Decision by the Political Committee of the Russian United Democratic Party YABLOKO,

14 March, 2014

The Political Committee of the Russian United Democratic Party YABLOKO takes the stand for preservation of the territorial integrity of Ukraine, implementation of all the international obligations and observance of the rational approaches developed for the past decades as regards territorial issues.

We urge the President and the political leadership of Russia to stop power politics in Crimea, bring the number of military, their places of deployment and movement of the Russian troops in line with the agreements on the Black Sea Fleet from 1997 and 2010, completely remove the threat of the use of the Russian armed forces on the territory of Ukraine.

However, we understand that today political assessments and appeals only are not enough and will not solve the problem.

Under no circumstances can the current situation be drawn out or kept “in limbo”. Even if the significant risk of a conflict turning “hot” does not occur, any form of Cold War would contribute to chaos, and the degradation of state institutions throughout the former USSR, where Russia’s multi-ethnic people would become the key victim, and would lead to irreversible decay of the institutions and mechanisms of the European security.

There is still concern about the consequences of the events in Kiev. Bloodshed, death of dozens of people in the centre of a European capital in February this year represent the events that should not fade into the background of the discussion, “talked round” or be hidden behind revolutionary rhetoric. The growth of radicalism and nationalism and increased activity of their carriers is a problem requiring urgent solution.

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Under the present conditions pursuing the goals of negotiating settlement of the situation, taking into account the interests of all the interested parties, finding immediate and competent solutions to a number of interrelated issues concerning security in Europe, the situation in Ukraine, relations between Russia and Ukraine, the de-escalation of tension in the Crimea and around the Crimea, we propose the immediate convening of an International Conference on political, legal and military issues related to Ukraine, in particular, in respect of the range of Crimean issues, is necessary.

The main goals of such an International Conference should be as follows:

– Restoration of the underlying legal framework in international life and in the area of security disrupted by a virtual collapse of the international law in the part of unviolability and internationally recognized borders and non-proliferation of nuclear weapons;
– guarantees of the integrity and maintenance of the viability of the Ukrainian state, keeping the political process in Ukraine within the parliamentary framework without substituting it by nationalism and preservation of a non-aligned and non-nuclear status of Ukraine;
– prevent provocations and military actions by extremist groups, as well as all forms of propaganda of extremist actions with the understanding that achieving this goal in Crimea is possible only as part of the policies implemented throughout the Ukrainian state;
– restoration of the rule of law in Crimea, with due observation of the interests of Crimea’s population as a whole and all its component groups, without repressions of political opponents.

he countries that signed the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances in connection with Ukraine’s accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons of 1994 should instigate the Conference.

The participants should include those countries whose interests are affected by the developments: Ukraine, Russia, the European Union (with the special representation of Germany, Great Britain, France and Poland), the USA, Turkey, Canada, as well as representatives of Crimea’s parliament and communities.

The Conference could be chaired by the countries that have not been involved in the crisis, but at the same time understand well what has been going on the post-Soviet countries such as, for example, Kazakhstan and Spain.

The Conference should try to adopt decisions on Ukraine that take account of the interests and concerns of all the parties.

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The Political Committee of the Russian United Democratic Party YABLOKO proposes the following possible agreements for overcoming the crisis.

Russia and Ukraine:

– declare the maintenance in force of all the currently existing agreements and legal acts, including a treaty of friendship of 1998 and the agreement on the Black Sea Fleet from May 28, 1997;

– create a mechanism for permanent interaction, possibly in the form of a Russian-Ukrainian commission at a high state level.

Ukraine:

– confirms its own non-aligned and non-nuclear status and guarantees that there will be no bases or facilities of foreign armed forces on its territory, and in the case of emergency of their placement that they will not be directed against neighbors and their full transparency for inspection;

– undertakes to establish all the necessary conditions for the immediate international investigation of the tragic events in 2013-2014 in Kyiv, and separately the murders of people by snipers;

– takes all the necessary measures, inter alia with the participation of international observers, to weed out and prevent the spread of Nazi, fascist, anti-Russian and anti-Semitic ideology in Ukraine and to prevent the activities of organizations preaching and implementing such ideologies in practice;

– assumes the obligation that all the illegal armed formations in Ukraine will be disarmed under international monitoring;

– undertakes to consider and issue a decision on substantially expanding Crimea’s autonomy, including the consolidation of the status of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol;

– declares its intention to consider at a constitutional level the prospects for federalization of Ukraine keeping in mind not only broadening of the autonomous status of Crimea, but also providing Ukrainian regions with real autonomy;

– provides effective guarantees for holding free and fair elections, with equal opportunities for all parties and participants;

– takes a decision to review the principles for forming the government, bearing in mind the need for an inter-regional and coalition-based setup, real anti-corruption and anti-oligarchic components, decisive restrictions on the representatives of extreme political forces, and an increase in political competence;

– declares its readiness to recognize the Russian language as a regional language (and in future possibly as a second state language);

– declares its readiness to create a joint Russian-Ukrainian commission to protect the Russian Orthodox heritage in Ukraine.

Russia:

– rejects the inclusion of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea in the Russian Federation;

– withdraws its additional troops from the Republic and returns to the barracks those based in the Crimea;

– the referendum in Crimea is not conducted (or is left without any legal consequences);

– recognize Ukraine’s unconditional right to determine its own economic and political ties.

International community together with Russia and Ukraine:

– create a mechanism for the monitoring and control of the situation in Crimea and the Ukraine under the aegis of existing institutions ensuring security in Europe (OSCE) or an institute specially created for this purpose, including control over radical groups from both parties in order to prevent provocations, acts of violence, any incidents that could endanger the lives, health and tranquility of the people and the implementation of any understandings that have been reached.

These understandings are formalized in international agreements and laws of Ukraine adopted on their basis.

Certainly, the agenda of the Conference may include any other issues that the participants deem necessary.

We, as a party and public movement, leveraging our expert potential and international cooperation, will do everything within our power to help the Conference come about and be successful.

Our goal is the restoration and maintenance of friendly relations between Russia and Ukraine, the guarantee of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of our countries.