Ukrainian state companies and moguls' $12 billion claims against Russia regarding property in Crimea contradict a bilateral agreement, signed in 1998, and therefore cannot be pursued in court, Mikhail Galperin, Russian deputy justice minister representing the country in the European Court of Human Rights, has said in an interview with Sputnik
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd June, 2020) Ukrainian state companies and moguls' $12 billion claims against Russia regarding property in Crimea contradict a bilateral agreement, signed in 1998, and therefore cannot be pursued in court, Mikhail Galperin, Russian deputy justice minister representing the country in the European Court of Human Rights, has said in an interview with Sputnik.
According to him, courts and arbitral tribunals in the Netherlands and France are currently considering 12 claims by Ukrainian oligarchs and state companies, demanding a total of $12 billion of Russia for property in Crimea.
"As a matter of fact, Ukrainian companies are trying to 'privatize' material resources that were generated back when we were one country. It should be noted that the Russian-Ukrainian 1998 agreement, which plaintiffs cite, does not cover investment of the Soviet period at all. Under the deal, investments made by one country's company on the territory of the other country should be protected," Galperin said.
"As it is known, Ukraine does not recognize Russia's sovereignty over Crimea. This means, as long as Ukraine does not recognize Crimea as a territory of a Russian Federation, Ukrainian investment in Crimea cannot be seen as foreign and, therefore, be subject to international defense under the agreement," Galperin explained.
