Several countries refuse to recognize Russian elections in Crimea
At least six countries have already said that they do not recognize the “municipal elections” that Russia held in Crimea and Sevastopol on Sunday, September 8, Radio Liberty reports.
Statements to this effect have already been released by the foreign ministries or leaders of Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Romania, Georgia and Poland.
Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu said that his country does not recognize the elections in Crimea and Sevastopol.
“I affirm our resolute support of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine,” Reinsalu said in a statement.
Similar statements have been made by Reinsalu’s colleagues from Lithuania and Latvia, Linas Linkevicius and Edgars Rinkevics.
The Polish Foreign Ministry, in turn, pointed out that Russia violated international law by annexing Crimea, as affirmed by the UN General Assembly resolution from March 27, 2014.
“In this context, Poland recognizes the actions of the Russian government in occupied Crimea as illegitimate and considers the results of any ‘elections’ [in Crimea] null and void,” the ministry said in a statement.
“We call for international solidarity and opposition to such actions by Russia in the annexed peninsula,” the Polish Foreign Ministry added.