infrastructure are war crimes and violate the Rome Statute,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told the Conference on Disarmament.
The Rome Statute is the treaty that created the International Criminal Court.
“Russian aggression is a global threat. The response must be global,” Kuleba said.
Meanwhile, Kiev won support on Monday for an urgent debate at the UN Human Rights Council this week, which will seek to launch a high-level investigation into violations committed in the conflict, beginning with Russia’s annexation of the peninsula of Crimea in 2014.
This morning in the UN Human Rights Council more than 140 diplomats refused to listen to Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov’s futile attempt to justify unacceptable military aggression. Watch them leave the Council Chamber. pic.twitter.com/Syox5sTvaD
— Elisabeth Tichy-Fisslberger (@tichy_e) March 1, 2022
