Exclusive: Chinese ambassador to Lebanon talks about Russia, Ukraine

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The Chinese Ambassador to Lebanon Qian Minjian elaborated on China's position on the Ukrainian crisis, stressing that the priority now is that all parties maintain necessary restraint to prevent the situation from becoming increasingly aggravated and deteriorating.

In an interview with Al-Mayadeen, Minjian stressed that China calls for respecting and ensuring the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states and practical adherence to the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, emphasizing that they believe the security of one country should not be established at the expense of the security of other countries.

The Chinese ambassador stressed that the mentality of the Cold War must be completely abandoned, and the reasonable security concerns of all countries must be respected, noting that in light of the five successive rounds of NATO expansion to the east, Russia's legitimate security demands must be taken into account and dealt with appropriately.

He added that China has been following the developments of the Ukrainian issue, and the current situation is not what it wishes to see. The Ambassador noted that the safety of civilians' lives and property should be ensured to avoid a large-scale humanitarian crisis.

Minjian stressed that China welcomes dialogue between Russia and Ukraine, and encouraged them to hold negotiations as soon as possible, adding that European and Russian sides should hold discussions on security issues in Europe while adhering to the concept of indivisible security.

According to Minjian, the UN Security Council should play a constructive role in settling the Ukrainian crisis while concentrating efforts on achieving regional peace and stability. He explained that his country does not always agree that the UN Security Council resorts in its resolutions arbitrarily to Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations, which authorizes using force and imposing sanctions.

It is noteworthy that Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared that the goal of the special military operation is to protect people who have been subjected to genocide by the Kiev regime for the past eight years.

The operation aims to prevent the demilitarization and disarmament of Ukraine and to bring to justice all those responsible for the bloody crimes against civilians in Donbass.