Ukraine urges the international community to condemn any attempt of the Russian Federation to misappropriate the cultural heritage of Ukraine and requests that the Russian side immediately cancelled the government orders on inclusion of Chersonese National Park into the federal property and referring of more than 220 facilities in the Crimea and Sevastopol to the cultural facilities of federal significance.
This was stressed in Bucharest by the Head of the Permanent Delegation of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in the Parliamentary Assembly of Black Sea Economic Cooperation Liudmyla Denisova during her speech at the General Assembly of the PABSEC to combat the illegal use of cultural heritage in BSEC region on November 27 this year.
Denisova also called for unconditional fulfillment of Russia’s commitments under international law, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.
During her speech, the head of the Ukrainian delegation reminded that on October 19, 2015 the Ukrainian delegation amended the Recommendations of the PABSEC Committee for Cultural, Educational and Social Affairs, indicating the need to take steps based on the norms of international law and, in particular, the provisions of the Hague Convention on Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, designed to prevent the destruction of cultural heritage in the areas of armed conflict.
"It must be a coincidence that on October 20 the website of the Russian Federation Government published an order dated October 17, 2015, whereby more than 220 facilities in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol were assigned to the cultural facilities of federal significance," reported Denisova.
She noted that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine expressed strong protest in connection with the said order. This particularly applies to the cultural and natural facilities of Ukraine located on the peninsula, included in the Provisional List, that may qualify for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List, namely Bakhchisarai Palace of the Crimean Khans, Historic Environment of Bakhchisarai, the Capital City of Crimean Khans, a Series of Monuments of the 6th to 16th Centuries in Sudak Fortress, and Cultural Landscape of the Cave Cities of Crimean Gothia.
The head of the Ukrainian delegation stressed that Ukraine has previously expressed outrage in respect of the decree passed by the RF Government dated October 3, 2015 on inclusion of Chersonese National park into the federal property.
"Commitment of any action in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, aimed, in particular, at change of jurisdiction over the objects of cultural, industrial and technical heritage of Ukraine, is a direct violation of the sovereign rights of Ukraine and universally recognized norms and principles of international humanitarian law," said Denisova.
According to her, the massive destruction and falsification of historical and cultural monuments in the occupied territories is contrary to 1954 Hague Convention on Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and a violation of the UNESCO Convention on Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.
"Resolution of the UN General Assembly dated March 27, 2014 on the Territorial Integrity of Ukraine confirms the recognition of the territorial integrity of Ukraine within the internationally recognized borders, claims the non-recognition of the Crimean "referendum" dated March 16 2014, calls upon all States, international organizations and specialized agencies not to recognize any changes in the status of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol on the basis of the above referendum, and to refrain from any action or behavior, which might be interpreted as recognition of any status change," said Liudmyla Denisova.
Reference information:
On November 25-27, Bucharest (Romania) holds the 46th General Assembly of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation. The Ukrainian delegation includes the people’s deputies of Ukraine Olena Masorina, Anna Romanova, Refat Chubarov, Andrii Hordeyev, Oleksii Kyrychenko, and Vadym Ivchenko.