By Ritah Kemigisa
The state minister for Foreign affairs in charge of international relations Henry Okello Oryem has defended the decision by Uganda to abstain from the recent UN vote against Russia.
Uganda on Wednesday abstained from voting on the resolution passed by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) that strongly condemned Russia for invading Ukraine and demanded that there should be an immediate withdrawal of all Russian forces.
In the emergency UN General Assembly session held on Wednesday, 141 countries approved the resolution, 35 votes were abstentions and five votes were against.
Defending the decision, Uganda’s permanent representative to the UN Adonia Ayebare said Uganda as an incoming Chair of the Non- aligned Movement (NAM) had to be neutral.
Oryem says it was wise for Uganda to avoid the vote since there is no clear understanding of the complex issues of the two warring countries.
Whereas the General Assembly resolutions are non-binding, they carry political weight, with Wednesday’s vote representing a symbolic victory for Ukraine and increasing Moscow’s international isolation.
