Kyiv, 17 March 2014 – During a press briefing at the Ukraine Crisis Media Center, Minister of Justice of Ukraine Pavlo Petrenko said that the international law sees Members of the Verkhovna Rada of Crimea are separatists and Russia as a military aggressor.
According to the minister, the international community does not recognize the pseudo-referendum, and relevant resolutions have been adopted to that effect by the Venice Commission and the European Court of Human Rights.
Mr. Petrenko stressed that the sole purpose of the fake referendum to disguise the annexation of Crimea by the Russian aggressor. In response, the Ukrainian government is taking adequate diplomatic and military steps for self-defense and protection of the country’s territorial integrity. In particular, the Minister said that Ukraine would consider taking back its property currently located in other countries.
The Minister of Justice warned Russia against attempts to redraw the political map of the world to avoid serious geopolitical consequences. “Ukraine, as a country that gave up its nuclear weapons, exemplifies the efficiency – or inefficiency – of the global collective security. We hope that there is still some leverage left to influence the aggressor and the results of the referendum are not recognized by anyone, including the Russian Federation. We hope that the diplomatic language and actions are efficient and that the Russian counterpart comes to its senses and stops isolating itself and creating threats to the global security”, said Petrenko.
Pavlo Petrenko is the Minister of Justice of Ukraine, Member of the Ukrainian Parliament, member of the Batkivschyna Party. From 2006 to 2010 he was engaged in legal practice. In November 2010 he was elected as a Member of the Kyiv Regional Council. In June 2013 he became on the deputy leaders of the Batkyvschyna Party.
