During discussions at the annual YES meeting in Kyiv, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski expressed his position on the future of occupied Crimea.
‘Temporarily occupied Crimea can be placed under the UN mandate to prepare for fair elections,’ – Sikorski said.
He believes that Crimea is of great strategic importance for both Ukraine and rf. In his opinion, the two countries will not reach an agreement on the peninsula without its complete demilitarisation. Sikorski added that such a solution can be realised only if ‘both sides of the conflict’ support it.
At the same time, the Crimean Tatar Resource Center notes that there can be no referendums in the occupied territories, as Crimea is an integral part of Ukraine. Any attempts to ‘legitimise’ the occupation of the peninsula through voting or international agreements are contrary to international law, in particular UNGA resolution 68/262 ‘Territorial Integrity of Ukraine’, which clearly recognises Ukraine’s sovereignty over Crimea and ‘calls upon all States to renounce and refrain from actions aimed at the partial or total disruption of the national unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine, including any attempt to alter the borders of Ukraine by threat or use of force or other non-political means.
The restoration of Ukrainian control over the peninsula should happen without conditions or compromise, and any referendums could only deepen the conflict and legitimise russia’s illegal actions.