Russia applauds SL reconciliation effort

Measures taken by the leadership and the people of Sri Lanka to overcome post-war challenges are impressive, Russian Federation Foreign Affairs Ministry Humanitarian Cooperation and Human Rights Department Director Anatoly Viktorov said. "I am sure that goodwill and national movement towards reconciliation and economic restoration will help address them properly. Much has already been done for that purpose," he said

"Some countries often threaten or imply sanctions against other countries which they consider to be violators of human rights. Russia rejects such an approach," he said.

"Those sanctions only increase the suffering of people and contribute to aggravating their situation.

Every one must firmly uphold general principles of technical assistance in human rights promotion. It must be provided on request of the state concerned and politically neutral. No state must be forced to accept technical assistance," he said.

Russia strongly rejects threats or implying sanctions against other countries considering those to be human rights violators, Viktorov added. "We are of the view that although human rights could be a legitimate concern of the international community, they must not be used as a pretext for interference in internal affairs or, even worse, use of force," he told a press conference at the Colombo Hilton yesterday.

He said this was his first trip to Sri Lanka and was impressed by the beauty of the country. "I held an extensive dialogue with the representatives of various ministries, state agencies, political parties and national human rights institutions. We exchanged opinions on a number of human rights issues. In particular, it was cooperation in the United Nations Human Rights Council, General Assembly and treaty bodies, as well as functioning of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights," Viktorov said.

"Our dialogue was a reflection of growing and strengthening bilateral relations. Sri Lanka is a reliable and time - tested friend of Russia. Our countries belong to different civilisations and cultures, but share similar ideas, aspirations and approaches to the global agenda, including human rights. Russia and Sri Lanka hold a multi - dimensional and extensive dialogue on many issues on the international agenda. This is natural for the countries whose ties are so close," he added."I hope that my visit made a modest but tangible contribution to the scope and diversity of our relations. We have agreed on the point that the work of the UN, in particular in the field of promotion and protection of human rights, must be conducted in strict accordance with the international law. No violation of the UN charter or attempt to undermine norms and principles of the international law may be justified by any cause, whatever it is - political considerations,economic interests, human rights or anything else," he said.

"Unfortunately, the UN human rights machinery experiences a number of problems. The most prominent of them is lack of trust. To restore this trust, it is necessary to firmly introduce the principle of cooperation in the work of the UN human rights dimension. Russia and Sri Lanka will continue working on it jointly. International dialogue in the sphere of human rights is infested with politicization and double standards," Viktorov said.

"We are of the view that, although human rights could be a legitimate concern of international community, they must not be used as a pretext for interference in internal affairs or, even worse, use of force. Russia's position on country - specific human rights situations is known well.

We support only those resolutions in the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly which enjoy the support and consent of the country concerned," he said. "No country is free of human rights violations. Therefore we reject the practice of teaching , naming and shaming which actually discredits human rights cause."

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Russia applauds SL reconciliation effort