Appeal of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to parliaments of foreign states, international parliamentary assemblies and international organizations on illegal elections to the State Duma of the Russian Federation in the territory of the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol

Adopted by Resolution of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, dated September 8, 2016

Taking into account the determination of the Russian Federation to hold illegal elections to the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on 18 September 2016 in the temporarily occupied territories of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol;

underlining that the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol are integral parts of the sovereign territory of Ukraine;

noting that respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, maintaining international peace and security underpin international relations and international law,

emphasizing that the General Assembly of the United Nations in its Resolution, approved on 27 March 2014, on the territorial integrity of Ukraine confirmed its commitment to the sovereignty, political independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, and urged all States and international organizations not to recognize any change to the status of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol and to refrain from any actions or steps that could be interpreted as recognition of any such altered status;

taking in mind that the aggressive actions of Russian Federation were condemned in numerous decisions of the European Union, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the Council of Europe, in resolutions of the Parliamentary Assemblies of the Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe;

based on the principled position of international community on conviction of occupation and non-recognition of the annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol,

being aware that the presence of parliamentarians of next convocation, elected as a result of the illegal elections in the territory, occupied by the Russian Federation, in the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation would doubt the legitimacy of the entire lower chamber of Russian parliament, and, on the contrary, recognition of the election results will appear to be a kind of legalization of the ongoing illegal occupation of the Crimean peninsula,

the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine:

- appeals to parliaments of foreign states, parliamentary assemblies and international organizations with a strong request to refrain from participation in the observation of the illegal parliamentary elections in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, and calls on not to recognize their results under any circumstances;

- emphasizes that all foreigners, who decide to pay a visit to the occupied territory in order to participate in monitoring the illegal elections, will be prosecuted by law enforcement authorities of Ukraine in connection with a violation of the rules of entry to the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine aimed at aggrieving national interests of Ukraine and those foreigners will be held accountable for violation of Ukrainian legislation;

- appeals to the parliaments of foreign states, international parliamentary assemblies and international organizations with a request to release official statements regarding illegitimacy of the illegal elections to the State Duma of the Russian Federation since it takes place in the territory of occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol. Such statements will delegitimize in international community’s perception those representatives of the Russian parliament who will be elected as a result of illegal elections held in the territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol;

- calls upon credible international organisations to apply all necessary efforts to prevent inclusion to Russian parliamentarian delegations to the Parliamentary Assemblies of the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Black Sea Economic Cooperation of those deputies, who will be elected as a result of illegal elections in the territory of the occupied the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, since such actions could indirectly claim for legitimisation of occupation and annexation of Ukrainian peninsula;

- considers that only under conditions of further adherence by states and international organisations to consistent stance of condemnation of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, condemnation of occupation and non-recognition of the annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of our state within internationally recognised borders can be re-established.