Lavrov: Separatist leaders have gained legitimacy by signing Minsk Agreements
The Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Lavrov, believes that the leaders of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics have gained legitimacy by signing the Minsk Agreements, Interfax reported. “The recognition of the leaders of the self-proclaimed Republics has been achieved by their signing of the Minsk Agreements, which in turn were approved by consensus in the resolution of the U.N. Security Council,” Lavrov said.
The Minister also noted that the recent decree on the recognition of DPR/LPR documents, signed by the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, is in line with the spirit and letter of the Minsk Agreements.
“International law doesn’t prohibit the recognition of documents issued to authorities, who don’t enjoy international recognition, and those documents are required for the realization of rights and freedoms,” the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs emphasized.
Sergey Lavrov also confirmed that Putin’s decree was dictated by purely humanitarian considerations. As was previously reported, the President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, considers Russia’s recognition of documents issued by the Republics in the Donbas as further evidence of Russia’s occupation and violation of the norms of international law.
In turn, the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Oleksandr Turchynov, stated that Putin’s decision indicates the withdrawal of the Russian Federation from the Minsk process. The OSCE stated that, in fact, Russia has recognized the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics.