Strasbourg, 20 March 2014 - In adecision adopted today, theCouncil of Europe Ministers' Deputies condemned the referendum conducted on 16 March by the Crimean local authorities, in violation of Ukrainian legislation. They reiterated their solidarity with Ukraine and its people and underlined that the current crisis in Ukraine must be resolved peacefully, based on strict adherence to international law.

Deploring the decisions of the Russian Federation to admit Crimea and Sevastopol into the Russian Federation, the Ministers' Deputies firmly recalled the duty of all member States to comply with the commitments undertaken under the Statute of the Council of Europe.

The Ministers' Deputies will resume consideration of the situation in Ukraine at their next meeting on 2 April.There they will hear inter alia the Secretary General’s report on the mission in Ukraine in which the Advisory Committee of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities is currently engaged following their decision of 14 March last.

TEXT OF THE DECISION

STATEMENT OF PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF UKRAINE