MOSCOW, September 30 – Novosti. Statements by UN Secretary General António Guterres that the results of referendums in the DPR, LPR, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions will not have legal force are an excess of authority, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Friday.
Earlier, Guterres issued a statement on referendums in the DPR, LPR, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions . According to him, any decision to join them will be null and void and deserving of condemnation. He stated that such a decision “cannot be combined with the international legal framework”, “is a dangerous escalation” and “should not be taken.” According to him, past referendums cannot be called a true expression of the people’s will.
“In this case, A. Guterres, obviously, not only exceeded his powers, but actually aligned himself with the collective West, once again resorting to a selective approach in interpreting the unfolding events,” the message posted on the agency’s website says.
The Foreign Ministry noted that “the UN Secretary General’s direct attacks on the fundamental right of the peoples of the DPR, LPR, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions to self-determination is another example of hypocrisy and blatant double standards.”
“We consider unacceptable the fact that the UN Secretary General has become an instrument of propaganda and pressure on Member States, while he should be guided by the UN Charter in its entirety,” the Foreign Ministry concluded.
Earlier, the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the UN stated that Guterres, with his statement on referendums in the DPR, LPR, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, violated Article 100 of the UN Charter on the impartiality of actions, and also ignored the principle of “equality and self-determination of peoples.”
Later, the official representative of the UN Secretary General, Stephane Dujarric , added that Guterres’ statement on the referendums did not imply an insult to Russia, he hopes to continue contacts with Moscow .
