UN chief Ban Ki-moon is travelling to Moscow and Kiev as part of his diplomatic efforts to encourage all parties to peacefully resolve the current crisis over Russia’s annexation of Crimea. Ban will be in Moscow on Thursday where he would meet President Vladimir Putin, Foreign Minister Sergey lavrov and other senior officials.
The Secretary-General will travel to Kiev on March 21 and hold talks with Acting President Oleksandr Turchynov, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk and other officials. While in the Ukrainian capital, he would also meet with members of the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission and representatives of civil society.
“The Secretary-General has consistently called for a solution that is guided by the principles of the United Nations Charter,” a statement issued by his spokesperson said. Ban had this week expressed deep disappointment at the crisis in Ukraine, saying that the Crimea referendum will exacerbate the situation and urged all parties concerned to intensify efforts and engage constructively toward a peaceful solution.
In a referendum last Sunday that was sharply condemned by global powers, an overwhelming 95.5 per cent of voters on the mostly Russian-speakingpeninsula voted to secede from Ukraine. The US imposed a new round of sanctions on 11 key Russian and Ukrainian political figures on Monday. PTI