In the course of the meeting that was held on April 9-10, 2014, the people’s deputy of Ukraine took the floor with informational address to the Committee members in connection with the situation in our country and military aggression initiated against it by the Russian Federation.  

In particular, Andrii Tiahnybok noted:

“Today we have considered an important issue connected with cooperation of BSEC member states in the sphere of youth policy and settlement of the youth employment problem. Undoubtedly, youth issues are the issues of the future of our countries and prospects of our organization. 

Unfortunately, the present day and the future of our countries is far from being the way we have imagined it several months ago. Today in our Black Sea Region a new terrible act of aggression takes place. One of the BSEC member states – Russia – initiated aggression against another member state – this time Ukraine. Peace was broken not only in Ukraine. There is threat to the entire Region.  

On March 1, Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, whose representatives today are present in this hall, has unanimously supported the President of the Russian Federation Mr. Putin in his desire to gain the right to aggression against independent and sovereign state – Ukraine. Actual occupation of a part of Georgia seems to be insufficient for him now. 

Under the pretence of self-defense, Russian troops have seized the Crimean peninsula. They have seized all bodies of local self-government, strategic objects and blocked subdivisions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces deployed in Crimea.

I bindingly claim that there is no, there was no and there will be no threat to Russian or any other ethnic group in Ukraine on the part of the Ukrainian state! The address of the ousted President Viktor Yanukovych to the President Putin, requesting assistance was also named as one of the reasons to bring the troops into Ukraine. I would like to inform you dear colleagues that under the Ukrainian legislation, only the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (the Parliament) can take the decision on admission of foreign troops into the territory of Ukraine. The Ukrainian people cursed Mr. Yanukovych, who has sanctioned mass bloodshed in Kyiv during anti-governmental protests in January-February this year. He has lost all legitimacy in our country, as well as respect of western, central, eastern and southern regions of the country.    

Russia did not have and does not have any grounds for bringing its troops into Ukraine! All other statements of Russian officials are provocations and disinformation!

Just so, dear ladies and gentlemen, Nazi Germany invaded Poland and launched World War II, if you remember. At that time, alleged impairment of rights of ethnic Germans on the territory of Polish state was also used as a reason.

On March 16, a so-called “referendum” was initiated on the Crimean peninsula, as a result of which sort of 98% persons favoured Crimea’s affiliation with Russia. I think there is no need to assure you in comicality of these actions at the barrels of automatic guns and machine guns of Russian troops. According to information of independent local observers, only 30% of Crimean citizens participated in the voting, not 87% as Russian propaganda claims. It should be stated that indigenous people of the peninsula, Crimean Tatars, there are 200 000 of them in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, ignored this referendum farce. They have a historic memory reminding them that as soon as Russian leaders get obsessed with imperial frenzy, this heavily influences ethnic minorities.              

On March 27, 2014, at the UN General Assembly, the United Nations Organization adopted the resolution clearly assessing Russia’s invasive actions against Ukraine and conduction of a so-called “referendum”. 100 countries expressed full support of our state’s integrity, and we are grateful to them for this.  

However, in the spirit of its aggressive foreign policy, Russia is trying to unceremoniously impose on Ukraine its vision of our country’s future political development. Thus, one of the conditions for de-escalation of the intense situation is mandatory federalization of Ukraine. Ukrainians are also obstinately suggested not to hold elections on May 25.        

At the same time, Russia is aggravating the situation at the Ukrainian border and inside our country in every possible way. Great number of Russian offensive military equipment and manpower are concentrated at Ukrainian–Russian border, and are ready to aggressively act against the sovereign Ukrainian state.

In southern and eastern Ukrainian Oblasts, even in Kyiv, law-enforcement bodies are constantly neutralizing Russian diversionists, who are to sow fear and chaos, provoke bloody conflicts, thus creating a seeming reason for invasion of Russian troops inland Ukraine.    

This all is happening contrary to claims of the Russian Federation officials about peaceful intentions of this country.  

Russian is increasingly transferring to a military state with pretensions of a Euro–Asian hegemon!

Ukraine is going though difficult times now. Ukrainian people are consciously and independently making their choice of the way our society and our country should be developing in. We will be decisively protecting our sovereignty and territorial integrity against any attempts of foreign influence.   

Being aware of economic orientation of the PABSEC, we think that economy can not be considered apart from politics, and we hope that national delegations in the Assembly will more strongly react to any Russia’s aggressive routes of approach to its neighbors, and will condemn such policy as unacceptable for the spirit of cooperation in our Black Sea region!”