ATHENS – Military attacks clearly violate the fundamental principles of International Law and of the UN Charter, noted Greek Foreign Affairs Minister Nikos Dendias in his video message to the High-Level Segment of the 49th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council meeting, held in Geneva on Monday.

“In particular,” he added, these attacks “violate the principle of refraining from the threat or use of force, a principle which is blatantly and shamelessly disregarded from specific countries for some time now.”

“Unilateral actions affect not only countries, but first and foremost people,” he highlighted.

The military attacks clearly violate fundamental principles of international law and the UN Charter, mainly the principle of refraining from the threat or use of force (address at the high-level segment of the 49th session of the #UN Human Rights Council #HRC49). (1/2) pic.twitter.com/WCWxqcWwkS

— Nikos Dendias (@NikosDendias) February 28, 2022

Referring to “the most serious challenge facing the European continent in Ukraine,” he pointed out that current events have “plunged Europe into an era where such actions have no place.” He underlined that international humanitarian law is being seriously challenged, adding that attacks on all civilians in Ukraine must stop immediately.

The Greek minister referred to “the brutal attack against civilians in Sartana and Bugas towns near Mariupol, resulting to the death of 10 members of the Greek community, which has also left many injured, including children.”

“Against this background, we stand ready to contribute to all efforts for de-escalation within regional and international fora, with the main aim to protect the civilian population and prevent a humanitarian disaster,” he stressed.