STATEMENTof the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine On the Priority Areas of State Policy of Ukraine in the Field of Deoccupation, Reintegration and Restoration of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol
STATEMENT
of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine
On the Priority Areas of State Policy of Ukraine in the Field of Deoccupation, Reintegration and Restoration of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol
Reaffirming commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized state borders, including the territorial waters of Ukraine,
welcoming the activities of the International Crimea Platform as a key foreign policy instrument for consolidating international efforts aimed at deoccupation and restoration of the territorial integrity of Ukraine, dealing with the consequences of the attempted annexation by the Russian Federation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol and temporary occupation of other parts of Ukrainian territory, as well as protecting the rights and interests of Ukrainian citizens,
proclaiming once again Ukraine’s commitment to democratic ideals and values and emphasizing the irrevocable choice of the Ukrainian people to seek European and Euro-Atlantic integration, which is enshrined in the Constitution of Ukraine,
stressing that by launching a war of aggression against Ukraine in 2014 and temporarily occupying the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, the Russian Federation perpetrated an unprecedented on the European continent, since the time of World War II, attempt to annex parts of another state’s territory, which has led to numerous violations of human and civil rights and freedoms, undermined foundations of Ukraine’s national security and defense, and violated key principles of the global security architecture, in particular of paragraph 4, Article 2 of the Charter of the United Nations,
citing the Resolution of the UN General Assembly No. 68/262 of 27 March 2014 “Territorial Integrity of Ukraine,” which called on all states to renounce and refrain from any actions aimed at partial or complete violation of the national unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine, including any attempts to alter the state borders of Ukraine by resorting to threats of force or by using force or other unlawful means, and also called on all states, international organizations and institutions to refrain from recognizing any change in the status of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, including on the basis of the results of the illegal “referendum” held by the occupation administration on 16 March 2014, as well as to refrain from any actions or steps that could be interpreted as a recognition of such a change,
stressing that during the period of temporary occupation, the Russian Federation militarized the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol as well as certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, turning them into a springboard for the subsequent full-scale invasion of Ukraine launched on 24 February 2022, which resulted in the temporary occupation of parts of Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia, Kherson and Mykolaiv oblasts,
condemning the systematic commission by the Russian Federation of international crimes and human rights violations, the number of which has increased with the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine launched by the aggressor state, namely illegal detention, deportation, forced conscription, and politically motivated trials,
citing provisions of the Constitution of Ukraine, the Law of Ukraine “On Ensuring the Rights and Freedoms of Citizens and the Legal Regime in the Temporarily Occupied Territory of Ukraine,” the Law of Ukraine “On Indigenous Peoples of Ukraine,” and the Strategy for Deoccupation and Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol approved by Decree of the President of Ukraine No. 117/2021 dated 24 March 2021,
taking into account previous statements and addresses of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine related to combating the military aggression of the Russian Federation and dealing with its consequences as well as supporting the activities of the International Crimea Platform,
recognizing its responsibility before the past, present and future generations of the Ukrainian people and the entire democratic world,
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine declares:
Ukraine’s state policy on deoccupation and reintegration of temporarily occupied territories prioritizes guarantees for human safety, taking all necessary steps to ensure the observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms;
in order to protect human and civil rights and freedoms and restore control over the territories temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation, Ukraine implements a range of military, diplomatic, economic, informational, humanitarian and other measures;
restoring Ukraine’s territorial integrity within its internationally recognized state borders, including the deoccupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, as well as ensuring the state sovereignty of Ukraine is a key condition for ending the war. Ending the war, which was launched against Ukraine by the Russian Federation, through any territorial concessions to the aggressor state is unacceptable;
the peace formula suggested by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky should become the basis for ending the military aggression of the Russian Federation, restoring the territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized state borders, deoccupying all temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, including the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, establishing universal, fair and stable peace in Ukraine, and ensuring security for the entire world;
all regular and irregular military forces of the aggressor state must be completely withdrawn from the entire territory of Ukraine. Continued presence of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation on the territory of the Crimean Peninsula is impossible in light of the need to ensure national, regional and global security;
after restoring control over the Crimean Peninsula, the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other units of security and defense forces will deploy and operate in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, taking into account the need to ensure security for Ukraine and the entire Azov-Black Sea region;
safety of international civilian shipping in the Azov-Black Sea region can be guaranteed only after the deoccupation of the Crimean Peninsula and with Ukraine’s participation;
to restore constitutional order in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, military administrations, civil-military administrations, and other provisional bodies may be established there, with jurisdiction extending to the entire relevant territory;
the activities of representative bodies and local self-government bodies will be resumed immediately after it becomes possible to hold democratic elections in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol in accordance with the standards of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the laws of Ukraine;
Ukraine is taking, and will continue to take, all possible steps to restore, and ensure the observance of, human and civil rights and freedoms that were violated as a result of the military aggression of the Russian Federation and the temporary occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, in particular the rights of victims of politically motivated trials and restrictions of freedom as well as other illegal actions of the aggressor state and its occupation forces;
Ukraine will implement a policy of socio-cultural reintegration for residents of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol as well as any other persons that are staying on the Crimean Peninsula legally, in particular with the aim of helping them overcome the psychological consequences of the temporary occupation, and will also promote the development of social, informational, cultural and other ties between various regions of Ukraine;
resuming the activities of independent media and civil society associations in the deoccupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol is a necessary component of successful reintegration;
the Ukrainian education system will be restored in the deoccupied territories with the aim of creating a safe education space, ensuring learning and teaching in the Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar languages, as well as preventing from teaching those who were implementing and promoting the aggressor state’s education standards during the temporary occupation;
protection and restoration of the rights of the indigenous peoples of Ukraine, in particular the Crimean Tatar people, is a priority for Ukraine’s state policy in the field of deoccupation, reintegration and restoration of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol. Representative bodies of the indigenous peoples of Ukraine will be involved in the restoration of the Crimean Peninsula;
the state will make every effort to create a favorable investment climate in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol in order to develop modern economic clusters based on the needs of the market;
no citizen of Ukraine should be subjected to persecution or discrimination, including on the basis of residing in the temporarily occupied territory. Ukraine does not recognize the automatic or forced acquisition of Russian citizenship introduced by the aggressor state for Ukrainian citizens living in the temporarily occupied territory and considers it an act of coercion committed in violation of international law;
all persons guilty of crimes against peace, global security and international law and order will be brought to justice. A necessary prerequisite for restoring peace and justice is the prosecution of persons involved in the organization and carrying out of the military aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine;
the state guarantees assistance to citizens of Ukraine affected by the military aggression of the Russian Federation with the protection and restoration of their rights;
citizens of Ukraine that participated in the activities of the occupation administrations or cooperated with the occupation authorities but did not commit serious and particularly serious offenses or offenses against peace, global security and international law and order may be exempted from prosecution, provided that they voluntarily report the committed acts and provide active assistance in the investigation of criminal offenses committed by occupation administrations and authorities;
the damage caused by the military aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine will be compensated, in particular, by the aggressor state and/or at its expense. All legal measures will be taken to return property and/or obtain redress (including restitution, compensation, satisfaction) for damages incurred by the Ukrainian state, its citizens and legal entities in connection with the military aggression of the Russian Federation;
transactions conducted as a result of illegal actions of the occupation administration involving nationalization, seizure of property rights from legitimate owners through so-called decisions of occupation authorities, decisions of occupation courts, etc. will not be recognized;
dealing with the negative environmental consequences of the military aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine and the temporary occupation of the Crimean Peninsula, the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea is an integral part of the state policy of Ukraine in the field of deoccupation, reintegration and restoration of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol;
citizens of the Russian Federation and other persons that illegally moved to the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol during the temporary occupation will be expelled from the territory of Ukraine on the basis of individual decisions adopted in accordance with the law;
the International Crimea Platform should become a forum not just for promoting the deoccupation of Crimea and restoring the territorial integrity of Ukraine, but also for providing security guarantees in the Azov-Black Sea region as a whole. Ukraine will support the expansion of the Platform’s membership and consolidation of the efforts of the world’s states with the aim of expediting the Crimean Peninsula’s deoccupation and overcoming the threat posed by the Russian Federation to global peace and security.