Several countries across the globe, including Russia, Belarus, Syria, Cuba, China, and Iran, have floated the establishment of a "Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the United Nations" and extended invitations to other UN members to join the new body
UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th March, 2021) Several countries across the globe, including Russia, Belarus, Syria, Cuba, China, and Iran, have floated the establishment of a "Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the United Nations" and extended invitations to other UN members to join the new body.
The related letter of appeal was also signed by Bolivia, Cambodia, Algeria, Angola, North Korea, Palestine, Eritrea, Laos, Nicaragua, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
"We will be highly honored to count on your esteemed country amongst the founding members and therefore extend your honorable government a kind invitation to consider joining the 'Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the United Nations," the letter, obtained by Sputnik late on Thursday, read.
The appellants asked the UN members to notify whether or not it was ready to join the group, before April 9 if possible.
The letter also noted that the main objectives of the group would be "to preserve, promote and defend the prevalence and validity of the UN Charter," which became even more valuable in the light of the coronavirus pandemic, and to establish a platform for coordinating joint efforts to ensure the Charter's principles are respected. The initiatives would include related joint statements and proposals, as well as the organization of side events within the framework of the UN General Assembly.
Besides, the letter went on, nowadays multilateralism, one of the pillars of the UN Charter, was "under an unprecedented attack" amid violations of the international law, including "the imposition of unilateral coercive measures or the withdrawal from landmark agreements and multilateral institutions," and others.
The group is expected to meet every three months and convene once a year "at the Foreign Minister-level" in New York if the situation is favorable, and is due to be led by one of its members for a year successively on the principle of rotation.
