KYIV, Feb 16 – The Ukrainian government is working to bring closer the de-occupation and reintegration of Crimea, in particular using legal means, Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine to the Autonomous Republic of Crimea Anton Korynevych said.

"The Ukrainian authorities are working to bring closer the de-occupation and reintegration of Crimea, in particular through the use of legal means," Korynevych said during a conference in Kyiv.

According to him, "during contacts with European partners, it is very important to remind that the temporary occupation of Crimea is not only an issue of human rights violations, which are usually on the agenda of international organizations, but also environmental issues, in particular environmental pollution, and energy independence issues."

In this context, Korynevych noted that Ukraine responds to Russian aggression not only with military, but also with legal means of protecting sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"It seems to me that this is an absolutely correct strategy and tactic, when we see that the Russian Federation is probably the biggest violator of international law in the modern world," he said.

The Permanent Representative of the President recalled that Ukraine is filing claims with international judicial institutions at different levels.

In particular, it is about a claim against Russia under an investment protection agreement in the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, as well as in the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce on the suit of NJSC Naftogaz Ukrainy against Russian Gazprom.

"There are already certain rulings. In particular, that Gazprom is obliged to pay Naftogaz $2.56 billion. Other processes are ongoing. Of course, the 'wheels of justice' are not always very fast, but they definitely need to be applied in order to bring the Russian Federation to justice for all the violations that it committed and is committing in our Ukrainian Crimea," Korynevych is convinced.

He recalled that the key asset of Ukraine in Crimea is Chornomornaftogaz, which belongs to Naftogaz Ukrainy and has a lot of property and production facilities.

The permanent representative also recalled that shortly before the occupation of Crimea by Russia, Ukraine signed an agreement with international investors on the development of the Scythian deposit of the Black Sea shelf, and if not for the temporary occupation of the peninsula, the project could begin in a few years.

This would contribute to an increase in Ukraine's production of its own natural gas, which could become an alternative to Russian fuel. (om/ez)