Gerashchenko: Elections without Russian observers do not contradict international obligations
"For Russian Foreign Ministry’s information, the refusal to register Russian observers does not contradict the international obligations of Ukraine in the area of free and democratic elections. Russians are representatives of the aggressor and occupant state, which is recognized at the legislative level. Such a stance of Ukraine fully complies with Paragraph 8 of the OSCE Copenhagen Document on the need for observance of national laws in the international election observation," First Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Iryna Gerashchenko posted on Facebook.
Gerashchenko emphasized that Ukraine’s stance also corresponds to the principle of respect for the sovereignty of the country in which the elections are held, enshrined in the 2005 Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation and the Code of Conduct for International Election Observers.
"By the way, there are many precedents of non-participation in election observation of citizens of a party to the conflict (Armenia / Azerbaijan, Russia / Georgia, Cyprus / Turkey, Macedonia / Greece). The elections are held there, and the world recognizes their results," she noted.
