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Ukrainian lawsuit against Russia at ICJ 'goes against' common sense — Russian diplomat

It is noted that the Russian side contends that the Ukrainian lawsuit should be dismissed

THE HAGUE, June 8. /TASS/. The lawsuit filed by Ukraine against Russia at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the UN’s principal judicial organ located in The Hague, is based on misinterpretation of the law and goes against common sense, Russian Ambassador to The Netherlands Alexander Shulgin said at hearings on Thursday.

"Ukraine’s lawsuit is not simply unacceptable, but is also based on an erroneous interpretation of the law, goes against common sense, and is based either on bad information or even entirely contradicts the Ukrainian position," he said, as quoted by a TASS correspondent.

The diplomat said that during the hearings, the Russian side intended to demonstrate that the Ukrainian lawsuit "should be dismissed because it lacks both legal grounds and a supporting evidential base." "In reality, neither the Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, nor the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (that Ukraine is accusing Russia of violating - TASS) have anything to do with the current differences of opinion between the two countries," he noted. "They are simply used by Ukraine as a means of raising a wider range of issues before the court," Shulgin added. "The artificial nature of this case is also reflected in the fact that this is about two absolutely different factual situations," Russia’s representative noted.

On January 16, 2017, Ukraine filed a claim with the ICJ accusing Russia of violating the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. In April 2017, the court partially satisfied Ukraine’s demand to introduce injunctive measures against Russia. In particular, it ruled that Russia must abstain from allegedly violating the rights of Crimean Tatars and ensure access to Ukrainian-language education in Crimea. The court stated that no injunctive measures were necessary in relation to the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism. Hearings on the matter are being held from June 6 through 14.