Parliament of Ukraine urges to step up world’s pressure on Russia over ‘elections’ in occupied Crimea

12.09.2019 11:15

Ukrinform

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted a statement on the non-recognition of legitimacy of the so-called local elections in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine – the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.

A total of 325 MPs voted for the adoption of corresponding resolution No.2119, an Ukrinform correspondent reported.

“The Russian Federation takes illegal actions, including holding of elections, as part of colonization of the occupied territories. The latest such elections to local government bodies were held on the territory of the Russian Federation and including in the occupied areas of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol on September 8. These elections have been already recognized as illegal by a number of states. Our statement will not return Crimea but will show clearly that the national idea of Ukraine is the return of our occupied territories, our citizens to the Ukrainian family no matter what Verkhovna Rada, what convocation and what factions we have," Bohdan Yaremenko, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Foreign Policy and Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation, said when presenting the document.

According to him, the adoption of this document will be a clear signal to both the military-political rivals of Ukraine and its partners.

The adoption of this statement was supported by factions of all political forces represented in the Parliament.

Earlier, Yaremenko said in a commentary to Ukrinform that the statement would be sent to the international partner organizations of Ukraine, in particular to PACE.

It is noted in the conclusion of the relevant committee that the purpose of the resolution is to approve a statement condemning yet another violation of international law by the Russian Federation, namely the fact of illegal voting in the temporarily occupied territories of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol. The document also calls on the international community to give an estimate of the illegal actions of Russia in organizing and conducting the so-called local elections as well as to continue and strengthen international political and economic pressure on the Russian Federation.

On September 8, the local elections were held in the Russian Federation, including in the illegally annexed Crimea and Sevastopol.