Bangladesh’s vote at United Nations General Assembly in favour of a resolution demanding civilian protection and aid access in Ukraine was purely based on humanitarian grounds, said Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen on Friday.
The minister further added that Bangladesh was not swayed by any external pressure for the vote, as per a bdnews24.com report.
“The resolution demanded protection and humanitarian aid for the oppressed and injured. We supported it as Bangladesh wants the welfare of oppressed people.”
The UNGA overwhelmingly supported the demand on Thursday, while also criticising Russia for creating a “dire” humanitarian situation resulting from its invasion exactly one month ago.
During its 11th Emergency Special Session, 193 Member States adopted the resolution -- Humanitarian consequences of the aggression against Ukraine -- with 140 votes in favour. Russia, Syria, North Korea, Eritrea and Belarus voted against the resolution while 38 others abstained from the vote. It was drafted by Ukraine and 90 co-sponsors.
Despite that, 50 countries gathered in the General Assembly Hall, did favour moving to a vote on the Russian-backed South African draft, and 36 abstained, but the resolution did not garner enough support to proceed to a full vote.
Dhaka's decision to support the resolution marks somewhat of a shift in its position on the ongoing conflict, particularly as it had abstained from a vote to condemn Russia earlier this month.
The fact that the vote came shortly after US Under Secretary for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland's visit to Dhaka has fuelled speculation that Bangladesh acted under pressure from the West.
But Momen was quick to dismiss the notion that the decision had been influenced by Western countries.
“There is always pressure from different sources but our prime minister never bends to it. You must remember that she is the daughter of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib,” he said.
“She will do whatever brings benefit to Bangladesh. Sheikh Hasina never does anything under pressure from others. You may have other perceptions, but Sheikh Hasina did not make the decision out of any pressure as she is always guided by her ideology.”
Earlier on Mar 2, Bangladesh and 34 others had abstained from a historic UNGA vote to reprimand Russia for invading Ukraine and demanding that Moscow stop fighting and withdraw its military forces.
Explaining the decision, Momen had said the UN vote aimed to denounce Russia, not to end the war.
"If you read the proposal, you’ll see it doesn't call for an end to the war," he had said. “It's to blame someone.”
Ukraine, a former Soviet republic, has been seeking to join the US-led military alliance, NATO, since Russia annexed Crimea in a 2014 conflict. Thousands of people died in years of fighting between the Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatists.
Tensions have been running high for the past few months as Russian President Vladimir Putin asked Ukraine to abandon its NATO ambition, citing security concerns. Finally, Russia launched the invasion of Ukraine on Feb 24.
The Bangladesh government has been saying it is monitoring the situation since the beginning of the war. The official statement called for resolving the issue through dialogue.