Brussels, 7/3/2014 (Agence Europe) - At the end of the summit on Ukraine on 6 March, the Russian ambassador to the EU, Vladimir Chizhov, criticised the two different yardsticks used by the EU with regard to the Ukraininan constitution. He denounced the fact that the EU is using the constitution to declare that the referendum in Crimea is illegal, but does not do the same for the forced departure of former president Viktor Yanukovych.
“It looks rather strange that the EU has assumed the right to interpret the Ukrainian constitution at its own discretion to declare that Crimea's forthcoming referendum (on 16 March regarding Ukraine becoming a part of Russia) contradicts it and will be illegitimate”, Chizhov told Russian media. “Generally speaking, I would advise everybody to be very careful as far as referendums are concerned. After all, they are a direct expression of the people's will”, he added. The Russian Parliament will for its part respect the “historic choice of Crimea in the referendum”, said the president of the Duma on 7 March.
“If the European Union were genuinely concerned over whether the current events agree with the Ukrainian constitution, then it would have easily seen that in both constitutions of Ukraine, be it the 2010 edition or the earlier 2004 edition, (…) there exists a certain procedure of ousting the head of state from power”, added Chizhov, recalling that the three options are death, resignation or impeachment. “As far as Yanukovych is concerned, none of the above options apply. To say that the current authorities in Kiev are legitimate will only be possible if one turns a blind eye to the hard facts”, he added. (CG)