NATO: referendum in Crimea would violate international lawMarch 14, 2014 - 23:29 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on Friday, March 14, a planned referendum in Ukraine's Crimea region would violate international law and lack legitimacy, Reuters reports. Moscow shipped more troops and armor into Crimea on Friday and repeated its threat to invade other parts of Ukraine in response to violence in Donetsk on Thursday night, showing no sign of bowing to Western demands to pull back. Crimea's parliament has voted to join Russia and has set a referendum on the decision for Sunday. "The so-called referendum ... would be a direct violation of the Ukrainian constitution and international law. If held, it would have no legal effect or political legitimacy," Rasmussen said in a statement. "Holding this referendum would undermine international efforts to find a peaceful and political solution to the crisis in Ukraine," he said, according to Reuters. Rasmussen issued the statement after ambassadors from Russia and Ukraine took part in a 50-nation meeting at NATO headquarters to discuss the crisis. Ukraine asked for the extraordinary meeting of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, a forum that includes the 28 NATO allies and 22 other countries from Europe and central Asia. Rasmussen urged Russia to act responsibly and to uphold its obligations under international law. "Dialogue and negotiations should be given a chance to succeed in bringing about a de-escalation of the situation and a political solution," he said. A NATO official said the overwhelming majority of countries represented at the meeting expressed solidarity with Ukraine and support for Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty. Moscow's Ambassador to NATO, Alexander Grushko, defended Russia's actions, the official said. 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 | The Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life charity The companies inform that the May beneficiary of The Power of One Dram is the “Road of Life” charitable organization. Ucom General Director gives lecture at French University in Armenia The General Director of Ucom Ralph Yirikian delivered a lecture at the French University of Armenia. Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty. Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. |