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Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia refuse to recognize Ukraine referendums
Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina - Pixabay

Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia on Wednesday (Sep 28) said they will not recognize the referendums recently held in four Ukrainian regions, the Anadolu Agency reported.

The referendums are against the principles of international law, Sefik Dzaferovic, the Bosniak member and current chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

He asserted: “Bosnia and Herzegovina will never recognize such referendums.”

Echoing his views, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said his country “can never accept (the referendums) … because we support international law, the United Nations charter, and UN resolutions.”

He said Serbia is “protecting our own territorial integrity and it is in our best interest to protect the territorial integrity of other internationally recognized countries.”

Moscow claims over 98% of voters chose to join Russia following referendums in Ukraine’s Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

A tank of the Ukrainian Armed Forces its seen in the industrial area of the city of Sievierodonetsk, as Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues, Ukraine June 20, 2022. Picture taken June 20, 2022. REUTERS/Oleksandr Ratushniak

The votes have been widely condemned by the international community, with European nations and the US terming them a “sham” and saying they will not be recognized.

Russia launched referendums on Friday (Sep 23) aimed at annexing four occupied regions of Ukraine, raising the stakes of the seven-month-old war in what Kyiv called a sham that saw residents threatened with punishment if they did not vote.

Kazakhstan says it won’t recognize referendums in eastern Ukraine

Earlier, Ukrainians have reported armed soldiers going door-to-door in occupied parts of the country to collect votes for self-styled "referendums" on joining Russia.

Kazakhstan, one of Russia’s close ex-Soviet partners announced that it would also not recognize the possible annexation of Ukraine’s eastern regions by Russia through referendums held there, the Central Asian nation’s foreign ministry said on Monday (Sep 26).

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