Over the past eight years, after the bloody coup in Kiev, we have witnessed tragic events in the Donbass. Despite the commitments under the Minsk Package of Measures, Ukraine constantly continued to fire at civilian objects, sabotaged negotiations within the framework of the trilateral Contact Group and the Normandy format, and actually withdrew from these agreements. In recent days, the situation has sharply escalated. The territories of the DPR and LPR were subjected to massive shelling. Artillery strikes were carried out on Donetsk and Lugansk. The result was human casualties and destruction of infrastructure – water, gas and electricity supply to many settlements stopped.
Residents of the region were forced to leave their homes. More than 80 thousand people have already left for the Russian Federation as part of the evacuation. We are on the verge of resuming large-scale hostilities, threatening the loss of thousands of human lives. In order to prevent such a development of events, yesterday, February 21, 2022, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin decided to respond positively to the appeal of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation and appeals to him from the leaders of the LPR and DPR. The decrees “On the recognition of the Donetsk People’s Republic” and “On the recognition of the Luhansk People’s Republic” were signed.
Also, the Head of the Russian State and the Heads of the Republics D.V.Pushilin and L.I.Pasechnik signed Agreements on friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance.
The conclusion of friendship and cooperation agreements is a traditional practice when recognizing the independence of individual States and establishing diplomatic relations with them. Such an agreement was signed with Ukraine on May 31, 1997. However, in 2018, Kiev unilaterally terminated it, after which the agreement officially terminated on April 1, 2019.
Such documents are of a framework nature. Their main goal is to determine the conditions for the creation of a further contractual and legal framework of relations between states, their individual departments and ministries.
This is evidenced by the very structure and content of the agreements signed by Russia with the DPR and the LPR. Each of them contains 31 articles and is made in Russian in two copies having the same force.
The Treaty defines that the Contracting Parties build their relations as friendly States, consistently guided by the principles of mutual respect for State sovereignty and territorial integrity, peaceful settlement of disputes and non-use of force or threat of force, as well as other generally recognized principles and norms of international law.
The Agreement stipulates the intention of the Parties to cooperate in the field of foreign policy, in the protection of sovereignty, territorial integrity and security, including by providing each other with the necessary assistance, including military, as well as granting the right to build, use and improve military infrastructure and military bases on their territory. The conclusion of separate agreements on military cooperation is envisaged. The Contracting Parties undertake not to participate in any blocs or alliances directed against any of them.
The necessity of concluding separate agreements on the establishment of the state border and its protection has been fixed.
The issues of the settlement of dual citizenship, recognition of documents, entry/exit and movement through the territory, as well as taking measures to protect citizens abroad and on the territories of the Parties are stipulated.
The protection of the ethnic, linguistic, cultural and religious identity of national minorities in the territories of the Parties is guaranteed, as well as the legal regime of state property, property of legal entities and citizens of the Parties in each other’s territories is established.
The principles of the development of trade and economic relations are defined, including through the provision of favorable economic, financial and legal conditions for entrepreneurial and other economic activities. It is envisaged that the Russian Federation will take effective measures to maintain and operate the financial and banking systems of the republic (both the DPR and the LPR), based on the fact that the Russian ruble is the means of payment on the territory of the republics.
According to the provisions of the Agreement, the Parties assist each other in emergency situations, as well as develop cooperation in the following areas: culture, art, education, tourism and sports; health, social and humanitarian spheres; in the field of science and technology; in the fight against crime, terrorism and other violent manifestations of extremism, drug trafficking and illegal migration. Measures are also being taken to unify legislation regulating economic activity, and information is regularly exchanged on the development, adoption and application of legal acts and international legal documents.
The agreement is concluded for a period of 10 years with the possibility of automatic extension for five-year periods, is subject to ratification and enters into force on the day of publication, and can also be amended and supplemented with the mutual consent of the parties on the initiative of either party. All disputes concerning the interpretation and application of the Treaty are resolved through negotiations.
Treaties on friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance between the Russian Federation and the Donetsk People’s Republic, as well as between the Russian Federation and the Luhansk People’s Republic are submitted for ratification in the State Duma and the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation. It seems that this step will ensure the security of the republics, their economic and social development, as well as protect the rights and interests of the population living in the republics, including Russian citizens. Please support.
