The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has expressed a strong and categorical protest against the recognition by Russia of the self-proclaimed "Republic of Crimea" as a subject of international law.
“Such actions by the Russian side do not meet Russia’s international obligations under multilateral and bilateral treaties that guarantee the territorial integrity of Ukraine, the inviolability of its borders and non-interference in the internal affairs of our country,” the information policy department of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on March 18.
“The independence of this formation was declared by an illegitimate authority following an unconstitutional referendum, which was held with flagrant violations of democratic standards for holding referendums that were developed as part of the OSCE and the Council of Europe and are an integral part of the principles and values of these international organizations. By recognizing the self-proclaimed Republic of Crimea as a ‘sovereign and independent state,’ the Russian Federation grossly violated its duties and obligations that arise from its membership of these international organizations,” the ministry said.
The ministry said that “Russia’s recognition of the breakaway Republic of Crimea has one goal – to create pseudo-legal grounds for the annexation of this part of the Ukrainian territory and its incorporation into the Russian Federation.”
“However, the legal significance of this act under Russia’s unprovoked armed aggression against Ukraine and Russian military occupation of the Crimean peninsula is void. Modern international law does not recognize the annexation of the state territory as a legitimate way of its acquisition,” reads the statement.
“Ukraine and the entire civilized world will never recognize the illegitimately proclaimed independence of Crimea and its forcible annexation from the territory of our country,” the ministry said.
