Ukrainian media: Any claim by Romania over Serpents Island would lead to Kiev recognition of Transdniester independence

Marţi, 23 septembrie 2008, 13:24 English | Regional Europe

Ukrainian newspaper Segodnia says that any claim by Romania over the Serpents Island would have Kiev authorities recognize immediately the independence of the breakaway Transdniester region in the Republic of Moldova, seen as an Achilles' heel for Romanian diplomacy. Segodnia says Romanian claims were "invented" and that Romanian authorities were eying the oil reserves of the Serpents Island area.

The paper reminds that President Yushchenko and the Ukrainian Foreign minister agreed that the case be judged at the Hague, but claims that no self-respecting state would recognize this "office".

Meanwhile, Regnume press agency quotes Ukrainian politologist Andrey Ermolaev who says that in the case of a precedent made by a Hague verdict in favor of Romania in the Serpents Island issue, another precedent should come up, leading to the possibility of a peaceful redrawal of all post-war borders. Ermolaev says that considering that neither NATO nor the EU adopted a public stance on Romania's policy, a conscious and well-thought action exists against Ukraine, in diplomatic form.