By Abimbola Ogunnaike
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin have jointly stressed the need to settle the Ukraine crisis through dialogue.
In a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, Presidents Xi and Putin also signed and released the “Joint Statement of the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation on Deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership of Coordination for the New Era.”
It was signed on Tuesday, 21March, 2023 at the Kremlin in Moscow.
On the Ukraine issue, the two sides believe that the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter must be observed and international law must be respected.
The Russian side spoke positively of China’s objective and impartial position on the Ukraine issue.
The two sides, however, opposed the practice by any country or group of countries to seek advantages in the military, political and other areas to the detriment of the legitimate security interests of other countries.
Furthermore, the Russian side reaffirmed its commitment to the resumption of peace talks as soon as possible, which China appreciated.
Russia also welcomed China’s willingness to play a positive role for the political and diplomatic settlement of the Ukraine crisis.
It welcomed the constructive proposals set forth in “China’s Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis.”
More so, both sides suggested that to settle the Ukraine crisis, the legitimate security concerns of all countries must be respected, bloc confrontation should be prevented, and the fanning of the flames avoided.
They also stressed that responsible dialogue was the best way for appropriate solutions.
“To this end, the international community should provide support to the relevant constructive efforts,” said the statement.
They called for stopping all moves that led to tensions and prolonged fighting to prevent the crisis from getting worse or out of control.
Moreover, both sides opposed any unilateral sanctions unauthorised by the United Nations Security Council.
Source: NAN
