MOSCOW, December 9. /TASS/: Crimea is Russia’s sovereign territory, and the country has the right to do everything necessary there to guarantee its security according to the norms spelled out by international law, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday, commenting on the Ukraine-initiated resolution on the "militarization" of Crimea approved by the UN General Assembly.
"In this case, the issue at hand is the sovereign territory of the Russian Federation, where the Russian Federation is free to do everything that is necessary to ensure its own security within the framework of international law and within the framework of its international obligations," Peskov specified.
On Monday, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution on the "problem of militarization" of Crimea as well as parts of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov put forward by Ukraine. Sixty-three countries voted in favor of the motion, 17 states voted against it, and 62 others abstained. A fairly large number of countries, including Azerbaijan, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan, did not express their position at all. In addition to Russia, among those countries that opposed the resolution were Belarus, Armenia, China, Serbia, Kyrgyzstan, Iran, North Korea and Venezuela.
The resolution urges the Russian Federation, "as the occupying Power," to withdraw its military forces from Crimea. It also calls on Russia to stop the transfer of advanced weapon systems, including aircraft and missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons, ammunition and military personnel "to the territory of Ukraine."
For his part, Russia’s First Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Dmitry Polyansky stressed at the session that Ukraine’s initiatives on the issue were futile.
