UN, September 30 – Novosti. The statement of UN Secretary General António Guterres on referendums in Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions did not imply insult to Russia, he hopes to continue contacts with Moscow, his official representative Stefan Dujarric said at a briefing.
Earlier, UN Secretary General António Guterres made a statement on referendums in the DPR , LPR , Kherson and Zaporozhye regions . According to him, any decision to annex the Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions will have no legal force and deserves condemnation. He stated that such a decision “cannot be combined with the international legal framework”, “it is a dangerous escalation” and “it should not be accepted”. The past referendums cannot be called a true expression of the people’s will, Guterres stressed.
“It was not meant to be offensive. It was meant to reaffirm the role of the Secretary General, as Secretary General, in protecting the Charter and the principles on which this organization is built. And he very much hopes that contacts will continue,” Dujarric said.
According to him, “the secretary general does not believe that communications should be interrupted in any way.” “On the contrary, in times of conflict, suffering, his ability to speak to all parties involved is more important than ever,” he said.
