Nausėda at UN: Policy of non-recognition of occupation of Crimea must be reinforced

“For the seventh year we are witnessing the continuing military aggression against Ukraine, as well as the illegal annexation and occupation of Crimea. These actions violate international law, the Charter of the United Nations, as well as the provisions of the Helsinki Final Act. They should be condemned universally. We must reinforce the policy of non-recognition of the occupation and annexation of Crimea. It is also extremely important to protect the rights and freedoms of the local civilian population,” President of the Republic of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda said at the 76th session of the UN General Assembly in New York on September 21, an Ukrinform correspondent reported.

He commended the Ukrainian effort to keep the issue of Crimea on the agenda, in particular, by creating the international Crimea Platform.

“Lithuania respects Ukraine’s European and Euro-Atlantic choice and continues to support its reforms in this troubled period. Seeking to consolidate international efforts, we have co-hosted the Ukraine Reform Conference in Vilnius this past July,” Nausėda stressed.

In his speech, the Lithuanian leader also drew attention to Russia's destructive actions in Moldova and Georgia. He stressed that Belarus was carrying out hybrid actions against Lithuania by artificially creating and directing flows of irregular migration, putting political pressure on the EU.

According to him, there must be serious discussions on how to prevent a country to use irregular migration to pressure another country.

ol