Russia reaffirms its commitment to the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ethiopia
Addis Ababa, December 18, 2021 (FBC) – During the 33rd special session of the UN Human Rights Council SS33 on Ethiopia, a representative of the Russian Federation reaffirmed the commitment of Russia to the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ethiopia.
Russia consistently opposes politicization of the situation in Ethiopia at the HRC. Further promotion of this topic in the HRC is counterproductive and does not contribute to the settlement of the military and political crisis in the country.
We believe that establishment of a fact-finding mechanism on Ethiopia is an excessive measure.
“The country’s Government successfully cooperates with international human rights mechanisms. Evidence to this is professional and impartial work of the Ethiopian National Human Rights Commission, the activities of which fully comply with the Paris Principles and have the highest “A” category status,” the representative said.
Russia adheres to the postulate: “African solutions to African problems” and supports the mediation efforts of the African Union. We firmly and consistently reject any imposition of unilateral approaches.
“In Ethiopia’s case, we are witnessing an obvious politically motivated approach of certain States. We believe that continuation of establishing HRC monitoring mechanisms without consent of the country concerned is initially hard-wired to failure.”
Potentially appointed experts will have no opportunity to work “on the ground”. Their reports will consist of one-sided information obtained from dubious sources or the Internet.
“Moreover, the funds allocated for the activities of such specialists will go primarily into their salaries budget. We are confident that in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the international community is able to direct its already limited resources to more important matters”.