Friends Only: West Denies Crimea's Right to Self-Determination

© Sputnik / Yuriy Lashov / Go to the mediabankView of the St. Nicholas the Wonder Worker church/light house in the village of Malorechenskoye in the Crimea's Sudak District.
View of the St. Nicholas the Wonder Worker church/light house in the village of Malorechenskoye in the Crimea's Sudak District. - Sputnik International
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The stories of Crimea and Kosovo fuel concerns that only friends of Western countries, and not their opponents, are allowed to exercise the right to decide their own destiny, the NRC Handelsblad newspaper says.

"If the 'autonomous region of Kosovo' has a right to choose its future, then there can be no legal grounds to strip the 'autonomous republic of Crimea' of this right," the daily noted, accusing the West and the Dutch media of double standards.

The Dutch media outlets, according to the evening newspaper, are largely uniform in their anti-Russian stance and fail to understand that Crimea's reunification with Russia did not happen in a vacuum.

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The Black Sea peninsula called a referendum following a bloody uprising in Kiev, hailed by the Western governments as a "democratic revolution," although there was nothing democratic about it. After all, "forceful ousting of an elected president amounts to a coup," the daily observed.

In March 2014, more than 96 percent of Crimeans voted in favor of splitting with Ukraine and joining Russia.

© Sputnik / Vladimir Astapkovich / Go to the mediabankA rally and concert on Vasilyevsky Slope, Moscow to mark the anniversary of Crimea's reunification with Russia.
Rally and concert on Vasilyevsky Slope to mark anniversary of Crimea's reunification with Russia - Sputnik International
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A rally and concert on Vasilyevsky Slope, Moscow to mark the anniversary of Crimea's reunification with Russia.
© Sputnik / Igor Russak / Go to the mediabankRally to mark anniversary of Crimea's reunification with Russia in St. Petersburg
Rally to mark anniversary of Crimea's reunification with Russia in St. Petersburg - Sputnik International
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Rally to mark anniversary of Crimea's reunification with Russia in St. Petersburg
© AP Photo / Ivan Sekretarev, FileFILE - In this Friday, March 21, 2014 file photo people watch fireworks at the central Lenin square in Simferopol, Crimea. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev, File)
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FILE - In this Friday, March 21, 2014 file photo people watch fireworks at the central Lenin square in Simferopol, Crimea. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev, File)
© Sputnik / Vladimir Astapkovich / Go to the mediabankRally and concert on Vasilyevsky Slope to mark anniversary of Crimea's reunification with Russia.
Rally and concert on Vasilyevsky Slope to mark anniversary of Crimea's reunification with Russia. - Sputnik International
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Rally and concert on Vasilyevsky Slope to mark anniversary of Crimea's reunification with Russia.
© AFP 2023 / DIMITAR DILKOFF A file picture taken on March 16, 2014 shows a Crimean couple kissing as people celebrate in Simferopol's Lenin Square after exit polls showed that about 93 percent of voters in Ukraine's Crimea region supported union with Russia. AFP PHOTO / DIMITAR DILKOFF
A file picture taken on March 16, 2014 shows a Crimean couple kissing as people celebrate in Simferopol's Lenin Square after exit polls showed that about 93 percent of voters in Ukraine's Crimea region supported union with Russia. - Sputnik International
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A file picture taken on March 16, 2014 shows a Crimean couple kissing as people celebrate in Simferopol's Lenin Square after exit polls showed that about 93 percent of voters in Ukraine's Crimea region supported union with Russia. AFP PHOTO / DIMITAR DILKOFF
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A rally and concert on Vasilyevsky Slope, Moscow to mark the anniversary of Crimea's reunification with Russia.
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Rally to mark anniversary of Crimea's reunification with Russia in St. Petersburg
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FILE - In this Friday, March 21, 2014 file photo people watch fireworks at the central Lenin square in Simferopol, Crimea. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev, File)
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Rally and concert on Vasilyevsky Slope to mark anniversary of Crimea's reunification with Russia.
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A file picture taken on March 16, 2014 shows a Crimean couple kissing as people celebrate in Simferopol's Lenin Square after exit polls showed that about 93 percent of voters in Ukraine's Crimea region supported union with Russia. AFP PHOTO / DIMITAR DILKOFF

The day of the vote turned into a "national celebration" for the locals, NRC Handelsblad said. Indeed, not only did the overall majority of ethnic Russians opt for the reunification deal; members of ethnic minorities also voiced their support.

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The Dutch newspaper also pointed out the fact that Ukraine's borders have been constantly redrawn throughout history. "This process has to be carried out through dialogue, under international supervision and based on the declared democratic rights of those, who live on the disputed territories," the media outlet said.

In 2010, the International Court of Justice based in the Hague "seriously limited the principle of territorial integrity. Kosovo's declaration of independence was found to be legal," paving the way for other regions around the world to follow suit, the newspaper observed.

"Why does the West then deny those living in Abkhazia and South Ossetia or Donetsk and Lugansk the right to self-determination declared through a national vote?" the newspaper asked.

According to the NRC Handelsblad, new borders will appear and the United Nations should get on top of the process and work out appropriate rules and procedures.

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