Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Crimea

The Declaration of Independence of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol was a joint resolution adopted on March 11, 2014 by the dissolved Supreme Council of Crimea and the Sevastopol City Council that proclaimed the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol a sovereign state — the Republic of Crimea. The decision was based on the results of an referendum that was held on March 16, 2014 after Russian troops took over Crimea and seized the region's parliament.[1][2] The declaration of independence and the referendum following it was not internationally recognised by most countries.[3]

Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Crimea
CreatedMarch 11, 2014 (adopted)
Author(s)Supreme Council of Crimea and the Sevastopol City Council
Purpose

According to the Declaration, the newly formed state has the right to apply to Russia for the inclusion of the territory in the federation as a separate subject.

In Ukraine's constitution, the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol are recognised as integral parts of Ukraine, and changes to the territory of Ukraine is possible only after the relevant result of an All-Ukrainian referendum.[4][5]

Translated copy

The document reads as follows:[6][7]

Declaration of Independence of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol:

We, the members of the parliament of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the Sevastopol City Council, with regard to the charter of the United Nations and a whole range of other international documents and taking into consideration the confirmation of the status of Kosovo by the United Nations International Court of Justice on July 22, 2010, which says that unilateral declaration of independence by a part of the country does not violate any international norms, make this decision jointly:

1. If a decision to become part of Russia is made at the referendum of the March 16, 2014, Crimea including the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol will be announced an independent and sovereign state with a republican order.[8]

2. Republic of Crimea will be a democratic, laic and multinational state, with an obligation to maintain peace, international and intersectarian consent in its territory.[8]

3. If the referendum brings the respective results, Republic of Crimea as an independent and sovereign state will turn to the Russian Federation with the proposition to accept the Republic of Crimea on the basis of a respective interstate treaty into the Russian Federation as a new constituent entity of the Russian Federation.[8]

Declaration approved by the Resolution of the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea at the extraordinary plenary session on March 11, 2014 (signed by the Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea Vladimir Konstantinov) and by the Decision of the Sevastopol City Council at the extraordinary plenary session on March 11, 2014 (signed by the Chairman of the Sevastopol city council Yury Doynikov).

International reaction

Russia recognised the Republic of Crimea's declaration of independence[8][9] and agreed to incorporate the Republic into the Russian Federation following a referendum. However, the referendum was condemned as "illegal" by the European Union and countries such as the United States. US President Barack Obama said that Russian actions were a violation of Ukrainian sovereignty and that the referendum would "violate the Ukrainian constitution and international law".[10] On 27 March 2014, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the "Territorial Integrity of Ukraine" Resolution, which recognised Crimea as part of Ukraine.[11]

References
  1. How Russia Took Crimea Macias, Amanda (2015). Business Insider. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  2. Putin Admits Russian Forces Were Deployed to Crimea Reuters (2014). Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  3. The Crimea Crisis – An International Law Perspective Marxsen, Christian (2014). Max-Planck-Institut. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  4. "CONSTITUTION OF UKRAINE".
  5. "Why the Crimean Referendum Is Illegitimate". Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  6. "Парламент Крыма принял Декларацию о независимости АРК и г. Севастополя". Press center of the Supreme Council of Autonomous Republic of Crimea. March 10, 2014. Archived from the original on March 13, 2014. Retrieved March 13, 2014.
  7. ДЕКЛАРАЦИЯ о независимости Автономной Республики Крым и города Севастополя (in Russian). Supreme Council of Crimea. March 11, 2014. Archived from the original on March 12, 2014. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
  8. "Statement by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the adoption of the Declaration of Independence of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. March 11, 2014. Retrieved March 14, 2014.
  9. "Ukrainian prosecutors demand annulment of declaration of Crimea independence". ITAR-TASS. March 11, 2014. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
  10. "'Illegal' Crimean vote condemned". BBC News. March 6, 2014. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
  11. "General Assembly Adopts Resolution Calling upon States Not to Recognize Changes in Status of Crimea Region | Meetings Coverage and Press Releases". www.un.org. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.