A referendum is one of the tools of a democratic process and cannot be used under military occupation.
Russia has used military forces to annex Crimea, which is currently part of Ukraine. The international community needs to take a very clear stance. It is one thing is to have a discussion about Crimea and its future, but it is quite another thing for Russia to bully Ukraine, which is already facing difficulties and
The Humanist Party in New York is requesting that the International Community act now and ask to every country in the world to recall their Ambassadors and close their embassies in Moscow. The people who believe in democracy, peace and nonviolence need to use their “weapons” against the violent. Russia can’t prosper and have normal social development in isolated from the rest of the world. Everyone wants to be recognized and connected to the International community but for that to happen, everyone needs to respect and follow some common rules and conducts. Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy P. Yatsenyuk told the United Nations Security Council that Russian aggression in Ukraine was “unacceptable in the 21st century” and he is absolutely right.
The best will be for every country to recall its ambassador before Sunday’s referendum and have Putin lose face in front of the international community. We should move quickly and use the situation to our advantage to re-enforce the diplomatic work with Syria and advance in the peace process there and could also refocus the energy to toward a deeper discussion with Iran.
No country can respond to this military invasion alone, everyone in the international community needs to respond with courage and cannot accept this state of affairs. There is no negotiation possible because that a violent act can’t be negotiated. If the closing of the embassy is not enough we should then recall every intentional agency and institution residing in Russia.
