Shahriar justifies Dhaka's stance on Crimea

Justifying Dhaka's position on the Crimea issue, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam yesterday said by abstaining from voting in the UNGA on the issue Dhaka has stuck to its foreign policy.
“Being a member of the G-77 and the Non-Aligned Movement, we don't side with any country's internal issue. We haven't deviated from that policy. That's why we abstained from voting,” he told newsmen.
It is not a headache for Dhaka whether any country is happy or unhappy over Bangladesh's position, added Shahriar.
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on March 27 in an overwhelming majority resolution declared the Crimea referendum invalid and its annexation by Russia “has no validity.”
The resolution was adopted by a vote of 100 in favour to 11 against, with 58 abstentions, including Bangladesh, India and China.
Moscow welcomed Dhaka's decision, but the US regretted Bangladesh's abstention from joining the large majority.
Russian Ambassador in Dhaka Alexander A Nicholaev on Sunday expressed satisfaction over Bangladesh's abstention from the UNGA voting on the resolution.
Lauding Dhaka's position, he said Russia has been giving special importance to its relations with Bangladesh since the Liberation War in 1971.
The envoy claimed that joining of Crimea with Russia was not an issue of “annexation”, rather it was a “reunification”.
The following day, US Ambassador in Dhaka Dan Mozena said, “I regret that Bangladesh was not able to join the majority on that important issue.”
“The resolution makes it clear that the international community doesn't accept the occupation…the annexation, I should say, by Russia of Crimea,” he added.