World News | Russia Withdraws from UN Tourism Organisation

Madrid, Apr 27 (AP) Russia announced Wednesday it was withdrawing from the United Nations World Tourism Organisation just hours before the body's assembly voted to temporarily suspend the country's membership over the invasion of Ukraine, officials said.

UNWTO Secretary General Zurab Pololikashvili made the announcement on his official Twitter account. He said it was the first U.N. body to address Russia's membership.

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The organization went ahead and approved the suspension at a special meeting in Madrid on Wednesday, where the organization has its headquarters.

“(Russian President Vladimir) Putin's military offensive is an attack on the founding principles of the United Nations and on the values that tourism represents, such as peace, prosperity and universal respect and the observance of human rights,” Spanish Industry, Trade and Tourism Minister Reyes Maroto said in a statement following the decision.

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The assembly resolution included a clause that said the suspension could be reversed if a change in the politics of the Russian Federation were noted.

Spain was one of 22 European nations that had promoted the motion. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)