Albanian PM thwarts Russian representative's attempt to disrupt Zelenskyy's speech at UN
Vasily Nebenzya (Photo: Getty Images)
The Russian Permanent Representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, tried four times to interrupt the head of the Security Council in order to prevent President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy from speaking. However, the Kremlin's representative was unsuccessful, according to Bild.
How it all started
The meeting was chaired by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama. He gave an introductory speech and decided to give the floor to the UN Secretary-General, followed by the President of Ukraine. However, the Russian Permanent Representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, intervened, stating that members of the UN Security Council should speak first, and only then Zelenskyy, otherwise, "the meeting would turn into a one-actor show."
Albanian Prime Minister confronted Nebenzya
Rama responded that the order of proceedings had been agreed upon by other participants of the meeting. Nebenzya interrupted him again, speaking out against it and accusing Rama of presenting "political assessments" as the Prime Minister of Albania, not as the chairman of the UN Security Council.
The Albanian Prime Minister countered that Nebenzya had provoked him to do so. In total, the Russian Permanent Representative asked for the floor four times, trying to prevent Zelenskyy's speech, but Rama stood his ground.
"There is a solution for this if you agree," Rama said. You stop the war and President Zelenskyy will not take the floor," the Prime Minister of Albania said.
What Rama also said
"In response, I would like to confirm that the notice of the speaking order was given to all Council members in advance, and in my view, it would have been preferable had this procedural matter been resolved at the technical level prior to the start of this open debate. So, we would have been able to proceed immediately ti the substance of our deliberations," the statement said.
In the five previous meetings of the Security Council attended by Zelenskyy, he spoke before the members of the Security Council.
He assured his Russian colleagues that this was not a special operation by the Albanian chair. It is simply a continuation of a well-established tradition and practice.
How Zelenskyy reacted
The head of Ukraine thanked Rama for his principled leadership in the UN Security Council.
Dear @EdiRamaal, today at the UNSC you showed the world how to correctly handle Russia, its lies, and its hypocrisy. I thank you for steering the Presidency in such a principled manner. pic.twitter.com/0wKca8xZon
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 20, 2023
"Dear, Edi Rama today at the UNSC you showed the world how to correctly handle Russia, its lies, and its hypocrisy," Zelenskyy added.
Zelensky at the UN Security Council
Today, on September 20, the Ukrainian President was present at the meeting of the UN Security Council for the first time since the full-scale invasion began.
Yesterday, we reported that Zelenskyy called for Russia to be excluded from the UN Security Council.
