Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov Urges UN To Be Neutral In Ukraine Conflict

JAKARTA - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov urged the United Nations (UN) to always uphold impartiality and equality, especially in the conflict in Ukraine.

When meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the sidelines of the United Nations' 78th General Assembly in New York, Lavrov said the United Nations should be neutral and impartial in the Ukraine conflict, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

He called on Guterres to prevent the involvement of UN officials in politicized initiatives in the context of the Ukraine crisis.

Lavrov also called on the international agency to treat all countries and territories equally in statistics and documents.

The statement was made as a form of Moscow's protest against the United Nations which is considered to have applied double standards in its treatment of different regions, particularly in the context of the Ukraine conflict.

Russia asks the United Nations to ensure that statistics and other documents are accurate and impartial, and do not reflect political bias.

Moscow also wants the United Nations to be more transparent about data collection and its analysis methods.

Lavrov and Guterres discussed the proposed UN reform. Lavrov noted the importance of considering all opinions of UN member states when implementing the reform plan, the statement said.

Lavrov conveyed a continuing violation by the United States against the 1947 Agreement on the United Nations Headquarters, including Washington's refusal to issue visas for a number of diplomats from Russia and other countries to participate in various UN activities at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, USA.