On the 1st  August 1975 in Helsinki (Finland), the leaders of 35 European and North American countries signed the Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe. Despite the ideological differences, the states agreed upon ten fundamental principles of cooperation to ensure peace and security on the European continent. In order to fulfill these commitments, the leaders of the member states at the OSCE Summit in Astana in 2010 agreed to work on the common Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian Security Community.

Unfortunately, Russian aggression towards Ukraine has thwarted these ambitious plans and overshadowed the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act. Having resorted to the illegal occupation and annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol, armed intervention in the Donbass region and kidnapping of Ukrainian citizens, Russia violated most principles and commitments within the framework of the OSCE. These are: the respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity, inviolability of frontiers, refraining from the threat or use of force and fulfillment in good faith of obligations under international law.

It is obvious not only for Ukraine, but for the overwhelming majority of the OSCE participating states that without Russia respecting the Helsinki principles and correcting blatant violations, the progress, achieved during the CSCE/OSCE over 40 years of existence, as well as security and stability throughout the OSCE area are under threat.

Once again, we urge the Russian Federation to stop immediately its aggression against our country, to return to the path of implementation of the Helsinki Final Act principles and norms of international law in order to avoid unpredictable consequences for the entire system of European security.