By KYIV. Dec 16 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The number of votes in support of the updated resolution of the UN General Assembly on the violation of human rights in Crimea is the highest since 2016, when Ukraine first submitted the document to the GA for consideration.
"On December 15, the UN General Assembly adopted with 82 votes for the resolution titled: ‘Situation of human rights in the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Ukraine.’ For the seventh year in a row, the UN member states supported the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within the internationally recognized borders by a majority of votes," the MFA said.
The Foreign Ministry said the number of votes in support of this document was the highest since 2016, since Ukraine first submitted a resolution on the situation with human rights in Crimea for consideration by the General Assembly.
Thus, the General Assembly confirmed the status of the temporarily occupied Crimea and the city of Sevastopol and other territories temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation as integral parts of Ukraine.
As noted in the Foreign Ministry, the resolution contains updated facts about gross violations of human rights in Crimea by Russia, in particular, in the context of full-scale Russian aggression.
"The document also contains new substantive provisions that correspond to the current situation in our state and have received high support from the UN member states, including the expansion of the application of the resolution to all temporarily occupied territories. Therefore, the UN General Assembly demands that Russia immediately stop the aggression against Ukraine and withdraw all its armed forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders," the MFA said.
The UN member states also condemned Russia’s violation of Article 2(4) of the UN Charter and the use of Crimea for the purpose of carrying out a full-scale armed aggression against Ukraine and the occupation of Kherson and Zaporizhia regions.
The GA also calls on Russia to stop the deportation of Ukrainian children to its territory and cancel the decision to simplify the procedure for obtaining Russian citizenship for Ukrainian orphans or children deprived of parental care, and take all necessary measures for their safe return to Ukraine and reunification with relatives.
As the agency said, once again the UN member states instructed the UN Secretary General to take all necessary steps to ensure international human rights monitoring mechanisms have access to the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, including the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, and to submit a report at the 78th session of the UN General Assembly on the implementation of the resolution.
"We especially welcome the decision of the General Assembly to include in its agenda the ‘Situation in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine’ until the full restoration of the territorial integrity of Ukraine," the ministry said.
The Foreign Ministry thanked for the international consolidated support for Ukraine in defending its territorial integrity, sovereignty, rights and fundamental freedoms.
"Those responsible for gross human rights violations and war crimes will be held accountable," the MFA said.
