Serbian Foreign Ministry rules out recognition of referendum results in Donbass

Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovich said that Belgrade, in accordance with the principles of international law, will not be able to recognize the results of referendums in the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics, as well as in the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions.

“On the one hand, our fundamental commitment to the principles of international law, the UN Charter, and on the other hand, this would be completely opposite to our state and national interests, this would be contrary to our policy of maintaining territorial integrity and sovereignty and the principle of inviolability of borders,” said he is at a briefing (quote from RIA Novosti).

On September 23, in the Donbass, as well as in the Kherson region and the Russian-controlled part of Zaporozhye, referendums began on the issue of joining the regions to the Russian Federation. Voting will last until September 27th. According to the results of the first day of voting, sociologists reported that 93% of the participants in the referendum in the Zaporozhye region supported joining the Russian Federation.

The public chambers of the LPR and DPR addressed the heads of the republics on September 19 with a request to hold referendums on joining the Russian Federation. The next day, with a similar request, the Public Council of the Kherson region addressed the head of the pro-Russian CAA, and the participants in the movement “We are with Russia” – to the head of the CAA of the Zaporozhye region. After that, Russian President Vladimir Putin supported the holding of referendums and said that Russia would do everything possible to ensure security in the territories where the vote would take place.

European authorities have sharply criticized plans to hold referendums in these territories. In particular, in Germany and the UK they said they would not recognize the results of the vote.

Also, the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, said that the EU would introduce new sanctions against Russia in response to support for the referendums. Also, EC President Ursula von der Leyen proposed establishing additional controls on the export of EU civilian technologies to Russia.