Donetsk, Jan 18 - DAN. The Donbass ‘reintegration’ law adopted by the Ukrainian parliament shows Kiev’s disregard for the peacemaking efforts by the Minsk Agreements guarantor countries, said acting DPR Foreign Minister Natalia Nikonorova.
“Today’s move by Ukrainian lawmakers is new evidence of complete reluctance to settle the conflict peacefully and clear disregard for both the efforts by the guarantor countries and international organisations on this track and international legal norms,” Nikonorova said in a statement received by Donetsk News Agency.
She said that the law was a particular cynical way to sanction Kiev forces’ aggression in Donbass as it created legal groundwork to start hostilities against civilians in the region. Ukrainian authorities have again shown that they are only interested in territory, not in the people living in it, which eventually removes even the smallest chance that Donbass and Ukraine could be together in the future.
Also, by declaring Russia as ‘aggressor country’ Kiev ignored certain norms of international law. This contradicts UN Security Council resolution according to which Kiev and Donbass are the two sides of the conflict and Russia is the mediator.
“Verkhovnaya Rada created a precedent today making it clear that the Ukrainian parliament can call anyone an aggressor contrary to all norms of international law and, frankly speaking, contrary to the common sense,” Nikonorova said.
Earlier on Thursday, Ukrainian lawmakers approved by 280 votes the final reading of the law “On the peculiarities of state policy on the restoration of the state sovereignty of Ukraine over the temporarily occupied territory of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine.”
The document recognises Donbass areas as ‘occupied’ territories and calls Russia an “aggressor country.” The law implies that ‘reintegration’ of the region should be accomplished by force. The bill was submitted to the parliament by Ukrainian President Petr Poroshenko on 4 October 2017. *jk