Russia used situation in Ukraine to annex Crimea - Jagland

KYIV, March 25 /Ukrinform/. Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland has said that Russia has used the crisis in Ukraine to annex part of its sovereign territory - Crimea.

He said this in Strasbourg on Tuesday, speaking at the opening session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, a Ukrinform correspondent reported.

Unfortunately, Russia used this situation to join Crimea to its territory, he said.

He said that Ukraine had seen a revolution caused by high levels of corruption and the absence of a truly independent judicial system.

Jagland said that the events in Ukraine had made evident the fact that Ukraine does not have a normal constitution and legal system that would meet the interests of all social groups in the country. However, the Council of Europe has a lot of tools that can help stabilize the situation and promote the democratization of Ukraine, he added.

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