Cape Town – South African Speaker of the National Assembly, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has implored world leaders to desist from making “inflammatory statements”, as she said that it would be “wrong” to blame only one country for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
She said that world leaders must instead, demonstrate political maturity to calm down the conflict.
Mapisa-Nqakula said this during the General Assembly of the 144th Plenary Session of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) currently taking place in Bali, Indonesia sponsored by the New Zealand Parliament
“We call upon world leaders to desist from making inflammatory statements and demonstrate political maturity to calm waters everywhere where there is conflict. Do not exacerbate the situation by being emotional and irrational in the manner in which conflict is dealt with,” Mapisa-Nqakula.
Speaker Mapisa-Nqakula has called on world leaders to desist from making inflammatory statements, and demonstrate political maturity in order to calm waters everywhere there is conflict. She is leading a multiparty delegation to the #IPU144 currently meeting in Indonesia pic.twitter.com/6OyB5McFck
— Parliament of RSA (@ParliamentofRSA) March 22, 2022
She continued: “We are of the firm view that durable peace is needed in Ukraine and that our collective efforts as the international community in general and parliaments, in particular, should seek to help the two countries to find a peaceful solution. In this regard, it would be wrong to simply and selectively blame one country. We urge both parties to fully commit to the peaceful negotiations conflict”.
Speaker Mapisa-Nqakula urged the #IPU144 GeneralAssembly to ensure all efforts are geared towards ensuring peaceful resolution through negotiation instead of taking sides in the Ukraine/Russia issue #IPU144 pic.twitter.com/kIEm4QF5rV
— Parliament of RSA (@ParliamentofRSA) March 22, 2022
According to News24, the IPU allows any member country to request the inclusion of an emergency item in its agenda, which must be accompanied by a draft resolution.
Amongst the drafts that were received was Indonesia’s draft resolution, titled: “The role of Parliaments in supporting a peaceful resolution to the Russian-Ukrainian Conflict”, and did not mention Russia’s aggression.
Another one was New Zealand’s draft resolution, titled: “Peaceful resolution of the war in Ukraine, respecting international law, the Charter of the United Nations and Territorial Integrity”.
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New Zealand’s resolution received the majority of the votes.
South Africa however, supported Indonesia’s resolution on the grounds that it advocated for global parliaments to support efforts in stopping the war and de-escalating the situation to ensure a peaceful resolution of the conflict, according to The Citizen.
Nearly 3.5 million Ukrainians have now fled the country following Russia’s invasion.
The conflict between the two countries has drawn international attention, with many countries urging Russian President Vladimir Putin to lay down his weapons and negotiate.
The IPU will conclude on Thursday.
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Picture: Twitter/@ ParliamentofRSA
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Compiled by Sinothando Siyolo
