12:07 26.02.2014

Three ex-Ukrainian presidents blame Russia for meddling in Crimean affairs

2 min read
Three ex-Ukrainian presidents blame Russia for meddling in Crimean affairs

Three former Ukrainian presidents, Leonid Kravchuk, Leonid Kuchma, and Viktor Yuschenko, blame Russia for direct interference in Crimea's political affairs.

"Russia, which has repeatedly described attempts by our international partners to settle the situation in a political way as interference in Ukraine's internal affairs, has currently resorted to direct interference in Crimea's political affairs," says a joint statement by the three former Ukrainian presidents Interfax obtained from Yuschenko's press secretary Iryna Vannykova.

Policymakers proposing "dangerous recipes" should feel a reaction from the Security Service and the Prosecutor General's Office in case they try to implement their separatist designs in practice, the statement says.

"Any propaganda campaign aimed at fuelling these sentiments should also be assessed by law enforcement agencies in keeping with Ukrainian law. Speculations on violations of the Russian-speaking population's rights, the fomenting of hostility between Ukrainian regions based on their cultural and historical diversity, humiliation of the Ukrainian language, and open disrespect for Ukraine's state symbols should be assessed appropriately," the statement says.

"Russia, along with the United Kingdom and the United States, are guarantors of Ukraine's sovereignty in line with international agreements. Russia's statement on observing all of its international legal obligations to Ukraine regardless of the parliament's and the government's configuration should be confirmed by relevant actions on Russia's part, the demonstration of respect for the Ukrainian people's and the Ukrainian authorities' decisions and the understanding of all dangerous consequences of any ethnically-motivated conflicts," the statement says.

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