Issue of republics seceding from the USSR bypassing the all-union law is still relevant

20.05.2021, Moscow.

The results of the secession of the Soviet republics from the USSR bypassing the then-existing legislation cannot serve as the basis of a post-Soviet world order, leader of the Essence of Time movement Sergey Kurginyan stated on May 16 on the Sunday Evening with Vladimir Solovyov program on the Russia One TV channel.

“Everything that was done by dissolution of the Soviet Union and abolishing Soviet laws has no legal force, contradicts everything, including the Helsinki Accords on the inviolability of frontiers, and cannot serve as the basis of the post-Soviet world order,” the well-known political scientist and public figure says.

In his speech, Kurginyan touched upon two main provisions of the USSR law “On Procedures for Resolving Issues Related to Secession.”

First, in exercising its right to secede from the USSR, each Union republic also had to ensure the expression of the will of each autonomous republic, each autonomous entity or “place of compact residence of ethnic groups”, which were the part of this republic.

“Ukraine wants to secede from the Soviet Union? Alright then! All its regions that don’t wish to do this can remain in the Soviet Union. Moldova wants to leave? All right then, but Transnistria does not want to, and it is even not clear whether Moldova indeed wants to – [Moldova] must return everything that it is obligated to return; it must ensure all the rights [to the population – Rossa Primavera News Agency editorial note], and it must secede according to the proper procedure,” Kurginyan believes.

Secondly, according to the same law, Union property located on the territory of a Union republic was supposed to remain under the control of the Union center during the transition period, and could only be transferred to the ownership of the seceding republic on the basis of separate agreements.

“The Baltic states were supposed to secede according to this law: ensuring all rights to the regions with a large Russian-speaking population, which also had the right to secede; giving back the respective industries on their territories – this is what was stipulated. It’s not their [Baltic states’] industry, it’s the union industry – and so on and so forth,” Essence of Time’s leader explained.

Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency

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