Skopje, 23 February 2024 (MIA) - Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani addressed Friday the 56th plenary meeting, 78th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 78) in New York, on the occasion of the second anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 

The meeting debated the item "The situation in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine", where Osmani once again called on Russia to stop the senseless war and withdraw its troops from the sovereign territory of Ukraine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release.

"Russia has violated the basic principles of international law and launched a full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine, a UN member state," Osmani pointed out. 

The Minister noted that North Macedonia was also strongly concerned and condemns the illegal deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia and Belarus by the Russian Federation and called on them to ensure their safe return home.

"We have to say NO to Russia. Justice and responsibility must prevail," Osmani said, adding that North Macedonia has joined the 140 member states in supporting Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders since 1991, which, unfortunately, he added, the Russian Federation does not respect. 

Osmani called for unity in the support for Ukraine, "not only for the sake of the victims and their families, but also as preconditions for avoiding further aggressions and unprovoked use of force in international relations."

Photo: MFA