ANKARA, September 30 – Novosti. Residents of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions exercised their right to self-determination in accordance with the UN Charter, said Russian Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Turkey Alexei Yerkhov.
Referendums on the issue of joining Russia were held from 23 to 27 September in the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics , as well as in the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions. According to the results of processing 100% of ballots in the DPR , 99.23% of those who voted for joining the Russian Federation, in the LPR – 98.42%, in the Kherson region – 87.05%, in the Zaporozhye region – 93.11%. Russian President Vladimir Putin said last week that Russia would support the decision, which will be made by the residents of Donbass , Zaporozhye and Kherson regions.
“I would like to touch on a very sensitive topic on today’s agenda – referendums in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions. There is a provision in the UN Charter on the right of nations to self-determination. And there is a precedent here. During the Kosovo crisis, the International Court of Justice ruled that if part territory, part of the country decides to declare independence, it is not obliged to ask permission from the central government of this country. This was the case with Kosovo . Isn’t the situation with the Donetsk Republic, the Lugansk Republic and others the same? It’s the same,” the ambassador said. speaking at a conference on the settlement in Ukraine and the role of Turkey in it at the University of Sakarya .
“Since they have such a right – and I would like to emphasize once again that they have it in accordance with the UN Charter and the right to self-determination – they use it,” the Russian diplomat stressed.
