UN General Assembly declares Crimea referendum invalidMarch 28, 2014 - 10:20 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The UN General Assembly on Thursday, March 27 declared as invalid Crimea's recent Moscow-backed referendum to secede from Ukraine. The invalidity was declared by a vote of 100 to 11, with 58 abstentions in the UN assembly, Deutsche Welle reported. Kyiv's new government, which drafted the resolution, called for a "stronger and more concrete" united, international front against what they called Russia's aggression in the region. In addition to Russia, "no" votes came from Armenia, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, North Korea, Nicaragua, Sudan, Syria and Zimbabwe. Thursday's resolution calls on all states to refrain from any attempts to modify Ukraine's borders through the threat or use of force, or other unlawful means, while calling on dialogue to help diffuse the crisis. The Western-backed measure is not legally binding. Russia vetoed a similar text last month in the more powerful UN Security Council. Russia maintains that it had no right to refuse support to the majority-Russian-speaking Crimea and their right to self-determination. "For several centuries," Russian ambassador Vitaly Churkin told the assembly, Crimea was "an integral part of our country." "Only an arbitrary decision by the USSR to transfer it to Ukraine upset this natural state of affairs," he added. Churkin called the vote a "moral victory" for Russian diplomacy, as "almost half" of the UN's 193 members did not support the resolution. "An increasing number of countries are beginning to understand the complexity of the situation and the motives behind the actions of Crimea and the Russian Federation," he said. Also on Thursday, the U.S. Congress passed legislation approving a $1 billion (730 million euro) loan guarantee for Ukraine's government. The measure also imposes sanctions on Russians and Ukrainians over Moscow's annexation of Crimea. Photo: AFP/Getty Images Related links: Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Pasadena to host Armenian Genocide commemoration event The Pasadena Armenian Coalition will host its community-wide Armenian Genocide Commemorative Event. Armenia: Opposition activist transferred to Investigative Committee Activist Samvel Vardanyan has been accused of insulting the lawmaker Hakob Aslanyan from the ruling Civil Contract party. Former Pashinyan envoy urges end to Genocide speculation Marukyan has urged authorities in Armenia stop discussions about verifying the names of 1.5 million victims. Azerbaijan, Jordan sign deal on defense cooperation Azerbaijan and Jordan have signed an agreement on cooperation in the field of defense, according to an official statement. |