Foreign Secretary welcomes OSCE Mission to Ukraine
William Hague welcomes deployment of monitoring mission but condemns Russia’s refusal to allow it access to Crimea.
Following the announcement of the OSCE to send an initial team of 100 monitors to Ukraine the Foreign Secretary William Hague said:
“ I welcome the decision of the OSCE to deploy a Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine which could help make a significant contribution to de-escalate the situation. Since this crisis began I have been calling for an impartial and independent observer mission to verify facts on the ground and this is an important step towards doing that.
“The mission will gather information, report on the security situation throughout the country, and start to look at how to address the concerns of all parties. Establishing the truth of what is happening on the ground will go a long way towards finding a peaceful and diplomatic solution.
“I am disappointed, but not surprised, that the Russian authorities have stated they will not allow the OSCE Mission into Crimea. The UK does not recognise either the illegal and illegitimate referendum in Crimea, or President Putin’s annexation, which is a flagrant breach of international law.
“It is essential that we monitor the situation on the ground whilst sending a very clear message to the Russian Government and to President Putin that it would be unacceptable to go further into Ukraine.”
Further information
Read about the OSCE deploying a Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine
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