Ukrainian parliament passes statement on not recognizing elections in Crimea
KYIV. Sept 11 (Interfax) - The Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada has issued a statement on not recognizing the legitimacy of the local elections "in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine," backed by 325 parliamentarians on Wednesday.
"As part of the colonization of the occupied territories, the Russian Federation is committing illegal acts, including the organization of elections. Such elections to local government bodies were conducted most recently in Russian territory on September 8, during which Russia also conducted such elections in occupied Ukrainian regions; namely, the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol," the head of the Rada's Foreign Policy and Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Committee, Bohdan Yaremenko, said in presenting the draft statement at a Rada plenary session.
Yaremenko said the statement will not return Crimea to Ukraine but will serve as a clear sign that the return of occupied territories is a national idea of Ukraine.