THE SEIMAS OF THE REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA
COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS
STATEMENT
CONDEMNING THE CONTINUATION OF THE OCCUPATION AND ANNEXATION OF
CRIMEA
18 March 2015
Vilnius
The Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania,
recalling that a year ago the Russian Federation using armed military force occupied Crimea
that constitutes part of the territory of Ukraine, and that on 18 March 2014 an illegal agreement on
joining the Ukrainian Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol to the territory of the
Russian Federation was signed in breach of international law and part of the sovereign territory of
Ukraine was annexed;
in the light of the UN General Assembly resolution 68/262 of 27 March 2014 expressing
support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and approving the commitment of the
United Nations to recognise Crimea as part of the Ukrainian territory;
having regard to the conclusions from the Inter-Parliamentary Conference on the Common
Foreign and Security Policy and the Common Security and Defence Policy held in Latvia on 4–6
March 2015 under the Latvian Presidency of the Council of the EU, which expressed unilateral
support of all national Parliaments of EU Member States and the European Parliament to the
territorial integrity of Ukraine and stressed the need to continue the policy of non-recognition of
occupation and annexation of Crimea;
taking note of the declaration issued on 16 March 2015 on behalf of the EU by the High
Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, condemning the
occupation and annexation of Crimea;
noting that the military aggression of the Russian Federation in Ukraine that began a year
ago and continues today is a serious breach of the United Nations Charter, the Helsinki Final Act,
the 1994 Budapest Memorandum and other international agreements, including bilateral agreements
between Russia and Ukraine;
strongly supports the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Ukraine with
the Autonomous Republic of Crimea as its constituent part in line with Section 10 of the Ukrainian
Constitution, and the integrity and inviolability of internationally recognised borders of Ukraine
established under Article 2 of the Ukrainian Constitution;
strongly condemns the occupation and annexation of a part of the sovereign territory of
Ukraine, namely, the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol, by the Russian Federation;
stresses that the actions based on military aggression and the intensive militarisation of the
Crimean Peninsula by the Russian Federation pose a threat to security and stability throughout
Europe;
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reiterates its call on the Russian Federation to end the illegal occupation and annexation of
Crimea, withdraw its armed forces from the Ukrainian territory, respect international law and its
own obligations under international law, and respect human rights and freedoms;
strongly condemns the grave and systematic human rights violations with respect to the
Crimean Tatars and Ukrainians in Crimea that is occupied by the Russian Federation, including the
continued intimidation and abuses of ethnic Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars, limitations for the
media, limitations on the freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, freedom of religion and
belief, violations of the right to property and the right to education in the native (Ukrainian)
language and the restrictions on the freedom of movement of persons;
calls for the creation of opportunities to work for the human rights monitoring mission of
the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Crimea in order to objectively examine and assess
the human rights violations committed by the occupying power;
expresses its support to the Ukrainian authorities for raising in international organisations
and courts the issue of damages made during the occupation and annexation; proposes the EU
institutions to initiate creating a multilateral mechanism for registration and assessment of damages
made as a result of occupation and annexation of Crimea in order to objectively assess the losses
brought about by the unlawful conduct on the part of the Russian Federation in Ukraine;
calls on the political leaders of the international community and the EU, parliaments and
governments to keep a united position that the Western democratic community sanctions for actions
undermining or threatening the independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine should be
maintained until Ukraine’s territorial integrity will be restored in accordance with the principles
enshrined in the Constitution of Ukraine and international law.
Benediktas Juodka
Chair of the Committee