Issued by the Heads of State and Government participating in
the meeting of the North Atlantic Council in Warsaw 8-9 July 2016
1. We, the
Heads of State and Government of the member countries of the North Atlantic
Alliance, have gathered in Warsaw
at a defining moment for the security of our nations and populations. We
are pleased to have been joined by Montenegro,
which we have invited to become the 29th member of our Alliance.
10.
Russia’s destabilising actions and policies
include: the ongoing illegal and illegitimate annexation of Crimea, which we do
not and will not recognise and which we call on Russia to reverse; the
violation of sovereign borders by force; the deliberate destabilisation of
eastern Ukraine; large-scale snap exercises contrary to the spirit of the
Vienna Document, and provocative military activities near NATO borders,
including in the Baltic and Black Sea regions and the Eastern Mediterranean;
its irresponsible and aggressive nuclear rhetoric, military concept and
underlying posture; and its repeated violations of NATO Allied airspace.
In addition, Russia’s
military intervention, significant military presence and support for the regime
in Syria, and its use of its
military presence in the Black Sea to project power into the Eastern
Mediterranean have posed further risks and challenges for the
security of Allies and others.
16.
An independent, sovereign, and stable Ukraine, firmly committed to
democracy and the rule of law, is key to Euro-Atlantic security. We stand
firm in our support for Ukraine’s
sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised
borders and Ukraine’s
right to decide its own future and foreign policy course free from outside
interference, as set out in the Helsinki Final Act. We strongly
condemn Russia’s aggressive
actions against Ukraine
and its continued violation of international law and its international
obligations, which have serious implications for the stability and security of
the entire Euro-Atlantic area.
17.
Russia
bears full responsibility for the serious deterioration of the human rights
situation on the Crimean peninsula, in particular the discrimination against
the Crimean Tatars and other members of local communities. We demand that
the Russian de facto authorities take the necessary measures to ensure the
safety, rights, and freedoms of everyone living on the peninsula.
International monitoring structures must be allowed to carry out their
essential work in view of the protection of human rights. We condemn Russia’s ongoing and wide-ranging military
build-up in Crimea, and are concerned by Russia’s
efforts and stated plans for further military build-up in the Black
Sea region.
18.
We are committed to a peaceful solution to the conflict in eastern Ukraine, which has claimed nearly 10 000 lives,
and reintegration of the areas of the Donetsk
and Luhansk regions controlled by the Russian-backed militants. This will
require full implementation of the Minsk Agreements based on a comprehensive
ceasefire and an internationally verified withdrawal of weapons. We urge
all signatories to fully comply with the commitments they signed up to.
19.
Russia,
as a signatory to the Minsk Agreements, bears significant responsibility in
this regard. Despite its declared commitment to the Minsk Agreements, Russia continues its deliberate destabilisation
of eastern Ukraine,
in violation of international law. Russia continues to provide
weapons, equipment, and personnel, as well as financial and other assistance to
militant groups, and to intervene militarily in the conflict. We are
extremely concerned by the destabilisation and deteriorating security situation
in eastern Ukraine.
We call on Russia
to desist from aggressive actions and to use its considerable influence over
the militants to meet their commitments in full, especially to allow for the
observation of the ceasefire regime, implementation of confidence-building
measures, and disarmament.
