Basescu: We ask Russia to stop all military action against Ukraine

Newsroom 02/03/2014 | 01:19

Traian Basescu doubled down on Sunday on his position regarding the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. The Romanian president asked Russia on behalf of the country to cease all military action against Ukraine.

“Right now, we consider that Ukraine is being assaulted by the Russian federation’s military forces”, the president stated.

Furthermore, the presidential administration believes that while the situation in Ukraine doesn’t present any danger for the moment for Romania’s security, the creation of a new “frozen conflict” in Crimea can affect Romania in the long ron.

“Romania issues a warning that the creation of a new frozen conflict, located in Crimea, after the ones in Nagorno/Karabah, Abhazia, Osetia and Trasnistria, could highten the regional instability and enhance the chances of tensions that could lead to armed conflicts”, the president added.

Basescu reiterated his stance on the matter, after on Saturday he released his first statement on the situation, where he denounced Russia’s tactics as agressive.

“The president of Romania, Traian Basescu, is following the events in Crimeea with great attention, but is also looking at Harkov, Donetsk and Odesssa. The rise of civil groups and unrecognized military formations that have occupied public buildings as well as the repeated signs of separatist movements threaten Ukraine’s stability, sovereignty, integrity and regional security. Romania upholds Ukraine’s right for state-hood, sovereignty, independence and integrity be respected in international recognized frontiers. The president asks that the movement of troops in the Crimeea Peninsula be organized under the reglementations of the Budapest Accord from 1994 and it should adhere to the limitations inscribed in the bilateral agreements regarding Russian troups in Crimmea in the Harkov Agreement”, according to the message.

“Regarding the protection of minorities, mister Traian Basescu believes that applying international norms and good practices in this field represents the only source of reglementation for minority rights and it should stand as an obligation of every state and not as an excuse for a military intervention from the outside. Romania believes that any presence of Russian Federation troops on Ukraine’s territory, without its consent and outside ofbilateral agreements, represents an aggression against Ukraine”, the president adds in the release.

Unidentified gunmen took control of two Crimean airports on Friday. Ukrainian border guards say they spotted around 10 Russian helicopters enter Ukrainian airspace over Crimea. But Russia’s Black Sea fleet, stationed at Sebastopol, denied involvement in the seizures. Russia has a major naval base in the Crimean city of Sevastopol. The lease stipulates personnel are not allowed to take military equipment or vehicles outside the base without Ukrainian permission.

Ukraine has accused Russia of a “military invasion and occupation” — a claim that brought an alarming new dimension to the crisis, and raised fears that Moscow is moving to annex a strategic peninsula where Russia’s Black Sea fleet is based.

On Saturday, President Vladimir Putin’s proposal to deploy the country’s armed forces in Crimea has been passed by a unanimous vote in Russia’s upper house of parliament. The move prompted world diplomats to call for a de-escalation of tensions that have put the two countries on a possible path to war and roiled relations between Russia and the United States, according to the National Post.

In what appeared to be an illustration of the growing tensions between the two world powers, U.S. President Barack Obama and Putin spoke for 90 minutes — with each expressing their concern over the mounting crisis, according to separate statements released by their respective governments.

Obama expressed “his deep concern over Russia’s clear violation of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity,” according to a statement released by the White House. “…President Obama made clear that Russia’s continued violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity would negatively impact Russia’s standing in the international community.”

According to the Kremlin, Putin said Russia reserves the right to defend its interests and the Russian-speaking people who live there.

Ukraine acting President Oleksandr Turchynov took to the airwaves late Saturday to warn any Russian military intervention would lead to war, even as acting Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said that he had been told by Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev that no decision had been made on whether Moscow would dispatch forces. Yatsenyuk said his country was ready to mobilize its forces to protect strategic locations, including nuclear power plants, writes CNN.

On Saturday evening, president Basescu called the national security structures for a meeting regarding the situation in Crimeea. After the meeting, the Presidency released the following conclusions:

Romania is not directly affected by the situation in Ukraine and there are no direct risks for national security;

– Romania has not increased the level of alert within national security structures;

– Romania will continue to be an active participant in relations with its allies regarding the events in Ukraine; the president has mandated the states representatives to present the country’s basic stanc on this issue for the following debates that will take place within NATO and the EU;

– Romania will continue to monitor the situation in Ukraine and the separatist movements in Moldova very carefully.

China doesn’t like it, but stays out of it

A Chinese spokesman on Sunday urged all sides involved in the Ukraine situation to comply with international law and seek a political solution to their disputes through dialogue and negotiations, according to the Global Times.

“China is deeply concerned with the current Ukraine situation,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said when responding to a question on China’s stance after Russia’s upper house of parliament, the Federation Council, authorized President Vladimir Putin to use military forces to protect Russian citizens and soldiers in Ukrainian territory.

Condemning violences over the past days in Ukraine, Qin said China has been urging all parties in Ukraine to address their domestic disputes peacefully in accordance with the country’s law, safeguard the legitimate rights of the Ukrainian people of all ethnics, and restore social order as soon as possible.

Qin said China always sticks to the principle of non-interference in any country’s internal affairs and respects the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.

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