13:31 01.08.2015

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry calls on Russia to adhere to Helsinki Final Act principles

2 min read
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry calls on Russia to adhere to Helsinki Final Act principles

Ukraine's Foreign Affairs Ministry on occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act has once again called on Russia to stop aggression against Ukraine and respect the principles of the agreement.

"Once again we urge the Russian Federation to immediately stop its aggression against our country, return to the path of implementing the principles of the Helsinki Final Act and the norms of international law to avoid unpredictable consequences for the entire system of European security," the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine said.

The ministry noted that the leaders of 35 countries of Europe and North America in Helsinki (Finland) on August 1, 1975 signed the Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe. Despite ideological discrepancies, the states agreed ten fundamental principles of cooperation aimed at ensuring peace and security on the European continent. To develop these commitments, the leaders of the member states at the OSCE summit in Astana in 2010 agreed to work towards building the common Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian security communities.

"Unfortunately, Russian aggression against Ukraine crossed these ambitious plans and overshadowed the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act. Resorting to the illegal occupation and annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol, the armed invasion of Donbas and kidnapping Ukrainian citizens, Russia violated most principles and obligations within the OSCE. Among them are respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, inviolability of borders, non-use or threat of force, and conscientious fulfillment of obligations under international law," the ministry said.

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