MFA Statement on the procedure for issue of Russian passports in the illegally occupied Ukrainian territory
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemns the decree by the Russian President Vladimir Putin on a simplified procedure for granting Russian citizenship to Ukrainian citizens, who reside in temporarily occupied Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine. Lithuania maintains that such a move is an illegal interference into Ukraine’s internal affairs and a violation of its territorial integrity.
Lithuania calls on the international community to strongly condemn the unjustifiable actions by Russia, not to recognise the illegally issued documents by the Russian Federation and consistently strengthen sanctions on Russia for persistently violating Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The Lithuanian Seimas, in its resolution of 24 April 2014 on the Situation in Ukraine, underlines that it considers the continued presence of the armed forces of the Russian Federation and armed formations controlled by it in the territory of Ukraine as the occupation of the relevant parts of the Ukrainian territory. Facilitating the procedure for issuance of Russian passports is yet another step towards incorporation of the temporarily occupied parts of Ukraine into the Russian jurisdiction, which constitutes a gross violation of the Minsk Agreements and poses a threat of continued political and military escalation. Russia’s decision adopted so soon after the end of the Presidential elections in Ukraine, should be considered as a deliberate pressure on Ukraine and its President-elect.
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