Russia decided on Wednesday to withdraw from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), taking the lead when its exclusion was to be put to a vote by member states, the Madrid-based UN agency announced. “Russia announced its intention to withdraw from the UNWTO” during the agency’s general assembly, the UNWTO wrote on Twitter. His suspension is “effective immediately,” she added.
Read alsoThe World Tourism Organization wants to suspend Russia from its authorities
The UN agency, responsible for promoting tourism in the world, announced in early March that it wanted to suspend Russia from its authorities because of the invasion of Ukraine. This decision, adopted by the UNWTO Executive Council, had to be approved by a two-thirds majority of Member States at this General Assembly in order to become effective.
On Twitter, the OMT specifies however that the withdrawal decided by Moscow will not prevent the procedure of exclusion from continuing its course. “Members will have to express themselves through a democratic vote,” she said. “Our statutes are clear: promotion of tourism for peace and universal respect for human rights,” insisted UNWTO Secretary General, Georgian Zurab Pololikashvili, also on Twitter. “Only members who comply with it can become part of the UNWTO,” he continued.
The UNWTO, made up of 159 member states, had condemned “unequivocally” in early March the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, denouncing “a manifest violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity” of this country. “War is never a solution! Not now, and never,” insisted Zurab Pololikashvili in a statement, calling on members of the organization to deliver a “clear and clear” message. According to the UNWTO, established in Madrid since 1976, this is the first time that the organization has met to “consider the suspension” of one of its members.