Parliamentary Deputy Yurii Boiko of the Party of the Regions has called on the parliament to demand that the Foreign Affairs Ministry ensure that Romania withdraws its lawsuit on the ownership of the Zmiinyi Island from the United Nations Organization's International Court of Justice.
Boiko announced this in a statement.
Boiko stressed that the position of the Foreign Affairs Ministry regarding relations with Romania was quite passive.
In particular, Boiko expressed regret that the Foreign Affairs Ministry did not respond to Romanian President Traian Basescu's claims to Southern Bessarabia and Northern Bukovyna.
Moreover, according to Boiko, the Foreign Affairs Ministry should assume a principled position during the negotiations on resolution of the conflict in Transdniestria, which will resume on September 8, because Transdniestria is "a zone of Ukrainian national interests" and an important economic partner of Ukraine.
In particular, Boiko considers it necessary to guarantee Transdniestria's language and cultural autonomy and protection of the rights of the Ukrainian-speaking population of the self-proclaimed republic, where 80,000 people hold Ukrainian citizenship.
Moreover, Boiko said that Transdniestria should have the possibility of separating from Moldova if Moldova unites with Romania.
Boiko stressed that the threat to Ukraine's territorial integrity and economic security would increase if it failed to protect its national interests during the Transdniestrian talks.
As Ukrainian News earlier reported, oral hearings in the case involving delimitation of the Ukrainian-Romanian border on the Black Sea shelf started at the United Nations Organization's International Court of Justice on September 2.
Romania considers the creation of a village on the Zmiinyi Island by Ukraine as a violation of international law.
Ukraine has said that it is prepared to consider delimitation of the Black Sea's continental shelf with Romania at a bilateral level, simultaneously with its consideration at the United Nations Organization's International Court of Justice.
