The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu, participated, on Thursday, in the meeting of the Permanent Council of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in a consolidated format, in which context he conveyed that „the so-called referendums organized by Russia in the occupied territories of Ukraine they do not produce any legal effect”, according to Agerpres.

„Unfortunately, we have to talk again about Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Romania condemns in the strongest terms the so-called referendums organized by Russia in the occupied territories of Ukraine. They are illegal and illegitimate. They represent a serious violation of the principles fundamental principles of international law. Therefore, they do not produce any legal effect. Such actions, instigated, supported and organized by the Russian occupying forces, only aggravate the situation and are an attempt by Russia to legitimize its illegal military control. Therefore, we are witnesses of yet another violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine by Russia, which is contrary to the UN Charter and the principles and commitments of the OSCE,” the head of Romanian diplomacy said.

He added that „Romania condemns the signing of the so-called annexation treaties, planned for tomorrow”. „We appeal to all states to reject the Russian Federation’s attempts to illegally annex territories of another state or similar actions,” added the Romanian minister.

The meeting was convened by Poland, as the OSCE Presidency-in-Office, in the context of the organization by the Russian Federation of the so-called „referendums” in four Ukrainian regions occupied by Russian forces.

In his speech, Minister Bogdan Aurescu reiterated his firm condemnation of Russia’s threat to use nuclear weapons and called for the demilitarization of the area around the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant and to avoid the creation of a new situation of protracted conflict in this region.

At the same time, he emphasized the need to bring to justice those guilty of serious violations of international law in Ukraine. In this sense, he reviewed the series of recent actions initiated by Romania, including the submission on September 13 of the Declaration of Intervention in the proceedings initiated by Ukraine against the Russian Federation at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the submission on September 16 at the Registry of the Court European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) of Romania’s request for intervention in favor of Ukraine, in the case brought by this state against the Russian Federation.

Agerpres