Convention on the recognition and enforcement of decisions relating to maintenance obligations
Depositary communications concerning
Ukraine
08-06-2017
Statement on the Convention of 2 October 1973 on the Recognition and Enforcement of
Decisions Relating to Maintenance Obligations:
Reaffirming its firm commitment to respect and fully comply with generally recognised
principles and rules of international law, the Russian Federation, with reference
to the declaration of Ukraine
of 16 October 2015 regarding the Convention of 2 October 1973 on the Recognition and
Enforcement of Decisions Relating to Maintenance Obligations, states the following.
The Russian Federation rejects to the above mentioned declaration of Ukraine and states
that it cannot be taken into consideration as it is based on a bad faith and incorrect
presentation and interpretation of facts and law.
The declaration of Ukraine regarding "certain districts of the Donetsk and Luhansk
oblasts of Ukraine" cannot serve as a justification for non-compliance with its obligations,
disregard for humanitarian considerations, refusal or failure to take necessary measures
to find practical solutions for issues that have a very serious and direct impact
on the ability of residents of those regions to exercise their fundamental rights
and freedoms provided for by international law.
The declaration of independence of the Republic of Crimea and its voluntary accession
to the Russian Federation are the result of a direct and free expression of will by
the people of Crimea in accordance with democratic principles, a legitimate form of
exercising their right to selfdetermination given an aided from abroad violent coup
d'état in Ukraine which caused rampant radical nationalist elements not hesitating
to use terror, intimidation and harassment against both its political opponents and
the population of entire regions of Ukraine.
The Russian Federation rejects any attempts to call into question an objective status
of the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol as constituent entities of the
Russian Federation, the territories of which are an integral part of the territory
of the Russian Federation under its full sovereignty. Thus, the Russian Federation
states that as it is not a party to the Convention, the Convention does not apply
to this part of its territory.