Ukrainian Ambassador to The Bahamas Sergiy Kyslytsya yesterday expressed “high confidence” that CARICOM will “follow up appropriately” on a recent United Nations (UN) resolution calling for Russia to pay war reparations to Ukraine.
CARICOM abstained from voting on the resolution last month.
Kyslytsya addressed the abstention while appearing as a guest on “Morning Blend” with host Dwight Strachan on Guardian Radio 96.9.
“When we speak about compensation, about reparations, it’s also about financial issues, tax issues, legality … I understand that within CARICOM, which is the bloc of nations, it’s probably very difficult discussions,” said Kyslytsya, who also serves as Ukraine’s ambassador to the UN.
“I think that the position to have the unity on abstention, which is not equal to opposing the resolution, it is not as good as we wished but it is better to some against, some in favor, some not participating.
“The important thing is that 94 countries voted for that resolution and I have a very high degree of confidence that most of the CARICOM countries are very dedicated to legality and they will follow up appropriately on the decision of the General Assembly. “
The General Assembly comprises all 193 member states. According to the UN, 94 countries voted in favor of the resolution, and 14 against, while 73 abstained.
The Bahamas government is the chair of the CARICOM caucus at the UN.
As such, Stan Smith, permanent representative of The Bahamas to the United States, delivered a statement to the UN on behalf of the 14 member states of CARICOM, explaining the bloc’s decision to abstain.
The Bahamas and other CARICOM members have supported other UN resolutions since Russia began its war on Ukraine earlier this year.
Kyslytsya noted that first resolution was put forth on March 2 – days after Russian invaded Ukraine.
“It was about designating the Russian Federation as the aggressor state and it was successfully voted by 140 countries in the General Assembly,” he said.
“That was a political statement, mostly because it was about the fact that Russia was the aggressor state and it had mostly, political, powerful implications.”
He said while some of the resolutions have been “purely political”, others have been “more of a tactical nature”.
In September, the UN noted that there had been more than 14,000 civilian casualties of the war. Of that figure, over 5,700 people were killed, and 8,292 injured.
Matilda Bogne, the head of the UN’s human rights mission in Ukraine, said the “actual numbers are likely considerably higher”.
Addressing the toll of the war on Ukraine more than nine months later, Kyslytsya said yesterday that the “scale of the trauma is only comparable to World War II”.
“I mean Europe, until now, has not seen so much damage and deaths and calamity,” he said.
Kyslytsya expressed pride for the support Ukraine has received from other countries, including The Bahamas, since the start of the war.
He said The Bahamas’ support is “very principled”.
“When the war is over, you will be proudly in the camp of those who supported the UN charter,” Kyslytsya said.
