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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday March 6, 2014
Russian Embassy clarifies country’s position
Efforts to de-escalate situation in Ukraine failing By Vanessa Narine THE local Russian Embassy yesterday made clear the country’s position on the situation in Ukraine and stressed that the numerous calls by the Russian authorities aimed at de-escalating the situation have been futile. A statement released by the Embassy said, “Instead of addressing the situation through structures such as the OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) and the Council of Europe that have a solid expertise in the field of human rights, including minority rights and constitutional law, we have seen the Ukraine situation discussed by NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), which certainly sent the wrong message.” The statement noted that there has been a lot of speculation regarding the movement of troops of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. However, the Embassy stressed that these actions were taken as a precautionary measure in full compliance with the relevant bilateral
agreements with Ukraine. “During the night of March 1, 2014, unknown armed men sent from Kiev tried to seize the building of the Crimea Interior Ministry. Only decisive actions of self-defense groups allowed stopping that provocation that has left many people injured,” the Embassy said. THREAT TO LIVES The organisation underscored the threat to lives and defended the actions of Russia’s President. It said, “Given the extraordinary situation in Ukraine, the threat to the lives of Russian nationals and our compatriots, as well as Black Sea Fleet personnel, President Vladimir Putin has been compelled to use his Constitutional powers and to seek approval of the Upper Chamber of Parliament for the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in the territory of Ukraine, for the normalization of public order and political situation in that country.” The Embassy made it clear that while this approval has been
given, it does not necessarily imply that such actions will be taken immediately. The Embassy said that the situation in Ukraine has deteriorated rapidly and said, “Not surprisingly, one of the first decisions of the new rulers was to abolish the law on regional languages. “This move has caused concern among Russian-speakers and coincided with a widespread campaign of intimidation of ethnic Russian population and desecration of monuments to Russia’s and Ukraine’s common historical achievements to the defeat of Nazism in World War II. Russian priests have become the object of threats and attempts were made to seize the Orthodox shrines and synagogues. “The situation of the Russian community in Crimea has become particularly precarious. As soon as rallies erupted in protest against the way the Kier events had unfolded, the Crimeans were accused of separatism and were threatened with force.” OPEN TO COOPERATION The Embassy maintains that Russia remains open to cooperation with all partners in order to seek a political resolution to the crisis. It said, “What is needed is a clear understanding that this cooperation is honest and based not simply on the ability to hold fruitful negotiations, but also the ability to comply with agreements that take account of the interest of the Ukrainian people and all partners of Ukraine.” The Embassy pointed to the fact that the agreement reached between President Yanukovych and the Opposition on February 21, 2014 has been scrapped by Opposition Leaders. The Embassy said further, “The legitimate President, Victor Yanukovych, was driven out of the country and an interim President has been appointed. No steps have been made in the area of constitutional reform. “That the protest leaders treat their words and a signature so lightly was no surprise, but it is astonishing how easily those external mediators, who sealed the agreement, namely the Foreign Ministers of Germany, France and Poland declared to have been “overtaken” by the event. “Rather than taking account of the numerous appeals to national unity and reconciliation, political power in Kiev has been concentrated in the hands of far-right extremist elements that do not hide their xenophobic, anti-Semitic, neo-fascist credentials. “….within this context, it is not surprising that as many as 143,000 people from Ukraine have applied for asylum in Russia over the past two weeks.” Faced with the situation, Prime Minister of Crimea, Sergey Aksenov, appealed to the Russian authorities for assistance in maintaining peace and accord in the peninsula. Most recently, extremist groups openly called for an alliance with Doku Umarov, the most wanted leader of the Chechen terrorists, with close links to Al Qaeda.
CARICOM expresses concern over Ukraine situation THE Caribbean Community (CARICOM), in a statement yesterday, stated that it is deeply concerned by the recent developments in Ukraine and called on all parties involved, to act with self-restraint and responsibility in order to reduce tensions and avoid destabilisation in that Region. The Community expressed support for the people of Ukraine in their efforts to settle their differences peacefully, and called for the respect of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. To this end, the Community also called for the use of international mediation and/or negotiations, to address security and human rights concerns in Ukraine, under the auspices of the United Nations. “The Caribbean Community will continue to monitor developments within Ukraine and hopes for peace and calm as political and economic stability are restored within that country,” the Regional body said.