Russian Ambassador Rebukes Former Maldivian President Over Critical Tweet
The Russian Embassy in Sri Lanka and the Maldives has responded to a tweet by former Maldivian President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, which questioned the role of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in the wake of Russia’s continued military actions in Ukraine.
In a statement released by Mr. Levan Dzhagaryan, Russian Ambassador to both Sri Lanka and the Maldives, the diplomat called on Mr. Gayoom to “refrain from following the policy of double standards traditionally pursued by the West.” The ex-president’s tweet, which highlighted Russia’s recent air strikes in Ukraine and the lack of response from the UNSC, appeared to have drawn the ire of Moscow.
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🗣️Commentary by 🇷🇺 Ambassador to Sri Lanka and in the Republic of Maldives Mr. Levan Dzhagaryan
“I strongly call ex-President of Maldives Mr. Gayoom to refrain from following the policy of double standards traditionally pursued by the West”.
In full: https://t.co/taCrAvDfHt pic.twitter.com/w7Bye0I6Mj— Russian Embassy in Sri Lanka (@RusEmbSriLanka) August 28, 2024
Ambassador Dzhagaryan urged Mr. Gayoom to take a closer look at the root causes of what Russia has termed a “Special Military Operation,” citing NATO’s expansion towards Russia’s borders and accusing the government in Kyiv of harbouring neo-Nazi elements. He further claimed that Ukraine’s actions in the Donbas region had resulted in significant civilian casualties, and questioned why Mr. Gayoom seemed unconcerned with these developments.
Does UN Security Council still exist? BBC says Russia had launched massive air attacks on Ukraine during the last two nights. But no news of any UN reaction!— Maumoon Abdul Gayoom (@maumoonagayoom) August 27, 2024
The Ambassador went on to remind the former Maldivian leader that Russia and Ukraine were, at one point, close to reaching a peaceful settlement during negotiations in Istanbul in March 2022. However, according to Mr. Dzhagaryan, these efforts were thwarted by external interference from the United States and the United Kingdom, who allegedly urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to continue the conflict.
The Russian diplomat highlighted that his country had made multiple attempts to negotiate peace, with the latest initiative coming from President Vladimir Putin in June of this year.
He criticised Mr. Gayoom’s stance, suggesting the former president’s concerns would be better directed at the UNSC’s inability to alleviate the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, attributing this failure to the actions of a single unnamed country.
In contrast to Mr. Gayoom’s “doubtful approach,” Ambassador Dzhagaryan praised the current Maldivian government for its principled position on the Palestinian issue and its commitment to humanitarian efforts in the region.
Mr. Gayoom’s original tweet stated, “Does UN Security Council still exist? BBC says Russia had launched massive air attacks on Ukraine during the last two nights. But no news of any UN reaction!”
