Proposal on UN mandate over Crimea creates serious obstacles to restoring justice - envoy

The proposal of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland, Radoslaw Sikorski, to transfer Crimea under the UN mandate, expressed during a discussion at the 20th annual meeting of YES in Kyiv, creates serious obstacles to the restoration of justice and protection of the rights of the residents of the temporarily occupied Crimea.

This was stated by the permanent representative of the President for Crimea, Tamila Tasheva, on her Facebook page, reports Ukrinform.

"Today, the news on the opinion of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland, Radosław Sikorski, expressed during the nightcap discussion at the 20th annual meeting of YES in Kyiv, began to spread across the internet. I must say that I did not hear it personally, but I see many references in various media. After the illegal occupation of Crimea in In 2014, the inhabitants of the peninsula have been suffering systematic violations of human rights, persecution and repression, especially Crimean Tatars and Ukrainians, who face discrimination, illegal detention and restrictions on freedom of speech and religion, which is a violation of international humanitarian law. Mass propaganda and informational isolation are aimed at distorting the real situation and suppressing any manifestations of pro-Ukrainian sentiments. In such conditions, such proposals create serious obstacles to the restoration of justice and protection of the rights of the people of Crimea," she wrote.

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Tasheva emphasized that this is why it is unfortunate to read the news about statements, even if they are personal ones, regarding the future fate of Crimea, especially considering the developments that have taken place since 2014.

"The Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol were and remain an integral part of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders. Any proposals to transfer Crimea under a protectorate or hold new referendums contradict the principles of international law and undermine the sovereignty of Ukraine," she emphasized.

"I must note that we undoubtedly highly appreciate the efforts of our partners in finding options for achieving peace in Ukraine and stopping this bloody war,” said the envoy.

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However, as the leaders of Ukraine have repeatedly expressed, including President Zelensky, “the only peace formula, the only plan proposed to the world for ending this war should be the Ukrainian plan," Tasheva added.

As reported earlier, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said during a discussion at the 20th annual YES meeting in Kyiv that Crimea would play a crucial role in possible peace talks between Ukraine and Russia. Therefore, one of the options for solving the issue regarding the peninsula may be to transfer it under the UN mandate.