UN World Tourism Organization to hold emergency session for Russia's suspension

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

ANKARA (AA) - The UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) said Wednesday that an emergency session will be held March 8 regarding Russia's membership suspension.

The request of the in-person session, which will be held "in response to the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation," was made by Guatemala, Lithuania, Poland, Slovenia and Ukraine and will take place in Madrid, UNWTO said in a statement.

It is the first time in the organization’s history that the Executive Council will address a request of this type, it said.

"UNWTO has unequivocally condemned the actions of the Russian Federation, noting that they are a clear breach of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity and contrary to the principles enshrined in the UN Charter and UNWTO Statutes," it said. "Article 3 of the UNWTO Statutes states that the fundamental principles of the Organization are the 'promotion and development of tourism with a view to contributing to economic development, international understanding, peace, prosperity and universal respect for, and observance of, human rights.'"

The announcement came as Russia and Ukraine are set for a second round of peace talks Thursday in the Belarusian city of Brest. The first was held Monday.

Russia's war on Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24, has met international outrage with the EU, US and UK, among others, implementing tough financial sanctions on Moscow.

Many countries are also supplying Ukraine with weapons, shut airspace to Russian airlines and have banned Russian state-run media.​​​​​​​