Guterres violates UN position on support for ICC by meeting with Putin
UN Secretary-General António Guterres (photo: Getty Images)
UN Secretary-General António Guterres recently visited Russia, where he met with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. By doing so, he violated the UN's position on supporting the ICC, claims the Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN Serhii Kyslytsia.
Kyslytsia noted that Guterres' visit to Russia and meeting with Putin contradicted the UN's line of support for the work of the International Criminal Court.
The Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN cited a fragment of guidelines for potential meetings between representatives of the UN secretariat and individuals for whom the International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant, as in the case of Putin.
These guidelines were approved by Guterres' predecessor in office, Ban Ki-moon.
The quoted passage notes that it may be the case that individuals subject to an ICC warrant will purposefully seek to meet with UN officials in order to demonstrate their contempt for the ICC and attempt to undermine its authority.
“The relationship agreement between the United Nations and the International Criminal Court requires the United Nations to refrain from any action that would frustrate the activities of the Court and its various organs, including the Prosecutor, or undermine the authority of their decisions,” the fragment reads.
UN Secretary-General takes part in the BRICS summit
On October 23, UN Secretary-General António Guterres arrived in Kazan (Russia) on the day of the start of the three-day BRICS summit. During his visit to Russia, Guterres met with Putin.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke about the UN Secretary-General's trip to Russia and noted that some UN officials preferred “temptations in Kazan”, meaning the BRICS summit.
At the same time, Zelenskyy refused to invite the UN Secretary-General to Kyiv.
