Statement by the Embassy of Ukraine in the Islamic Republic of Iran

Following the temporary occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea by the Russian Federation in February 2014, which was not recognized by the international community due to the UN GA resolution 68/262 on the territorial integrity of Ukraine, the progressing militarization of the Crimean Peninsula is being carried out by Russia, in particular destabilizing transfers by Russia of weapon systems, including nuclear capable aircraft and missiles, weapons, ammunition and military personnel to the territory of Ukraine.

The occupation and subsequent militarization of Crimea led to the expansion of the area of use of Russian warships and military aircraft in the Black Sea region and far beyond in the entire Mediterranean basin. Thus, such activity has far-reaching consequences for security not only in the Black Sea area, but in the whole South Europe, as well as in the North Africa and the Middle East.

The Russian Federation also actively militarizes the Sea of Azov by increasing the number of warships and their expansion to the whole territory of the Sea. As an example, in October 2018, the Russian government allocated a huge designated area in the Sea of Azov to the Russian Defense Ministry.

The latest aggressive actions of the Russian Federation in the Kerch Strait on 25 November 2018, when Ukrainian vessels were blocked from entry to the Sea of Azov and subsequently attacked and captured by Russian warships under the artificial pretext of “violation of Russian borders”, proves additionally the urgency of the problem of militarization of Crimea and parts of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, as well as the urgent need for the international community to consolidate efforts in countering such aggressive and illegal policy.

In addition, the problem of the militarization of the Crimea is highlighted in the presentation submitted on December 6, 2018 by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine P. Klimkin during a meeting of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the OSCE (Milan, Italy) (posted at https://mfa.gov.ua/ua/page/open/id/5446), as well as the video on the reconstruction of the events in the context of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine on November 25, 2018 (https://ukraineun.org/press-center/525-rekonstruktsiya-podiy-v-chornomu-mori-v-konteksti-agresiy-rosiy-proty-ukrayny-25-lystopada-2018-r/).

Given the current volatile security situation in the mentioned areas and its possible far-reaching negative implications, Ukraine together with Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States of America submitted a draft resolution “The problem of militarization of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol (Ukraine), as well as parts of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov” under the UN GA Agenda item 34 “Prevention of armed conflict”.

Ukraine will highly appreciate the valuable support and possible co-sponsorship of the draft resolution “The problem of militarization of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol (Ukraine), as well as parts of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov” by the other members of International community.

Press Section of the Embassy of Ukraine,

Tehran