Russia violated principles of Helsinki Final Act – statement by Ukrainian delegation

Russia violated the Helsinki Final Act when it launched military aggression against Ukraine including attempted annexation of Crimea in 2014.

Ihor Lossovskyi, Deputy Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the International Organizations in Vienna, stated this at the 194th meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council on August 30, 2018, the press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry reports.

“Regrettably, the principles of the Helsinki Final Act, which include respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of States, non-use of force and non-interference in the internal affairs, have been blatantly violated by one OSCE participating State, which invaded Georgia in August 2008 and launched military aggression against Ukraine including attempted annexation of Crimea in 2014,” he stated.

According to Lossovskyi, blatant violations of international rule-based order remain the root cause of the ongoing security crisis and reduce trust and confidence in the OSCE area.

“In the interests of our common security it remains critically important to maintain and step up politico-diplomatic pressure on Russia to make it return to the tenets of international law and restore respect for the Helsinki principles,” he said.

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