Lavrov Stresses UN Secretary-General Must Be Impartial

Moscow — Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said the United Nations Secretary-General must be neutral, independent and fully committed to the UN Charter.

Speaking in his opening remarks during talks with UN Secretary-General candidate Michelle Bachelet in Moscow on June 8, Lavrov emphasized that the leadership of the United Nations should be free from double standards.

Lavrov said the UN Secretary-General must act in accordance with the full spirit and principles of the UN Charter. According to him, the Secretary-General should not represent any single side, power center or political interpretation, but should remain accountable to the entire international community.

He expressed dissatisfaction over what he described as the tendency to apply different standards to similar issues in international affairs. As an example, Lavrov said Kosovo was treated as a case of the “right to self-determination,” while Crimea was assessed mainly on the basis of “Ukraine’s territorial integrity.”

Lavrov described such differing treatment as a fundamental issue in international relations and stressed that the next UN Secretary-General must be truly different, impartial and principled.

He said he looked forward to hearing Bachelet’s presentation, adding that the future leadership of the United Nations is expected to demonstrate real commitment to neutrality, independence and the UN Charter.

Through his remarks, Lavrov conveyed that a leadership approach free from double standards is necessary to preserve the credibility and effectiveness of the United Nations.