The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has noted that the decision of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on the situation in Crimea and the city of Sevastopol (Ukraine) is a serious contribution of the Council of Europe to ensuring democratic security in Europe, according to a statement published on the ministry`s website.
Ukrainian diplomats believe that the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe has once again stressed that such an act on the part of the Russian Federation is a violation of international law.
”We consider the decision of the Committee of Ministers as one of the elements of the complex response of the international community to the criminal actions of the Russian Federation in Ukraine. This decision undoubtedly strengthens the position on Crimea expressed last year in the UN GA Resolution 71/205 ”Situation of human rights in Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol (Ukraine),” and encourages the Council of Europe to implement this resolution,” the report said.
The ministry also noted that the adopted document was ”one of the serious contributions of the Council of Europe to ensuring democratic security in Europe and upholding the fundamental values and principles of the Organization for the Protection of Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law.”
The commentary notes that on May 3, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted a decision on the situation in Crimea and the city of Sevastopol (Ukraine), which was the first comprehensive document of the main governing body of the Council of Europe devoted to purely Crimean issues.
”It is important that the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, as the UN General Assembly did earlier, recognize Russia`s responsibility in accordance with international humanitarian law and international human rights law, and urge the Russian authorities to fulfill their obligations in full,” the ministry said.
The Committee of Ministers has once again confirmed the unchanged position regarding the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within the internationally recognized borders.
”We believe that the presence of international convention and institutional monitoring bodies in the territory of occupied Crimea in a rapidly deteriorating situation with human rights is vitally important and urgent. In this context, it is important to call on Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, which is the only international organization that made a monitoring visit to the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea in September 2014, to continue monitoring the situation on the peninsula,” the ministry said.
