PACE urges members not to recognise secessionist entities

In a resolution adopted today, PACE calls on member states not to recognise or support in any way the de facto authorities of territories resulting from unlawful secessions, in particular those supported by foreign military interventions. Any conflict should be solved exclusively by peaceful means on the basis of international law, according to PACE, the organization's website reads.

In this context, the parliamentarians underline that the right to self-determination should first and foremost be implemented by way of the protection of minority rights as foreseen in the Council of Europe Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and PACE Resolution 1334.

In line with the recommendations by Marina Schuster, rapporteur on the matter, the Assembly also proposes that “the criteria for statehood, including those for the emergence of new states by legal secession (…) be examined thoroughly” at United Nations level.