India on Friday abstained on a UN General Assembly resolution on Myanmar, saying its views have not been reflected in the proposed draft and that the international community is striving for a peaceful settlement in the matter and therefore being a neighbour, a 'constructive approach' is important. The UNGA adopted the draft resolution 'The situation in Myanmar" on June 18 with 119 Members voting in favour, including Myanmar. Meanwhile, 36 nations abstained, including India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Laos, Nepal and Thailand and Russia.
Representing India in the United Nations, the Permanent Ambassador TS Tirumurti said that India's efforts to restore the democratic process in Myanmar will continue. India is cognizant of the "serious impact of political instability" and the potential of its spillover beyond Myanmar's borders.
Meanwhile, Tirumurti said, "We already have such an ongoing initiative under the aegis of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations). It is important that we extend support to the ASEAN efforts. During the discussions on this resolution, we had engaged in a spirit of finding a constructive and pragmatic way forward. We had accordingly shared our suggestions to those who piloted this resolution."
"However, we find that our views have not been reflected in the draft being considered for adoption today. We would like to reiterate that a consultative and constructive approach involving the neighbouring countries and the region, remains important as the international community strives for the peaceful resolution of the issue. We, therefore, do not believe that the tabling of this resolution for adoption at this juncture, conducive to aiding our joint efforts towards strengthening the democratic process in Myanmar and therefore constrained to abstain," he added.