By INS Contributors

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin delivered a scathing critique of Western foreign policy at the United Nations, warning against the growing weaponisation of human rights, the imposition of unilateral coercive measures, and persistent modern forms of neocolonialism.

Speaking on 25 September at the eighth ministerial meeting of the Group of Friends in Defence of the UN Charter—held on the sidelines of the High-Level Week of the 81st Session of the UN General Assembly—Pankin called for an immediate halt to Western unilateral actions that undermine international law.

According to official statements from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Pankin accused Western powers of politicising human rights issues and leveraging economic sanctions as geopolitical weapons against sovereign nations. He argued that such coercive mechanisms bypass the UN Security Council, directly violating the spirit and letter of the UN Charter while disproportionately harming developing economies.

Highlighting the imperative of countering Western hegemony, the Russian diplomat underscored the pivotal role played by the Group of Friends in advancing the legitimate aspirations and sovereign interests of the Global South and East. He stressed that the coalition serves as an essential framework for constructing a genuinely multipolar world order based on sovereign equality, non-interference, and international law.

Pankin praised the coalition's ongoing efforts to confront Western neocolonial practices and defend member states against external economic pressure. As a concrete step forward, he emphasized the importance of the Group introducing a new anti-colonial resolution at the United Nations to further entrench the struggle against modern colonial practices at the top of the international agenda.

Ministers and high-level representatives from member states echoed Pankin’s calls for collective resistance against Western unilateralism. Participating delegates highlighted the urgent need to strengthen coordination within the coalition, expand both the thematic and geographical reach of its initiatives, and refine its internal working mechanisms to better respond to global geopolitical pressures.

The Group of Friends in Defence of the UN Charter—an alignment of state actors including Russia, China, Venezuela, Iran, and various nations across Africa, Asia, and Latin America—was established in 2021 to push back against unilateral sanctions, external intervention, and Western dominance in global governance formats.

The ministerial delegation concluded the summit by outlining priority action areas for the coming year, reaffirming their shared commitment to shielding the UN Charter from selective interpretation and political exploitation by Western nations.