Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Friday, March 29th, 2024

Crimean Parliament Declares Independence from Ukraine

Crimean Parliament Declares Independence from Ukraine

SIMFEROPOL- The Crimean parliament declared independence from Ukraine on Monday, after official results showed 96.77 percent of Crimean voters chose to join Russia in Sunday's referendum.

The legislature passed an independence declaration during an extraordinary session, proclaiming the Black Sea peninsula an independent sovereign state, the Republic of Crimea.

The declaration appeals to the United Nations and its member states to recognize its existence and promises to "build its relations with other states on the basis of equality, peace, good neighborliness and other universally recognized principles of political, economic and cultural cooperation."

The parliament has also formally sent application to the Kremlin to join the Russian Federation as a new republic.

A delegation of Crimean authorities is expected to arrive in Moscow later in the day to discuss the procedure of Crimea's integration into Russia's economic and legal system.

Earlier in the month, the Crimean parliament voted to become part of Russia and passed a resolution of declaration of independence, paving the way for Sunday's referendum.

Ukrainian authorities have dismissed the referendum as "illegal," saying it violates the country's constitution.

"Crimea is a territory of the Ukrainian state. Our citizens reside there. We do not recognize and will never recognize the so-called referendum," Ukrainian Prime Minister ArsenyYatsenyuk said.

Western countries including the United States, France, Germany and Britain also rejected the referendum, calling the vote "illegal" and "contrary to the Ukrainian constitution."(Xinhua)