KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has voted in favour of the 11th Emergency Special Session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly that adopted the resolution entitled “Aggression Against Ukraine”.The Foreign Ministry said Malaysia, in its Explanation of Vote on Wednesday, reiterated its commitment to the principles and purposes of the UN Charter and to the inviolability of the fundamental principles of territorial integrity and sovereignty of a country.

       “While Malaysia may not have agreed to every single word in the resolution, Malaysia supported and voted in favour of it in line with the country’s long-standing position on the need to consistently uphold the principles of sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of states – principles which are sacrosanct to Malaysia.

       “Underlining its strong and close relations with both Ukraine and Russia, Malaysia believes the differences and legitimate security concerns of both parties, given the complex geopolitical context, must be addressed through dialogue and peaceful means,” it said in a statement.

       In this regard, Malaysia welcomed the direct talks held between Russia and Ukraine in Belarus and hoped it would lead to a successful outcome.

       Malaysia also called on the UN Security Council (UNSC) to continue its effort to resolve this conflict, emphasising the need for the UNSC to live up to its primary responsibility as the custodian of international peace and security.

       “As a responsible member of the UN, Malaysia reaffirms its long-standing commitment to the peaceful settlement of disputes.

       “Malaysia will continue to support international efforts to seek a peaceful and amicable solution to the conflict in the interest of maintaining regional and international peace and security, as well as promoting greater prosperity,” added the ministry.

       The resolution, which was adopted by a majority of the 193-member UN General Assembly, received 141 affirmative votes, five against and 35 abstained.

       This comes after the General Assembly held its Emergency Special Session on the situation in Ukraine on Monday and Tuesday.

       The resolution demands that “the Russian Federation immediately cease its use of force against Ukraine and to refrain from any further unlawful threat of use of force against any UN member state”.

       In Johor Baru, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah advised Malaysians who may still be in Ukraine to reach out to the country’s embassy in Warsaw, Poland.

       He said while those who had previously registered with the Malaysian embassy in Ukraine had been brought home, there could still be others there.

       He said the Malaysian embassy in Kyiv was temporarily closed due to the conflict.

       “Our advice to them (Malaysians who remained) is to contact the nearest embassy, which is the Malaysian embassy in Warsaw, Poland, for assistance,” he said during a press conference at the Johor Baru City Council tower here yesterday.

       “It’s not compulsory for Malaysians in any country to register with the respective embassies.

       “But when there is a natural disaster or a conflict like the one we are seeing in Ukraine, we will encourage our citizens to report to the embassy,” he added.

       On Tuesday, nine Malaysians along with their two dependents safely reached Kuala Lumpur.

       In Kuala Lumpur, Wangsa Maju OCPD Supt Ashari Abu Samah advised those planning demonstrations against the Russian-Ukraine conflict to notify the police first.

       While protests were not allowed during the National Recovery Plan, he said police would assess applications on a case-by-case basis.

       “By right, we do not allow protests to be held but we cannot deny the human rights of those against the current war. But they should inform the police prior to the protest as we will impose conditions and guidelines,” he told reporters yesterday.

       He said three protests had been held in front of the Russian embassy since last week.

       “The first was by a group of Ukrainian students, who did not inform the police. However, it was held peacefully and they dispersed when instructed.

       “The other two demonstrations were by representatives from the Ukrainian embassies and Parti Sosialis Malaysia. Both groups informed the police and abided by our conditions.

       “They gathered for not more than 20 minutes and safely dispersed,” he said.