Ukraine in Arabic | NATO accused Russia of fueling the conflict in eastern Ukraine
KYIV/Ukraine in Arabic/ NATO’s Parliamentary Assembly has adopted a strongly worded resolution calling on its member countries to “counter the Russian Federation’s campaign of misinformation” against Ukraine.
The resolution, adopted at a meeting of the assembly on Monday, also urges Russia to stop its attempts to destabilize Ukraine, and “put an end to the brutal and massive violations of human rights, including the right to live in the territory of Crimea and the territories in the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk temporarily under the control of separatists.”
NATO parliamentarians urged Russia to stop attempts to destabilize Ukraine, publically urge pro-Russian separatists to disarm, engage in genuine talks with the Ukrainian government on a political solution to the crisis and the return of Crimea to Ukrainian jurisdiction, and to end the propaganda campaign which fuels aggressively anti-Western and chauvinistic attitudes among the Russian people.
Parliamentarians called on the member governments and parliaments of the North Atlantic Alliance to continue targeted sanctions until Russia shows that it is willing to abide by international rules and norms, undo illegal and illegitimate territorial gains, and behave as a responsible and neutral actor advancing the peaceful resolution of conflicts.
In the document the Assembly emphasizes the Euro-Atlantic community's moral obligation to support Ukraine's struggle for its territorial integrity and sovereignty, as well as its chosen pathway towards greater Euro-Atlantic integration, stressing that no third party has a right to veto this process.
The Assembly condemns in the strongest terms Russia's illegal occupation and 'annexation' of Crimea and invasion of Ukrainian sovereign territory, in violation of international law and particularly of the Budapest Memorandum of 1994, the Helsinki Final Accord, the UN Charter and the spirit of the NATO-Russia Founding Act.
At the same time, it expresses concern over the lack of implementation of the Minsk Agreements including the fragile status of the ceasefire, the continued instability in eastern Ukraine, as well as the deterioration of the human rights situation for Crimean Tatars and other minorities under Russian occupation.
The Assembly acknowledges the significant contributions Ukraine has made as a NATO partner, including to all four active NATO-led operations, as well its participation in the NATO Response Force.
Parliamentarians recalled the pledge made at the 2008 NATO Bucharest Summit that Ukraine and Georgia will receive NATO membership, provided they so wish and once the membership criteria are fulfilled.
The Assembly calls on NATO governments and parliaments to ensure full and rapid implementation of pledges made so far in support of Ukraine and to consider additional political, financial, economic, material and technical support measures to assist Ukraine in its efforts to protect its territory and to build a strong, accountable and democratic state which guarantees human rights and the rule of law; to support diplomatic attempts to peacefully resolve the Russia-backed armed conflict in eastern Ukraine and prevent it from becoming another "frozen conflict."
It is also necessary to make it unambiguously clear that the illegal "annexation" of Crimea will never be recognized; to implement measures designed to boost defensibility of the Alliance's eastern periphery, and to demonstrate solidarity and to increase support for those Allies that are mostly affected by Russia's counter-measures in response to sanctions; to counter Russia's campaign of misinformation; to encourage greater energy independence from Russian sources of oil and natural gas in Europe; to keep the door open for future enlargements of the Alliance.
The NATO Parliamentary Assembly called on the government and parliament of Ukraine to continue democratic reforms, including the building of an inclusive political system based on respect for the rule of law, minorities, and human rights; and to demonstrate with concrete actions that today's Ukraine tackles corruption, clientelism and oligarchic influences resolutely and without exceptions.